Fiscal Cliffhanger: A Study in Government Fear Mongering

The Libertarian Party Says: Cut Federal Spending Now

 

An open letter to American voters from Geoffrey J. Neale, Chair, Libertarian National Committee

 

 

Dear Voter,

 

You’re being scammed. Conned. Deceived.

 

Big Government politicians are trying to whip you into a frenzy of fear over what they like to call the “fiscal cliff.”

 

But it’s just their latest episode of a cliffhanger drama. They’re using it to continue their reckless government overspending and stampede you into paying higher taxes.

 

Why are they combining massive tax increases with “reductions” in federal government spending — and giving it a scary name?

 

Tax increases and government spending reductions are polar opposites when it comes to their impact.

 

Tax hikes hurt you. They diminish your family’s wealth and hurt the economy.

 

Government spending cuts are good for your family. They transfer money out of the reckless, irresponsible, wasteful government sector that consumes wealth and into the productive, private sector that creates wealth.

 

By blending tax hikes with (alleged) government spending cuts, they try to convince you that they’re all part of one scary package. That both things are bad.

 

To add injury to insult, their phony “fiscal cliff” doesn’t include a dime of actual government spending cuts. Just pretend reductions in future spending.

 

Big Government politicians are using embezzlers’ accounting tricks to avoid removing waste and truly discretionary spending from today’s federal budget. They refuse to balance the budget now — the way you have to every month with your family budget.

 

They threaten us with insanely inflated tax increases — while demanding praise for any taxes that they don’t raise.

 

It’s as if a thief breaks into your house and threatens to take your new flat-screen TV, your car, all your precious jewelry, and your kids’ favorite electronic games — and then takes just the car and a few rings. He makes you feel relieved that you still have your TV, the kids’ games, and the rest of your jewelry.

 

On New Year’s Day, what did Big Government politicians actually vote for?

 

They voted to rip you off an average of $800 a year MORE — a 2 percent increase in your Social Security payroll tax. While they bragged that they were doing you a favor.

 

They raised a pile of other taxes as well, including taxes on estates, higher incomes, investment income, health care, and businesses.

 

These Democratic and Republican tax hikes will allow them to rake in a total of $514 billion in new revenue and will destroy millions of private sector jobs. While we have 8 percent unemployment.

 

While raising taxes, they refused to cut a dime from this year’s government spending. They didn’t even allow their phony future spending cuts to stand.

 

But they did slip into the deal loads of new federal spending, adding even more to this year’s $1.3 TRILLION deficit.

 

More government debt = higher taxes for you. Government debt devalues the dollars you earn and save. This hidden tax will gouge you just as surely as a direct tax would. Instead of taking it out of your paycheck, it will cost you in the form of higher prices you will pay for groceries, utilities and virtually everything you buy.

 

This is what you get when you vote for either Democrats or Republicans. Higher taxes. Higher government spending. More government debt. Higher prices. More unemployment.

 

It doesn’t matter which of the two you vote for. For all the posturing and gamesmanship, both Democrats and Republicans are peas of a pod. Birds of a feather. They are both addicted to Big Government.

 

Libertarians have the solution, and it’s simple. To immediately revive the American economy, we must dramatically cut total government spending now.

 

Every dollar transferred out of government coffers and back into the private sector creates business investment and jobs.

 

Libertarian candidates who ran for federal office in 2012 called for big spending cuts and balancing the budget now, including Gov. Gary Johnson for president. He proposed to immediately slash spending by at least $1.3 trillion in 2013 to balance the budget his first year in office.

 

American voters: Help us help you. Join the Libertarian Party today. Help us run bold Libertarian candidates who will eliminate wasteful and bloated Big Government programs now, dramatically reduce government spending now, stabilize the dollar, and cut your taxes.

 

If you want less government, lower government spending, and much lower taxes, please join the Libertarian Party today.

 

Yours in liberty,

 

Geoffrey J. Neale
Chair
Libertarian National Committee

 

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P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party with a mission to give voters a choice to downsize Big Government, to do so in the most humane way possible, to greatly reduce taxes, and to slash high government spending. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can simply make a contribution.

Libertarian National Convention Chooses Presidential Debaters

LAS VEGAS – Delegates of the National Libertarian Convention here Friday chose two  participants of a presidential debate that will precede elections of the Libertarian Party’s Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees.

The debate, a key event in the nominating process, will begin at 6:00 P.M. Friday, May 4th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nev. and will broadcast live on C-Span It will be moderated by David Bergland, a former party National Chair and the 1984 presidential nominee.

According to the results of a secret vote, taking part in tonight’s debate will be:

Gary Johnson, a former two-term governor for New Mexico, whose frequent use of the veto pen has earned him the nickname of “Governor Veto.” He cut taxes 14 times while never raising them. See also www.garyjohnson2012.com

R. Lee Wrights, a long-time Libertarian Party activist, writer and publisher. Mr. Wrights has dedicated his life and career to promoting the ideas of small government and individual freedom. See also LibertyForAll.net

“Everything points to a vigorous, interesting debate,” said Mark Hinkle, Libertarian Party Chair. “Both the debaters are seasoned politicians with solid Libertarian credentials. We’re looking forward to a campaign that will showcase our beliefs and values. We’re the small government alternative to Big Government Democrats and Republicans, which resonates with millions of voters who are deeply concerned with our weak economy and who fear it will get worse.”

The debaters were selected by convention delegates in a secret ballot, in which a candidate needed to score10 percent of the vote or higher to be allowed to take part.

While participation in the debate does not guarantee nomination for President, the poll serves as an important indicator of delegate preferences.

The Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees will be elected at the convention Saturday through independent voting processes starting with the presidential nomination. In the Libertarian Party, the Presidential nominee does not choose his or her running mate.

Party rules call for selecting the nominees through several rounds of balloting. If no candidate for President or Vice President attains a majority on the first ballot, the candidate finishing last will be eliminated from the race. In addition, any candidate polling less than 5 percent will also be eliminated from the subsequent ballot. A candidate securing a majority of convention delegates will be the nominee. All elections are being conducted at no expense to taxpayers.

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States, which is active in all 50 states and has more than 250,000 registered voters.

Libertarians call for ending government interference in personal, family and business decisions, much lower government spending, repeal of dangerous and unnecessary regulations, lower taxes, a currency free of government manipulation, free trade, and a peaceful, non-interventionist foreign policy.

Millions of Americans have voted for Libertarian Party candidates in past elections throughout the country, despite the fact that many state governments place roadblocks in order to keep third party candidates off the ballot and deprive voters of a real choice.

Additional information about the 2012 Libertarian National Convention can be found at www.LibertyWillWin.com.

Additional information about the Libertarian Party can be found at www.LP.org.

Libertarian Party's National Convention May 3-6 in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON – The Libertarian Party will hold the National Libertarian Convention at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., from May 3rd through May 6th to select the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees, adopt any changes to the platform and choose top party officials.

The convention, themed Liberty Will Win, coincides with the 40th anniversary of the party, which is celebrated by Libertarians across the country. Between 600 and 700 delegates from all parts of the country are expected to take part. The keynote address “Big Government is the Disease; Voting Libertarian Is the Only Cure” will be delivered at 9:30 A.M. on Thursday, May 3rd by Michael Cloud, a veteran party strategist and communications expert.

"The problem is not the abuse of power ... it's the power to abuse. Take away the power and no abuse is possible," Mr. Cloud will say, according to the text of his prepared remarks.

Mark Hinkle, Libertarian Party Chair, said he anticipated one of the most exciting conventions ever.

“We have strong candidates -- and a growing number of independents, Tea Party faithful, disaffected Republicans, and anti-war, anti-crony-capitalism Democrats looking to us to field true liberty candidates,” Mr. Hinkle said. “We’re the small government alternative to Big Government Democrats and Republicans, which resonates with millions of voters who are deeply concerned with our weak economy and who fear it will get worse.”

The Libertarian Party’s nominating process differs significantly from that of the Republican and Democratic Parties.

Both the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees are elected at the convention through independent voting processes starting with the presidential nomination. The Presidential nominee does not choose his or her running mate.

The first round of balloting will begin after the opening of the convention on Thursday, May 3rd and close at 3:00 P.M. on Friday, May 4th when delegates will choose participants of a nationally-televised Presidential debate that will take place on Friday, May 4th  from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  Those included in the debate will be announced by 3:30 P.M. on May 4th. Only candidates scoring 10 percent of the ballot or more will be allowed to take part.

This year’s contenders for appearing on the stage include, in reverse alphabetical order, writer, Libertarian activist, and Air Force veteran R. Lee Wrights, documentary producer Bill Still, attorney and Army veteran Carl Person, computer programmer Scott Keller, former New Mexico Governor and businessman Gary Johnson, and Libertarian activist and Marine veteran Jim Burns.

Party rules call for selecting the nominees after the debate through several rounds of balloting. If no candidate for President or Vice President attains a majority on the first ballot, the candidate finishing last will be eliminated from the race. In addition, any candidate polling less than 5 percent will also be eliminated from the subsequent ballot. A candidate securing a majority of convention delegates will be the nominee.

“We have an impressive roster of talent this year to challenge our Big Government opponents not only in the race for the White House, but also in state and local races,” noted Mr. Hinkle. “The major parties offer Americans only one solution: Bigger government.  Libertarians will show voters how we can make government small while dramatically increasing jobs, lowering taxes, and scaling back government debt.”

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States, which is active in all 50 states and has more than 250,000 registered voters.

Libertarians call for ending government interference in personal, family and business decisions, much lower government spending, repeal of dangerous and unnecessary regulations, lower taxes, a currency free of government manipulation, free trade, and a peaceful, non-interventionist foreign policy.

Millions of Americans have voted for Libertarian Party candidates in past elections throughout the country, despite the fact that many state governments place roadblocks in order to keep third party candidates off the ballot and deprive voters of a real choice.

Additional information about the 2012 Libertarian National Convention can be found at www.LibertyWillWin.com. Additional information about the Libertarian Party can be found at www.LP.org.

LP Chair: "Not Pro-Life or Pro Choice but Individual Choice"

WASHINGTON - In response to the abortion restrictions signed into law in Arizona this month, Libertarian Party Chair, Mark Hinkle, issued the following statement:

“Like so many others, Libertarians wrestle with the moral issues associated with abortion.  While our party includes a significant number of people who describe themselves as pro-choice, nearly as many members describe themselves as pro-life.  In my own view, however, there is no conflict: the best way to respect life is to prevent government from interfering with individual rights.

“Most who refer to themselves as pro-life believe that the fetus becomes an individual endowed with full rights at the moment of conception.  Most of those who call themselves pro-choice believe that an individual entitled to rights does not exist at least until there is a functional brain, capable of consciousness, which most scientists place somewhere between 22 and 26 weeks.

“Regardless of one’s view on this matter, however, we should all be able to agree that a pregnant woman is an individual with rights.  And that includes the right to make often-difficult decisions concerning her own body.

“One provision of the recent modification to Arizona law prohibits the termination of a pregnancy once 20 weeks have passed from the start of the woman’s last menstrual period before fertilization.  After that, abortion is permitted only in medical emergencies threatening the mother’s health.

“This provision is more of an insult to women than a substantive restriction, since nearly 99% of all abortions already take place before the end of 20 weeks, while virtually all remaining abortions DO involve protecting the mother’s health.  Arizona might as well have passed a law prohibiting mothers from waterboarding their infant children for all its relevance to the actual behavior of these women.  There is no need to place any time restriction: pregnant women have historically shown they can be trusted not to engage in the apocryphal ninth-month abortion for convenience.  Politicians, on the other hand, have shown regularly that they CANNOT be trusted.

“The ugliest part of the Arizona law, however, is a provision requiring a woman to undergo a physically invasive transvaginal ultrasound before she is even allowed to choose.  The goal, of course, is to humiliate her into deciding not to proceed, as punishment for what Governor Jan Brewer and the majority of the Arizona legislature consider to be her great transgression.

“We all know that abortions still take place even when they’re prohibited.   The Guttmacher Institute has researched the rate of abortions in countries throughout the world.  Countries with severe restrictions on abortion actually have a HIGHER rate of abortions (once the illegal ones are included) than countries that have few restrictions.  The lowest rate of abortion in the world is in pro-choice Holland, widely considered to be a hotbed of promiscuous sexual activity.

“Ironically, while there are multiple causes for this, a primary reason Holland has a rock bottom rate of abortion is that their women have more choices.  Sexual information is widely available to women and girls, contraception is relatively easy to obtain, there is more social acceptance of unwed mothers, and adoption faces far fewer restrictions than in most of the world.  As a result, women and girls know how to reduce the risk of an unwanted pregnancy, can access the methods and, should they become pregnant, have more motivation to carry to term.

“As libertarians, we favor the removal of all obstacles to the free flow of information about contraception, including attempts to censor Internet sites.  We call for an end to the prescription requirement, which massively increases the inconvenience and cost of obtaining protection.  We also support the removal of restrictions on adoption including laws against cross-racial adoptions and adoptions by unmarried adults and same sex couples.  All of these changes will help reduce the number of abortions that take place.  Indeed, abortion rates have dropped steadily in recent decades as women, including teenage girls, have faced fewer obstacles to learning about sex.

"And we're REALLY pro-choice: we also defend the right of a woman (or man) to choose NOT to pay for some other woman's abortion or birth control.   Keep the government out of abortions. No regulations, no subsidies. Choice for all, including choice for those who are pro-life."

“At the same time, denying the humanity of a pregnant woman is never acceptable, and the decision as to whether or not she will carry a fetus inside her own body must not be surrendered to the sophistries of over-bearing politicians and bureaucrats.”

LP CHAIR: "Violence is No Way For Civilized People to Get Their Revenue"

WASHINGTON -- In light of tomorrow's personal income tax filing deadline, Libertarian National Chair, Mark Hinkle, released the following statement:

"While everyone needs revenue, only criminals and politicians insist that they have to get it through violence.  The criminals, however, do not pretend they're doing it in order to serve the public, and taxes make politicians public masters rather than public servants.

"Certainly, the present size of government at all levels depends on taxation - not only the explicit kind, but the invisible kind that the Federal Reserve System imposes through inflation of the money supply.  People probably wouldn't voluntarily pay to bomb, invade, and occupy other countries, bail out large banks and other corporations, and try to dictate the personal choices of others.  Good riddance!  Government-monopolized services such as education and health care could be provided for less than half the cost if they could be returned to the voluntary sector of society with cost-raising regulations abolished and incentives restored.  Both mutual aid groups and charitable donations filled gaps prior to the rise of the Welfare State for those in need with an efficiency that is impossible when those in charge of aid get more money and power for themselves the worse the job they perform.  We'll have to take some personal responsibility for our own lives and stop using the excuse Ebenezer Scrooge made that his taxes supported institutions for the poor so he could ignore them.

"It is obscene for those claiming to protect life, liberty, and property to obtain their revenue by violating life, liberty, and property.  There are plenty of ways to obtain revenue without force: insurance, user fees, advertising, lotteries, and donations are already used by many local and state governments for a good portion of their revenue.  Let them be true public servants and live within the means that these sources provide.  People might even pay more voluntarily once they're no longer forced to turn over 1/3 to 1/2 of their wealth to governments.

"Ultimately, it is about the type of society we want to have.  We can accomplish a lot voluntarily when we mutually respect each other's lives and property.  It begins by respecting the right of people to keep the fruits of their labor.  A good start would be the abolition of the personal income tax, which only adds insult to the injury of theft by invading every part of the taxpayer's privacy as well as making the second week of April a misery instead of a time to enjoy the early spring."