Why Libertarian?

With my recent heavy focus on the Geist annexation, I have increasingly been getting questions inquiring on the difference between Republicans and Libertarians.

It was pointed out that as regards local government, because most matters are fiscal matters and not social, Libertarians and Republicans sound very similar.

It's true. On fiscal issues, we do sound very similar. We share talking points on smaller government and lower taxes, on a belief in free markets rather than government, in private property over public control.

As we know, talk is cheap. Action is what matters. Because virtually all of Hamilton County's elected officials are Republicans, you have a good means for testing how the actions of these officials stacks up against the rhetoric.

You already see how it fails in the case of the Geist annexations. The all-Republican Fishers Town Council is eager to grow government by adding to its corporate limits. It is eager to raise taxes on a targeted group of citizens. It is willing to run roughshod over the right to self-determination. Libertarians oppose these actions.

In the next few days, I will show other places Republicans' actions run contrary to their rhetoric, at the local level. For fiscal conservatives who are increasingly disillusioned with local Republicans, the Libertarian Party is a viable option, unlike the Democratic Party, because unlike the Dems, Libertarians believe in smaller government and lower taxes. The difference is, we mean it.

Astroturf Alert

In the biz, the term "astroturf" refers to letters blasted out chain-like to many media sources on a given topic. It's easy enough to do. Write your spiel, and then cut & paste into the newspaper's web form, and hit 'submit'.

I try to avoid pure astroturf, even though I do send many very similar letters to the regions newspapers. I go out of my way to write each letter from scratch so that they offer something different in each paper. The editors appreciate that, because they don't want to run a letter on Thursday that is identical to one that was printed by a competitor on Wednesday.

Enter one Jason Smith, of Carmel. He has had two letters printed on the topic of the Geist annexations. They are identical. Astroturf. The first question that comes to my mind is, "Why does a guy from Carmel have opinions strong enough on an annexation from the other side of the County that he is compelled the send astroturf to the local papers"?

Thursday's letter by Jason Smith, in the Noblesville Daily Times:

Kudos to Fishers for its snow-removal efforts in the wake of last Thursday's storm. Driving through the southern Hamilton County town Friday morning, you hardly would have known that seven-plus inches of snow had fallen.

Which leads me to believe that all the folks in Geist should quit complaining about becoming part of the Town of Fishers and start looking forward to the kind of services they'll be getting when they do.

Jason Smith, Carmel

Wednesday's letter by Jason Smith, in the Indianapolis Star:

Kudos to Fishers for its snow removal efforts in the wake of the Dec. 5 storm. Driving through the southern Hamilton County town Friday morning, you hardly would have known that seven-plus inches of snow had fallen.

Which leads me to believe that all the folks in Geist should quit complaining about becoming part of the Town of Fishers and start looking forward to the kind of services they'll get when they do.

Jason Smith
Carmel

Anyone care to hazard a guess on Mr. Smith? Is he a party loyalist, coming to the defense of Fishers Town Councilor/GOP County Chair Charlie White? Hmmm... I'm doubting that Mr. Smith was living in an area forcibly annexed by his home city of Carmel, a fiscal conservative opposed to growing government, or one who defends the right to self-determination.

Libertarian Party Meeting Thursday

The Hamilton County monthly meeting has been shifted from its usual day in order to accommodate those traveling and generally busy surrounding the holidays. So, the December meeting will be held Thursday, December 15, at 7pm, at Barley Island, in downtown Noblesville.
My personal invitation goes out to the residents and business owners in the Geist area. Chairman Rob Place has asked me to brief the Libertarian leaders on the status of the forced annexations and the remonstrance efforts. We will discuss the political pressure that can be brought to bear on those who initiated the forced annexation, and on those elected officials who should have stood in defense of the Fall Creek residents of Geist, but who have remained conspicuously silent.

I would be remiss if I did not tout the beverages at Barley Island. Their brews are very good, but this time, I will focus on their root beer. I've noticed that Michael Jarrell always orders a root beer at Barley Island. I had initially assumed that he just wasn't drinking alcohol. Alas- he is quite the connoisseur of all things root beer. Check out Michael's blog. I will be sampling Barley Island's own root beer Thursday evening.

Recommended Reading

Fred McCarthy sends regular updates to me and a very interesting list of recipients- Mitch Daniels, Bart Peterson, and City-County Council members.

Let's hope they read his blog, Indy Tax Dollars. Fred has focused on the Colts stadium project, but lately has been discussing the size of the state budget.

Good stuff. Check it out.

Letter In Sunday Star

My third published letter on the topic of Fishers' attempt to forcibly annex the Geist area north of 96th Street was featured in today's Indy Star. Link to letter.

I recommend that Geist area property owners should send in their own letters in order to turn up the heat on the Fishers Town Council. Don't worry about writing elegant prose- it's going to be edited anyway. Make your point in 100 words or so, and your letter will be printed. Use the tried and true formula of who, what, when, where, and why, and you'll do great.

Go Colts!!!

Watching the game on the tube is fun, especially when your team is making a run at history. It's even more fun when you can gather with a fun group of people .

Join me this afternoon at the 106th Street Grill for the big game between the Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. I will speak briefly at halftime about my campaign and the Libertarian Party.

Game time is 1pm. The 106th Street Grill is located in the southwest corner of the intersection of 106th & Michigan Ave. (US 421), and is near to Indianapolis, Carmel, and Zionsville.

Update: Colts win to become only the 4th NFL team to go 13-0! Nice turnout with an interesting group of people, including a man who was once stationed in Rota, Spain- near where my sone Alex lives. Fun to talk with him about the places Alex & I have been, in the Sherry Triangle, and Gibraltar. Thanks to Renee and Dan for setting up a fun afternoon!