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goodNEWSBADnews       selected news worthy of comment
 


Late 2009 through Early 2010
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GOOD

NEW ADMINISTRATION STOPS USING TERM 'WAR ON TERROR'  Why is this a good thing?
 
 
 
A LIBERTARIAN GOVERNMENT WOULD END THE WAR ON DRUGS
because it can't be won in its present form and all it is doing is creating violence, crime, and costing society lives, money, and resources. See corresponding bad news story. (opposite)





OBAMA'S CIA & JUSTICE APPOINTMENTS = "NO MORE TORTURE OR WARRANTLESS WIRETAPS"
We want to give credit where it is due. We are hearing from inside sources that Obama is determined to end torture and warrantless wiretaps. There are those, even in more liberal circles, that have been predicting he would have to yield on that position because he wouldn't be able to find anyone in the intelligence committee not tainted by the Bush policies and/or even willing to support the Obama position. Well, despite the criticism of Leon Panetta as not having any direct experience in intelligence, we applaud the choice as opposed to the nomination of a career spy who would continue business as usual. Of course this is good news to Libertarians and friends of liberty by any other name since there is no liberty where there is no respect for basic human decency and basic human rights, including our Bill of Rights.
       Holder                        Panetta

When Attorney General Eric Holder testified, he stated unequivocally that "Waterboarding is torture." He also pledged to fight terrorism "within the letter and the spirit of the Constitution." Wasn't that refreshing. First time in eight years hearing the word "Constitution" uttered by a member of the President's administration.  Bad news opposite.


THERE IS A LIBERTARIAN GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON: PRESIDENT, AND BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS.
Are we delusional? No, simply virtual. Visit our virtual capital pages and see what Libertarians might do in contrast to what the Republicrats are doing.


LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES MAKE SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN SOME RACES
Despite this being a bad year for third parties, there were Libertarian achievements of note.

MONDS BECOMES FIRST LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE DOWNTICKET TO WIN OVER A MILLION VOTES!  A Star is Born!

 

 
John Monds garnered over a million votes (more than one third of votes cast) as candidate for Public Service Commissioner, a statewide office in Georgia. He is currently a candidate for Governor in the 2010 race.
 
  
Other Bright Spots for Libertarians:
  • Gubernatorial candidate Mike Munger sets records in North carolina and surpasses the threshold (2%) required to earn automatic ballot status in his state.
 

Munger
  • Georgia Senatorial Candidate Allen Buckley earned 3.4% of the vote, but more importantly caused a run-off election since no candidate earned fifty percent.

Buckley
  • Senatorial Candidate Yvonne Adams Schick earns almost 200,000 votes against a popular incumbent in Texas. Schick plans to run again for Senate in 2010.
Schick



FINANCIAL BOMB SHELTER FOR SCARY TIMES
During the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, author and investment guru John E. Girouard is warning people to think twice before moving their money into regular savings accounts, CD's, or money market funds. He says the ultimate bomb shelter for scary financial times is your grandparents' life insurance called "participating" or "mutual whole life" which dominated the industry until falling out of favor in the late '70's but is now coming back into style.

"Few people know that life insurance industry was one of the few economic sectors to survive the Great Depression intact. It was one investment that kept its promises," said Girouard.

"Buying a policy from a mutually-owned company, you become an owner instead of a customer. It's like becoming your own bank," notes Girouard. Mutual whole life policies accumulate cash value that earns untaxed interest and can be accessed quickly, no questions asked.

Mutual whole life policies have recently been earning 6% or more and carry ironclad guarantees.Your cash value and the death benefit are secure. Some policies even include disability benefits.

Girouard observes that companies have been buying mutual insurance policies on their employees lives as a means of stashing corporate cash in an untaxed vehicle they can draw down on a moment's notice.

Girouard says his phone and those of thousands of financial advisors have been ringing off the hook lately with people looking for a safe place to "stash money when nothing looks good. Bank CD's help people sleep better but low instant rates, inflation and taxation constantly erode buying power so people actually lose money instead of protecting it."

Giraoud says most investment advisors don't understand mutual whole life policies and don't offer them to their clients, because they aren't sexy or new.    


 
BAD

NEW ADMINISTRATION FAILS TO LIVE UP TO PLEDGE TO CHANGE APPROACH TO TERROR. Why is this a bad thing? 
 
 
THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS MEXICO ON THE PRECIPICE
Reports from Mexico suggest our southern neighbor is on the verge of failed-state status due to the upper hand the druglords have achieved in Mexico and the violence and terror taking over the streets of mexican border towns and the country as a whole. This is a direct result of the US "War on Drugs" and legalizing drugs in the United States would end it instantly.




OBAMA SEEMS POISED TO BE FDR 2. 
A whole new wave of expanding the Federal Government including another 600,000 Federal Government jobs does not bode well. If only we could get it through the heads of our President-elect and the Democratic legislature that yes, we need a trillion dollar stimulus and no it should not be done indirectly. Instead it should be paid in the form of a refund of the last trillion dollars of taxes collected, back in the hands of the very people and businesses from whom it was taken.  

 

  


Attorney General Holder is no friend of gun rights. This is the only apparent bad news of this appointment.


LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES CAN'T COMPETE WITH "HISTORY"
Like no election in recent history, a vast majority of voters expressed keen interest in, often passion for, one of the two "major" party choices at the top of the ticket. Popular opinion of the R-D choice in '08, rightly or wrongly, was that there was a real choice, and the personalities in the campaign appear to have motivated near record voter interest and turnout. There was very little talk of lesser evils this year.

The historic choice between the first African-American President and the first woman Vice President, as well as the efforts of Sarah Palin and her constituency to re-inflame old "culture-wars" sentiment, consumed a vast majority of the electorate. The media created and enhanced the impression that the choice between the "majors" this year was clearly defined. When voters are engaged in the classic choices, there is less interest in looking further down the ballot.


Governor Palin
Third party and independent candidates in general and Libertarian candidates in particular tend to do better when a significant portion of the electorate is disillusioned with the R vs.D contest, often described as Tweedle Dee vs. Tweedle Dum. Popular opinion of the R-D choice in '08, rightly or wrongly, was that there was a real choice, and the personalities in the campaign appear to have motivated near record voter interest and turnout. Hence, it was a bad year to be a third party candidate for President.


Bob Barr, Libertarian for President 2008

One reason why Republicrats have a monopoly: Unfair Ballot Access Laws.

 
 
 
 
How do George W. Bush &
Barack Obama rate,
according to a
Libertarian checklist?
 
 


 
 


 
AS THE FINANCIAL CRISIS CONTINUES, THE GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO NATIONALIZE MORE PRIVATE ASSETS.
Recently it was announced that the Fed would create yet another new entity to buy private assets in an attempt to further melt the frozen credit markets. There is also talk of buying into insurance companies. Meanwhile several banks to benefit from an infusion of government cash for the purpose of loosening credit were asking for permission to use these funds to buy other banks. In other words, the more the government tries to fix the situation with market intervention, the more problems the government creates. The end result is that bailed out banks will use money intended to loosen credit to further consolidate the banking system and make it more difficult for small businesses to get credit.  
 
 
 
MORE BAD NEWS: TRUE SOLUTIONS TO HEALTHCARE CRISIS ARE BEING IGNORED
 

 
Is universal access to health care a right or a privilege? Most libertarians might say it is a privilege, but let's, for sake of argument, say it is a right. A world-class efficient healthcare system should be considered part of the infrastructure just as roads and communication lines. What if it is? We have argued at this site that even infrastructure can be managed more effectively, efficiently and with higher quality by private enterprise than by the government. 
 
Either way, however, the most efficient way to deliver health care is a combination of true insurance, which covers catastrophic health events, affordable front line care paid for out of pocket, and a restructuring of the entire healthcare delivery system and financial models.  The bills pending in Congress do not address these key issues in a way that can expand access to health care while at the same time increasing its efficiency and reducing its cost.