OK, this is a nod to our Aussie contingent. I am, on principle, against the idea of compulsory voting, but I think it would be an interesting debate topic. Here are my questions: To Australians: What are the pros and cons from your point of view of your compulsory voting system? Have you seen abuses and how would you act to eliminate those abuses if you have seen them. To Americans (and anyone without a compulsory voting system): Do you think compulsory voting would be a practical id...

OK, now this is interesting. For some time, I have been "feeling the political waters", at first back in Wisconsin, where I was very near to making a city council run, now where we are, where I am mulling over running in the next town board election. This is where it gets interesting. While feeling the waters, I was solicited by the Democratic Party to run under their banner. What is more interesting is that, less than three weeks ago, I was solicited by the Republican Party. It's obvio...

I'm sure nobody who reads me regularly would be surprised to hear me say that I think that compassion should come from those who choose to be compassionate, not from the government forcing "compassion" (forced compassion is no compassion at all, IMO). I take issue with the current crop of celebrity liberals who are spending absurd amounts of money to implement a government that adds social programs and a tax burden to accompany it, especially when I consider the net worth of some of the peopl...

OK, time to put my "liberal" hat on. For those who don't notice, I have stolen a line from one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time ("Do They Know It's Christmas?") for this blog. As the Republicans are settling in for their national convention, they are sending their message out in a city whose homeless problems are legendary. Where a former mayor once proposed putting the homeless in jail that refused to go into the shelters. George W. Bush will speak, most likely, on the th...

This is my 13th and final article on the Libertarian Party platform. The rest of the platform can be found in my archives under "politics". If you have further questions about the LP platform, you can go to: www.lp.or or contact me directly at miner432004@yahoo.com: The Libertarian Party: Working to slash your taxes! The Libertarian Party is working every day to cut your taxes. By contrast, professional politicians from the other parties just want more of your money, and are busy increasi...

This is article 12 of my articles on the Libertarian Party platform. Articles 1-11 may be found in my archives under the heading "politics". If you have questions about the Libertarian Party, go to www.lp.org or email me at miner432004@yahoo.com Securing Your Retirement E-MAIL THIS PAGE PRINTABLE VERSION Politicians in Washington are stealing your future. Every year, they take 12.4% of your income to prop up their failed Social Security system - a system that is heading to...

OK, this one really hacks me. For those of you who don't know, the main 527 aimed at Nevada revolves around the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste repository, a congressional boondoggle that has received or been promised over $1 trillion in federal funding over a number of years. Yucca Mountain is, in short, a very bad idea, as it will involve the transportation of nuclear waste cross country to the Nevada site, which is close to the test range. This is intended to be achieved over unsecured rai...

For those keeping score at home, I goofed in my last entry. This is article number 11, not article number 10, on my series on the Libertarian Party platform. Articles 1-10 may be found in my archives under the heading "politics". For more information on the Libertarian Party, please go to www.lp.org or email me at miner432004@yahoo.com For Online Privacy "The individual's right to privacy, property, and right to speak or not to speak should not be infringed by the government. The ...

This is part 9 of my articles on the Libertarian Party platform. Please feel free to archive articles 1-8 under the "politics" heading. If you want any more information on the Libertarian Party, please feel free to go to the official party website at: www.lp.org or email me at miner432004@yahoo.com: Highlights of the Libertarian Party's "Ending the Welfare State" Proposal E-MAIL THIS PAGE PRINTABLE VERSION From across the political and ideological spectrum, there is now almo...

I try to be a generally good global citizen. I compost, recycle, teach my kids the value of a dollar, and the idea of unconditional regard for all of God's creation. But I also teach them to stand up for what they believe in, and will live my life no other way. I have to look at myself in the mirror each morning. The latest crop of "political correctness" now teaches that Islam is a religion of peace, and that they're misunderstood by Western society. Meanwhile, conservative Christia...

This is article 9 on the Libertarian Party platform. Articles 1-8 can be found in my archives under the "politics" section. If you want more information on the Libertarian Party, please go to: www.lp.com or contact me at: miner432004@yahoo.com: The benefits of open immigration BY MICHAEL TANNER America has always been a nation of immigrants. Thomas Jefferson emphasized this basic part of the American heritage, taking note of "the natural right which all men have of relinquishing the cou...

In 2002, I did the unthinkable. I campaigned for two Democratic candidates. I also gained a frightening insight into the mind of the Democratic party in our strategizing sessions. The campaign was interesting. As we were in Wisconsin at the time, there was no true incumbent. The governor at the time, Scott McCallum, was promoted to the post when our former governor, Tommy Thompson, went on to Washington to take the HHS cabinet post. Where Thompson had been a reasonably good governor, Mc...

After reading my 5,342,719th article bashing either Kerry or Bush on their VietNam service, or lack thereof, I am fed up. Truth be told, both played a very serious part in my decision to not vote for either of them. Instead of saying "I should be president because"; each is saying "he should not be president because"..., and both are ignoring the issues. The truth of the matter is, what you did or did not do 30 years ago doesn't qualify you to be president NOW. The truth of the matter i...

Much has been made of the right to protest and freedom of speech that it is obvious that a lot of people don't understand the historical contexts and interpretations of both issues. In this article, I would like to address some of the issues surrounding these two topics as well as the subject of civil disobedience, which is, perhaps one of the most misunderstood topics of this era. The right to protest is certainly a de facto right that has been upheld consistently through various Supreme ...

This is part 7 of my articles on the Libertarian party platform. Parts 1-6 may be found in my archives under the category of "politics". If you have any questions about the Libertarian Party, you may go to the official LP website at: www.lp.org, or you may email me at miner432004@yahoo.com: Why Libertarians Support Equal Rights for America's Gun Owners Libertarians, like other Americans, want to be able to walk city streets safely and be secure in their homes. We also want our Constitut...