Saturday, April 16, 2005

Fort Wayne Report

The Libertarian Party of Allen County turned up in good numbers at the main downtown Post Office to hold signs that read "Honk if your taxes are too high", to hand out literature showing the national debt in invoice form, and to generally show that there is one party who supports the frustrated taxpayer. The horns were blaring and many people gave us the thumbs up.

I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by a TV news reporter. I'll wait for word on what was aired.

Friday, April 15, 2005

Tax Day Arrives

I will be at the downtown Fort Wayne Post Office from 4-8pm tonight in support of the Libertarian Party of Allen County. Wherever you are, if you see people rallying in support of you keeping more of your income, for lower taxes and smaller government, you will be seeing Libertarians- not Republicans, and certainly not Democrats. My campaign schedule.

April 15 is a day of fear and loathing across America for so many. It would be easy enough to go on a lengthy discourse about taxes, but you've probably been through it a hundred times. The sad fact is, most Americans are not enormously dissatisfied with the tax system. The amount of money taken from American citizens and spent by governments is rationalized away as for the common good, or at least less than the burden borne by the Europeans.

That's all true to some degree. However, if you are the person who believes that government budgets should be smaller than what they are, that the government should be less involved in daily life than it is, that your taxes should be less than they are, this is your symbolic day of lament.

Your symbolic day of relief is Tax Freedom Day, which arrives this year on April 17, according to the Tax Foundation. This is the day that you are finally through paying taxes to the Federal, state, and local governments. It means that every penny the average American earned from January 1 until April 17 went to pay for just one thing- the tax bill.

If you support the current level of taxation, enjoy that thought. Savor it. The rest of us need to work to change it, and it isn't getting done by electing Republicans or Democrats. Do the math.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Pub Crawl Wednesday

I drink very little and I've never smoked, so why I am I going on a pub crawl? Because I support the owners of bars and restaurants in Central Indiana. They have been doubly targeted by government at the state and local levels this Spring, and I want them to know that while Republicans and Democrats think targeting them is a great idea, I think it's rotten.

The pub crawl is organized by the Libertarian Party of Indiana and the Marion County affiliate. It starts at 7pm at Claude & Annie's at Pike Plaza, on Indy's NW side. From there, the pub crawlers will visit 5 or 6 other establishments. A bus will be provided.

There is already a 1% tax on bars and restaurants to support the stadium the Colts play in. Without eliminating that tax, the state legislature wants to impose a new, additional 1% on bars and restaurants.

The City-County Council in Indianapolis is pushing a smoking ban that would extend to private property- bars and restaurants. As I said, I don't smoke. Never have. But, to invoke Voltaire, I'll defend the rights of those who want to smoke, or to business owners who want to permit smoking in their private establishments.

Some may say that a vote for a Libertarian is a wasted vote. Owners of bars and restaurants now understand that for them, the only wasted vote is the one not cast on a Libertarian.