Prologue
The primary purpose of government is to protect is citizens from foreign aggression. Secondarily it must provide a system of justice to protect its citizens from one another. Finally, it must govern certain basic interactions with other nations to protect its citizens abroad and promote the free movement of goods.
The government of the United States has failed its citizens in every aspect of its core responsibilities. There are many reasons for this and it is not the fault of one political party or another. It is the fault of the citizens of the United States for failing to realize that the Democrats and Republicans have conspired together to maintain this pathetic status quo. They transfer power to one another with every election that we celebrate as a tribute to the strength of our way of government. But this transfer is illusory. Their sole goal is to maintain the power they already have. They wrote the rules on ballot access and have closed alternative parties from debate before the people. Our faux democracy is the fault of the people.
In 1992, I voted Democratic and in 1996 and 2000 I punched Republican. In 2004, I “wasted” my vote on the Libertarian candidate, Mike Badnarik. I believe that my transition from the left to the right reflects what happens to a lot of white men when they start getting real paychecks and see just how much is taken out to support our government. In part, I wanted desperately to believe that trickle-down economics was the answer and I also felt that the Democratic party was not the friend of Israel it purported itself to be. Over the past several years though, I’ve come to realize that the amount of waste in our government is what’s responsible for my small paycheck and that neither party has a workable plan for Middle East peace.
I didn’t vote for Badnarik thinking that the Libertarians could bring Israel a peace with its neighbors. Quite frankly, I’d be a little concerned knowing he had nuclear codes. I have come to realize that without a viable third party, we will never be at peace with our neighbors; never eliminate our nation’s debt; and never have meaningful reform of our government. As a third party, the Libertarians are required to maintain certain percentages of the vote to remain on the ballot. In Illinois, the state was a lock for the Democratic nominee so my “wasted” vote at least helps the largest third party get one vote closer to maintaining its shaky ballot access.
I am, first and foremost, a Capitalist. I believe in the concept of a bargained-for exchange and that supply and demand should be the only influences in the marketplace. I believe that regulation (while necessary in some cases) interferes with this basic concept. I believe that government has no business in your bedroom, your doctor’s office or your church. Government should not provide artificial supports for inefficient processes and should not intervene in cases where personal responsibility has failed.
This Manifesto will attempt to explain my thoughts on the challenges we face as a nation. Your comments are welcome.