Libertarian Party condemns Rand Paul

News stories about Rand Paul, the Republican Senate nominee from Kentucky, frequently refer to his Libertarian background. But the Libertarian Party of Kentucky issued a statement Tuesday distancing itself from Paul.

Here’s the statement:

Independence, Ky. – The Libertarian Party of Kentucky strongly condemns the hurtful comments of Republican senate candidate Rand Paul.

Rand Paul belongs to the Republican Party of Kentucky, an association which he makes of his own free will.

Dr. Paul’s sole libertarian credentials come from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, former adversary Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson, and many in the mainstream media.

 In an effort to clear our good name, we make this public statement.

Rand Paul is not a libertarian. There are clear differences between the Libertarian Party, including the philosophy upon which is it based, and the philosophy and campaign rhetoric of Rand Paul.

While the Libertarian Party shares some stances traditionally associated with the Republican Party, the LP also shares common ground on positions traditionally associated with the Democratic Party, and not always for the same reasons.

We are an alternative to the two party system, not constrained by the model that defines both major parties.

Libertarians want a complete repeal of the PATRIOT Act, closure of Guantanamo Bay, and an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rand Paul has stated that he wants to continue military detentions at Guantanamo Bay, a retroactive official declaration of war by Congress, and has denied that he seeks to overturn the PATRIOT Act.

In further contrast, libertarians want to provide a mechanism by which non-traditional couples can receive equal protection under the law. Rand Paul has voiced his support of the discriminatory “one man, one woman” definition of marriage and his opposition to any other civil contract option.

In 2009, social conservatives in Kentucky outlawed adoption by anyone not living in a traditional, legally-recognized marriage – a concept so extreme that even family counselor and conservative talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has opposed it. The Libertarian Party stood in strong opposition to this legislation. Rand Paul has acknowledged that he agrees with his party in this, squarely placing himself at odds with the Libertarian Party of Kentucky and libertarians nationwide, who have a strong record of fighting these inequities.

 The Libertarian Party of Kentucky has primarily avoided being involved in the race for US Senate to date, other than to defend our party and the philosophy upon which it is built, and we intend to continue avoiding involvement.

Rand Paul’s statements regarding all forms of discrimination are not consistent with, nor do they reflect the views of, the Libertarian Party of Kentucky. Rand Paul does not speak for us or for our party. We condemn all bigotry based on any and all factors.

 The Libertarian Party of Kentucky is the official state affiliate for the Libertarian Party, America’s third largest political party. Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party prides itself on a history of fighting for oppressed members of society and the rights of all citizens. More information is available on our website, http://www.LPKY.org.

What is a Libertarian?

Many news commentators refer to Republican Rand Paul, the GOP nominee for the Kentucky seat in the U.S. Senate that Sen. Jim Bunning has held for the past six years as a libertarian.

What is a libertarian?

Here’s the party’s platform from its website www.lp.org

National Platform of the Libertarian Party

Adopted in Convention, May 2008, Denver, Colorado

Preamble

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person’s right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.

In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles.

These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands. 

Statement of Principles

We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life — accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action — accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property — accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

1.0    Personal Liberty

Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual’s right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.

1.1    Expression and Communication

We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.

1.2    Personal Privacy

We support the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.

1.3    Personal Relationships

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the rights of individuals by government, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships.

1.4    Abortion

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

1.5    Crime and Justice

Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution of the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.

1.6    Self-Defense

The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the right to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.

2.0    Economic Liberty

A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.

2.1    Property and Contract

Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.

2.2    Environment

We support a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our ecosystem. Governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights in resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. We realize that our planet’s climate is constantly changing, but environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.

2.3    Energy and Resources

While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.

2.4    Government Finance and Spending

All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution.  We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a “Balanced Budget Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.

2.5    Money and Financial Markets

We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies, the repeal of legal tender laws and compulsory governmental units of account.

2.6    Monopolies and Corporations

We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets.

2.7    Labor Markets

We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.

2.8    Education

Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education.

2.9    Health Care

We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions.

2.10    Retirement and Income Security

Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. We favor replacing the current government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. The proper source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.

3.0    Securing Liberty

The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.

3.1    National Defense

We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and avoid entangling alliances. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.

3.2    Internal Security and Individual Rights

The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens.  The Bill of Rights provides no exceptions for a time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government’s use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law.

3.3    International Affairs

American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and its defense against attack from abroad. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.

3.4    Free Trade and Migration

We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade.  Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries.  Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders.  However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property.

3.5    Rights and Discrimination

We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should not deny or abridge any individual’s rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs.

3.6    Representative Government

We support electoral systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels.  As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions. We call for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives.

3.7    Self-Determination

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.

4.0    Omissions

Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval.

Weight loss tip

Want to lose weight?

Run for office.

It works, County Commissioner Mike Riney said at Thursday’s Fiscal Court meeting.

“The last time I had serious opposition in a race, I lost 25 pounds” from campaigning, Riney said.

He wasn’t campaigning this year, though. Riney decided to retire at the end of this term on Dec. 31.

Smith-Wright not first woman to lead city voting

Some may be wondering if Pam Smith-Wright’s first-place finish in Tuesday’s Owensboro City Commission primary election marked the first time a woman finished atop the pack in a City Commission race. The answer is no. That distinction goes to the late Olive Burroughs, who was the top vote-getter in the City Commission primary in 1996.

Burroughs, a telephone operator who had been a city commissioner for only a year and the first black woman to ever serve on the commission, received 3,454 votes. Attorney Jim Wood was second with 3,052 votes and Dick Moore finished third with 2,850 votes.

Burroughs finished first in nearly half the precincts. That primary also saw David Johnson finish in eighth place and Charlie Castlen finish in ninth place. Both are members of the current City Commission.

Six months later in the 1996 general election, Moore jumped to  the top of the voting while Burroughs finished second. Bill Van Winkle and Wood rounded out the commission. Wood beat fifth-place finisher Johnson by 130 votes.

The 1996 general election was the year incumbents Alan Braden and the Rev. R.L. McFarland failed to be re-elected.

Mongiardo says he has prescription for creating jobs

“We live in the best state in the country, but our state has never lived up to its potential,” Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo said Tuesday during a campaign stop in Owensboro.

Mongiardo’s daughter, Kathryn Allison, is 4 months old. And he said he’s concerned about the Kentucky her generation will inherit.

Mongiardo said he has a prescription for creating the jobs and opportunities the state needs.
It includes energy, transportation and health care.

“We must do everything in our power to reduce our dependency on foreign oil,” Mongiardo said.

If Kentucky’s coal reserves were turned into liquid fuel, they would equal 800 billion barrels — “more than the oil reserves of the entire Middle East,” he said.

“Liquid coal is much cleaner burning that foreign petroleum,” Mongiardo said.

Three proposals for coal liquefaction plants are already on the drawing board — in Henderson, Muhlenberg and McCracken counties, he said.

Mongiardo said Kentucky could support 10 such plants — five in eastern Kentucky and five in western Kentucky.

Those plants could create 80,000 jobs, he said.

See the rest of the story in Wednesday’s Messenger-Inquirer.

Conway says his odds better than his horse’s

Attorney General Jack Conway isn’t the only one in the family in a race this spring.

He’s campaigning hard to win the Democratic nomination over Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo for the U.S. Senate seat now held by retiring Republican Jim Bunning.

And Stately Victor, a 3-year-old bay colt he owns with his father, Louisville attorney F. Thomas Conway, will be running in the Kentucky Derby on May 1.

So who has the best chance of winning?

“His odds are 20-1 right now,” Conway said with laugh Thursday afternoon in a telephone interview. “I think my odds are better.”

Read the rest of the story in Friday’s Messenger-Inquirer.

Tuesday’s work session at Edge Ice Center

  Tuesday’s Owensboro City Commission work session will be held at the city’s newest facility, the Edge Ice Center on West Parrish Avenue next to the Sportscenter. It will be second consecutive meeting for the City Commission away from City Hall. Last week’s regular City Commission meeting was held at the Dugan Best Recreation Center on the west side of town.

  At today’s noon meeting, city commissioners are expected to received answers to questions they had earlier this month about the Owensboro Family YMCA’s request for up to $198,500 in city funds to assist the organization in the building of an outdoor day camp on 25 acres it owns on New Hartford Road.

City Manager Bill Parrish said Monday that the answer to the question of whether the city can provide money for the religious-affiliated Y’s camp is yes. But on the second question pertaining to any possible savings for the city by shifting city summer recreation activities to the Y camp, it would not be a lot, only about $5,000 a year, he said.

However, the 12 acres proposed for the summer day camp is outside the city limits and may need to be annexed if the city provides funding, Parrish said.

City Attorney Ed Ray said the city may provide financial support for the specific program the YMCA has proposed, which is a summer day camp that is religious and gender neutral and nondiscriminatory.

Also on the agenda for discussion today: A new city sign, a new city-produced show for cable channel 75 on downtown development and proposed changes to the city’s personnel manuals.

Finally, the City Commission will be given a report on the Edge Ice Center’s first eight months of operation and members will tour the facility.

Guthrie says health care needs ‘better solutions’

U.S. Rep.  Brett Guthrie, a Bowling Green Republican, said Tuesday in remarks on the House floor that everyone wants to make health care both more accessible and more affordable.

“But for the past year, the majority has been working on the pieces of a puzzle they call health care reform; and now that their puzzle is complete, the picture doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

 “Their final image includes billions of dollars in new taxes, over a trillion dollars in new government spending, increases the premiums of the 85 percent of those who have health insurance now and cuts Medicare by half-a-trillion-dollars,” Guthrie said.

 “And I continue to hear from Kentuckians from home who remain concerned over the possible passage of this bill and who are frustrated with this process,” he said of health care legislation.

 “We need to start over,” Guthrie said. “We need to piece together better solutions in an open and honest system. Now is the time to work on incremental reforms that will lower the cost of health care, without spending trillions and bankrupting future generations.”

Marksberry says Guthrie on ‘wrong side of economic recovery’

There is no primary race for Kentucky’s 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Voters won’t make a decision until November.

But the race has already started.

Daviess County’s Ed Marksberry, the Democratic candidate for the seat,  fired off a news release Tuesday, saying that inbumbent Congressman Brett Guthrie, a Bowling Green Republican. is “on the wrong side of economic recovery.”

Marksberry said: “It has always been important for our elected leadership to tackle the decades-long neglected issue of our nation’s skyrocketing health care costs and lack of access to health care.  Now, while our country is slowly climbing out of a recession, the issue cannot wait any longer.

“After hearing …Guthrie in person and later reviewing the quotes of his position on health care legislation, I must take issue with him saying, “Americans don’t want this legislation.” I believe he is incorrect about what Kentuckians want. I believe he gets his information from the same sources that influenced Republican leadership (while in control of both the legislative and executive branches) to do nothing for years while double-digit cost increases have had devastating effects on a Kentucky family’s ability to afford health care coverage.

“A USA TODAY survey shows 56% of those surveyed endorse enacting major health care changes this year, as compared to 33% opposed.

“Americans have been ‘taxed’ for decades in the form of low wages and no annual raises due to companies struggling to provide health care coverage as a benefit. This hurts American companies competing globally and contributes greatly to lower spending by the middle class, the ‘economic engine’ of our nation.

“I believe Rep. Guthrie succumbs to special interest groups’ financial influence and not to the will of the people who need help. Following the Mitch McConnell obstructionist playbook is worsening and delaying our country’s full economic recovery.

” I believe it’s time to change our representation in Kentucky’s 2nd Congressional District.”

 www.edmarksberry.com

Keep campaign signs off state right of way

If you’re going to put up campaign signs this spring, keep them out of the state highway right of way.

If not, they will be removed, the Kentucky Department of Highways says in a news release.

Here’s the article:

“As the political campaign season heats up, Kentucky Department of Highways crews face an increasing number of campaign signs on the state highway right of way — signs that must be removed for safety purposes.

Acting State Highway Engineer Steve Waddle said state highway workers are required to remove and discard hundreds of signs during each election cycle. The signs can pose hazards for drivers and for maintenance crews.

“Signs on the right of way often restrict sight distance near intersections and create a hazard in the ‘clear zone,’ which is the recovery area for motorists who run off the road,” Waddle said. “They also interfere with maintenance activities such as roadside mowing, which will be starting soon.”

Kentucky law and Transportation Cabinet policy prohibit the placement of political or other advertising signs on state right of way, including signs attached to utility poles within the state right of way.

Illegal signs will be moved to the state highway garage in each county and kept for two weeks. Owners may claim them by showing identification and completing a claim form. Unclaimed signs will be discarded.

“Employees who are removing signs are acting in the best interest of all motorists and of maintenance crews,” Waddle said. “We appreciate the public’s cooperation and understanding.”