The only way to be fair to more people is to make laws sparingly.

A law creates an absolute rule. There are few situations that warrant an absolute rule. Killing is bad. Stealing is bad. Assault is bad. What common denominators exist in these bad actions? The existence of a true victim is that common denominator.

Myriad other behaviors which have been made illegal do not have victims. In the case of these laws, the only victim is the “lawbreaker” who is harmed by the state via enforcement and incarceration. Compliance with arbitrary rules with respect to interaction with government has no victims other than private citizens who are accused of failing to stay in step with these rules.

The middle ground is more complex. Risky behaviors such as driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol present an increased risk of unintentional damage to life and limb of other people. The evaluation of that risk is subjective, so making finite laws to address these increased risks will always create debate. In addition, every law that is created carries an increased risk of abuse against the people.

Possession of items or substances should rarely be illegal, as it is the action that harms other people is already illegal and that should be enough. So where should this start and where should it stop? Should there be a law which deters and punishes a person for possession of a nuclear weapon? In this case, an unintentional detonation could cause the deaths of millions of people. A kitchen knife could also cause the unintentional death of another person as well. Where do we draw the line?

Looking at this from multiple points of view, the possession of a nuclear weapon has the potential of denying the right to life of large numbers of people that are not in proximity to the person possessing the weapon. But if the person possessing the weapon peacefully has this in his possession, where is the victim? A nuclear weapon is not used for the defense of an individual. Examples can be introduced of other items kept in one’s private possession that have the possibility of being harmful as well if not handled responsibly.

Both the kitchen knife and the nuclear weapon can be used to kill other people. It is the variance of perspective and opinion that create the debate. To some people if their next door neighbor has a nuclear weapon in his garage, it does not present a problem for them as long as the neighbor stores it properly to avoid an accidental detonation. To other people, if their next door neighbor has a kitchen knife in their garage, they live in such fear that they want to call for protection and create laws to prohibit the ownership of a kitchen knife.

So, in the case of such dramatic sways of opinion from person to person, where should this imaginary line be drawn? Most people reading this will have an opinion. It is also likely that many opinions of some will seem ludicrous to others. If you own a knife, and your neighbor rallies to make it illegal for you to own your knife because they are afraid you will hurt someone with it, this example represents one extreme. If you own a live thermonuclear device and that is fine with your neighbor as long as it doesn’t hurt them, this example is the opposite extreme.

The bottom line is this: consensus will never exist.

So, while I cannot offer a solution to all of these quandaries that will satisfy everyone, I can offer this solution: Create laws sparingly. Do not try to protect people from themselves. Do not force your religious morals on to other people. Every attempt to create crimes or violations of an action with no victim will ruin innocent lives.

In this world, there are enough instances of people harming others to keep a government busy. There is no reason to create artificial crimes, because the creation of artificial crimes creates real victims.

Want to improve the world? Start by not alienating your audience!

It is apparent that we the people took our eye off the ball, and it rolled right past us.

Somewhere along the way, we became more interested in our small personal universe than what was going on around us.

The quality of our cell phone became paramount to us. What kind of car we drive took our focus. What our next door neighbor was doing in the privacy of their home took so much of our time that we neglected to notice what was happening to us all.
Over time, things change. Music styles, clothing styles, methods of communication, education, products and services change. This is natural.

All the while, as we are focusing with outrage over the fact that our neighbor kept open their garage door in an HOA community which prohibits this, the neighbor kid who skateboards where he is not supposed to, the house across the street that needs the lawn to be mowed… the powers that we trust to manage our affairs on a larger scale have been stealing from us, building an infrastructure to watch us and punish us, making deals with industry to kill people around the world that to not pose a threat to us, and fool us into believing that this ruling class is conflicted with a huge divide between the political parties that claim to be different but in the end are the same where it really counts.

So, let us establish priorities:

1) Which is more important to you… that the garage door is open where the HOA says it must remain closed, or that government is taking more money from you in more creative ways than ever, to spend on things you do not want?

2) Which is more important to you… that the neighbor kid is riding his skateboard or that we are paying people to monitor and imprison us for victimless activities?

3) Which is more important to you… that the next door neighbor is smoking a joint while watching a movie in their living room, or that your elected officials are making more and more enemies while lying to you about the motivation of those that they are ordering our military to kill?

4) Which is more important to you… that minor philosophical difference between you and the person within your team, or having the ability to actually focus on the big problem and stand together to correct it?

The ability to provide communication to the masses which gives them true recognition of the realities of the country is crucial to gaining their support for correcting those seemingly insurmountable situations which were the result of a small ruling class instead of the implementation of the wants and needs of the people.

Example: If you were comfortably experiencing the reverie of your government controlled education, and I provided you the following list which was designed to enlighten you and bring you to a new way of thinking… what would be the result?

1) Do unto others as you would have done to you.
2) A peaceful life is a happy and satisfied life.
3) It is good for you to work hard and make a good living.
4) Inventions which solve problems are necessary and helpful.
5) Learning is essential to living a better life.
6) It is important to understand history so that we do not repeat mistakes.
7) Killing and stealing are examples of bad behavior.
8) Your religion is wrong and you are an idiot for believing such utter nonsense.

It should be obvious that people will follow along, mostly feeling positive emotions on items 1-7. But what happens when they read #8? Simple… they would be so upset about #8 that they will completely ignore #1-7. While you have spent 87.5% of your efforts to a positive result, which would have opened up the possibility of this person joining you in your endeavors… that last 12.5% negated your entire effort.

This is why the quality of communication is imperative to political success.

People for the most part are comfortable in their political viewpoints. While they are open to something new that can improve their situations, that one miscue can ruin the entire effort. “Open mouth… insert foot” is not a successful strategy, just as it is not a largely successful strategy to insult those you want to invite to join you for the purpose of instituting change.

I am committed to reigning in the monster that we call government, especially with regard to unfair, unnecessary and overzealous enforcement against our citizens, and the citizens of the world. I cannot achieve this if I refer to those who do not yet see what is crystal clear to me in insulting and demeaning terms.
At some point (and I believe that we have already reached that point) the enforcement arms of government have unfairly afflicted the majority of the voting public. This is the tipping point where the people will be willing to stand up against the monster that was created right under our noses, while we were paying attention to a kid skateboarding and that is where our time and attention was spent.

If you are desirous of implementing change for the better, and you need help from the people to accomplish this goal, it is important to take the views, perceptions, and desires of your audience into account before attempting to communicate in terms that will result in the opposite of your end goal.

Perhaps it is true that we the people let this one get away, but we the people can also get it back if we do it intelligently.

Respect… not insult.
Ask… not lecture.
Inspire… not attack.

If you truly want to accomplish what you have identified as necessary, common sense is a great moderator.

Why are GOP Presidential Candidates ignoring history and the first amendment?

Identification badges or special registrations and databases for Muslims? Closing Mosques?  Calling refugees “rabid dogs”? Denying refugees because they are not Christian?  Enough is enough!!!

Those of us who remain mindful of the value of the knowledge of history recognize that knowledge of history is crucial to avoid repeating errors of the past.   Unfortunately, Republican politicians seem to believe that the way to gain power is to spew hatred and breed fear and to repeat past atrocities.

The lack of consideration for the first amendment is nothing new to a large wing of the Republican Party, which makes almost daily attempts to make laws respecting an establishment of religion.  Today, they recommend limiting rights of and singling out members of religion for persecution.

Historically, the name badges should remind the people of the tactics of Adolf Hitler in WWII.  The Japanese Internment Camps that the US instituted during WWII, were a violation of the constitution and punished Americans of Japanese descent.  Today, the mood against Muslims mirrors the paranoia against Japanese Americans in WWII.

Just as many Japanese Americans fought in the US Military at that time, there are many Muslims that are members of the US Armed forces, and many have fought and died alongside Christians, Jews, and more in the US, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

We as Americans need to stop looking for labels and easy answers that punish huge populations due to the actions of a few.  Those who kill under the guise of religious direction are not new to the world.  Most major religions have had these groups in their history, but the reality is that these killers are not a religion.. they are a violent gang.  Observers of most religions would not seek to destroy that which their creator has made, in the name of their creator.

Should we take away all the guns from Americans, because a few people use them destructively?  No.  Should we classify persons of every religion as a threat because a few people from that religion committed murders? No.  It is this fear and paranoia that some people feed on that promotes the villianization of entire segments of society due to the actions of a few, and leaders that promote these tactics attempt to lead by fear.  In my opinion, those who lead by fear, intimidation, and misinformation are not leaders.

The first amendment makes it clear that the right to practice a religion is a protected activity in the USA.  No laws can be made which prohibits an individual to practice the religion of their choice, or no religion at all.  A candidate for President of the United States should not be spewing hate and fear!  A Candidate for President of the United States of all people should be informed and mindful of the constitution that they would be sworn to preserve, protect and defend should they prevail in the Presidential Election!

We have received a threat from a gang that resides half way around the world.  We need to deal with that threat in a way that does not violate our constitution, create more hate and more fear, and does not build another worldwide scapegoat for our government to target that supports the industries that profit from war.   This battle can be won internally by vigilance and preparedness.

We cannot let government continue to try to take away our rights of self defense.  We cannot let government represent members of an entire religion as “terrorists”.  If we want a more peaceful world, we need to stop bombing other countries.  We need to recognize that people around the world should not be forced to embrace our ideologies.  We need to recognize that the motivation of many politicians is rarely as stated.

As fellow Presidential Candidates, I call on these potential leaders to stop stirring the pot of hatred.  I call on them to be mindful of history.  I call on them to act under the constraints of the constitution…  and I call on them to act Presidential.  A good leader inspires confidence.. not fear.

“Agree with us or Leave”…

A horrible tragedy occurred in Paris, France last Friday the 13th of November.

This blog is not about retribution, conspiracy theory, military escalation, terrorism, racism, immigration, mistrust, foreign policy, religion, treaties, war, humanitarian assistance, middle east diplomacy, or the propensity of human beings to kill others for no good reason.  While all of these issues and more have come up in debate since this event, I will discuss the aftermath of this event that relates to the foundational feelings of people regarding that faith that they place in government, and how that faith sustains government power over us.

Benjamin Franklin stated, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety”.   When times are calm, most of the people are willing to accept Franklin’s quote without argument.  They are willing to admit that government intrusion into the lives of the people is vastly overreaching as long as they do not perceive a threat.  The problem is that the attitudes of the people change when they do perceive a threat.  Once there is an attack that makes them feel insecure, it’s.. “Benjamin who?”.

Our government is only too happy to respond to these events with things like the Patriot Act, the TSA, NSA spying on us, operation choke point, and more that we know of, and even more that we still are not aware of.  While there is no surprise that our government will take every opportunity that they can to increase their size and scope, the problem is that people will readily hand over this power and more at times they perceive a threat.

I have seen comments over the years related to these intrusions into our lives, such as…” If you have nothing to hide, then why should this bother you?”…  That still sends chills down my spine.  Many people of today do not have the vision, foresight,  and historical perspective of the founding fathers, and that situation represents a threat to our individual liberty on a grand scale.

Government has always done what they could for the purpose of getting the people to fall in line.  During the Vietnam war, there were many who felt that the word “peace” was a dirty word, because the government was waging a war in Southeast Asia that was responsible for the casualties of tens of thousands American Soldiers, let alone myriad civilians.  The calls for peace were against the will of the government that was promoting the war.

A popular bumper sticker of that time read, ” America.. Love it or leave it”.  Sure, that statement warms the hearts of people who consider themselves patriotic.  The reality was and still is that a patriot does not necessarily support the actions of their government.  In reality, a patriot has a greater goal in mind…  that the best way to support, protect and defend our country is not always to support the will and whims of our government, and in the case of the USA, to remain mindful of the vision and goals of our founders.

The USA has always had an “enemy” that motivated the people to pay increasing taxes, incur debt, and give away more personal liberty. Today, that “enemy” is terrorism.  Assuming terrorists were actually to blame for 9/11, (remember I am not discussing conspiracy theory in this blog), there is no argument that they won.  The way that they won was by impacting the lives of Americans, by reducing our liberty via the will of government.

Humankind inflicts atrocities on each other on a daily basis. When such atrocities happen to us or others that concern us, the people voice their objections and demand results.  Here is the problem as I see it:  Many of those who would previously recognize that we have allowed our government to grow out of control still seek action from and blindly follow the rhetorical lead of our government to give up more liberty for more perceived safety.

There is no argument that violence begets violence.  War elicits more war. The morose merry go round of murder in the name of war will continue to rotate until we all refuse to ride it, and only then will it stop.

The problem is that at times like this when emotions run high, those of us who remain mindful of the needs of individuals for liberty and want the power to be returned to the people are told by some that we should be sent to other countries because our plans and goals are stupid, and we are simply naive.

My response to these people is always the same…  If Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and those founders who designed our nation and were mindful of the human need for liberty were to use their same words and warnings today, would you want to kick them out as well?

 

City Government holding the roads hostage for more cash!

This issue strikes close to home…  It is actually happening in my home town of Colorado Springs, CO.   For those who have visited our fair city recently, one thing should be quite apparent… Our roads are in a terrible state of disrepair.  One person I spoke with recently compared the quality of our roads with the quality of the roads in Russia.. a country he left only 5 months prior to our conversation.

Colorado Springs has money.  As a matter of fact, on the ballot for our current election, there is an issue in which $3 Million of surplus is being voted on regarding whether or not it should be refunded, or if it should be kept and spent on our local parks.  At the same time, another measure on the same ballot calls for a large sales tax increase that is proposed to pay for the roads.  So the obvious question is…  if the roads were maintained properly in the past, and there was no applicable tax cut in recent years… why have our roads gone to the poor quality that they are today?

How about extortion?  This city had other opportunities to generate additional revenue if needed.  After all, the voters of Colorado passed a measure that allowed for the recreational use of marijuana, and a large associated tax.  The Colorado Springs city council chose to ignore the will of the voters in not allowing this cash crop to be sold in Colorado Springs and instead they chose to withhold services for the purpose of adding a new tax.  Local car repair shops have reported an increase in broken rims, and new tire purchases are up to 300% of normal in the past year, all due to the shoddy road conditions currently being experienced here.

It appears that the powers that be simply decided to stop repairing the roads for the purpose of holding the voters hostage by making the voters feel that there was no option but to succumb to these machinations of city government.  While I can understand the desperation of some people in the desire to have better roads, this is a crucial moment in not only Colorado Springs.  It sets a precedent for other jurisdictions around the country to hold services hostage for the purpose of generating additional tax revenue.

While the outcome of this election will not be known for over a week, this abomination has not gone unnoticed by everyone.  There are many who have taken notice of this situation, and have worked tirelessly to point out the truth of the situation.  If we allow this attempt at extortion against the people to be successful, one can count on seeing this type of situation all across this country. While it would be nice for the city council to choose to do what is right, sadly they will not unless we stand up against their plan.  If the voters are successful in thwarting this transparent attempt to commandeer more money from the people without following through on the people’s wishes, it might just send a message nationwide that we expect our elected officials to perform in the way we desire, rather than whatever silent goals they may have that are for personal reasons.

As a candidate for President of the United States, I more commonly write about issues that affect the entire nation.  While this is an issue that is happening in a specific city, it is important to note that any such malfeasance that occurs successfully at the city level can quickly spread across the country, resulting in a national epidemic.  I encourage all people from coast to coast to be watchful for these types of situations, as they are detrimental to the interests of those of us who foot the bill for these types of shenanigans.

If you want to be part of a group that is always watchful for situations like this, I encourage you to join your local Libertarian Party, and consistently vote Libertarian.  We the people still have the opportunity to take the reins of our nation back from the corruption sponsored by Republicans and Democrats, and we can do so at the ballot box.  Do not waste your vote by sustaining the mess created by these old parties.  Use it wisely by voting Libertarian and reviving our nation back to the structure planned for so brilliantly by the founders of this nation.

An open letter to all lawmakers and policymakers in the USA – STOP BANNING STUFF!!!!

To whom it may concern;

It was recently reported that e-cigarettes have been banned from all non smoking areas of our national parks.  Seriously???  The reason for the non-smoking areas was to prevent a fire hazard.  At what point did vapor ever cause a fire?  Wasn’t this due to some deeper reason?  I thought that the ban on smoking would apply to items with… um… SMOKE????

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of “Liberty” includes:

1 :  the quality or state of being free:

a :  the power to do as one pleases

b :  freedom from physical restraint

c :  freedom from arbitrary or despotic control

d :  the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges

e :  the power of choice

Have you lost the perspective of the founding of this nation as a nation of Liberty?

At what point in American History did it become apparent to you that the component of liberty was no longer necessary?   Over the years, government has banned untold numbers of personal activities that should be the personal choice of individuals.  It’s like they think that your body belongs to them.  I have heard it said that your body belongs to you, or some believe that it belongs to God… but the State?  I think not. The State has banned the consumption of everything from haggis to a large soda. It has banned various sexual activities between consenting adults.  It bans many imports, substances, personal decisions, and myriad activities with one overriding theme..  All of these items that have been banned are items which affect no one other than the person or persons who chooses them.

Why do you ban things?  Because they violate the morals of your religion?  If so, have you read the first amendment?  Perhaps there are others with a different religion than you that have a different set of morals.  Perhaps there are people who share your religion that interpret the morals differently.  Perhaps there are people who do not worship any religion, and should not be subject to your rules in their lives.

Do you ban things because you are trying to protect people from their own choices so that they don’t hurt themselves, gain weight, or the like?  Where in the constitution does it say that the State is the people’s Mommy???   I’m sorry but I see nothing of the sort in my reading of the constitution…

Do you ban things to support the desires of a special interest at the expense of your constituents?  Did somebody just yell… “BINGO” !?!

The tobacco industry has been seeing people actually be successful in quitting smoking with the use of these e-cigarettes.  In addition, they are far less noticeable to non-smokers than the real thing.  Motive?  Perhaps…

Several recent polls have shown that a majority of Americans want government to stop banning the things they like, want to consume or want to do.  Watch out regulators and law makers…  This type of majority can and will vote you out of office if you fail to listen.  I personally think that’s a really good thing..  we all know you will not act in the interests of your constituents… so I say to you all… farewell.. good bye.. au revior… adios…  so long…

These types of activities ensure one thing once you are gone.  Libertarians will be the majority of lawmakers.  Since this will benefit our nation more than any other political solution, I want to thank you for your corruption, control, deception, manipulation, and complete failure…   without this, we could never have had the opportunity to allow for the liberty that was the vision of the birth of our nation.

Sincerely,

More American voters than you realize

Private Prisons: The new hospitality industry?

How many of you have read the recent reports that the USA has not only one of the highest percentages of our citizens in prisons, but that the average sentences are some of the longest on Earth?

In this blog, I will compare the needs of the hospitality industry with the needs of the private prison industry.  What will shock you are the similarities.  Of course, after reading this post, the average person will recognize that the private prison industry has significant advantages over the hospitality industry,

The hospitality industry exists to provide a choice of a temporary home away from home.  There is risk as to whether or not they will be paid for their service and accommodations.

The private prison industry exists to provide a mandatory long term home away from home… and no worries to the proprietor if the guest’s credit card will exceed its available limit or the check will bounce.

The hospitality industry benefits from a high occupancy ratio, that it must achieve by building a comfortable place to stay, great service, and the normal free market competitive environment.

The Private prison industry benefits from a high occupancy ratio, that it can achieve by lobbying for more laws which result in criminal charges and bribery of judges.

The hospitality industry makes money from creating food service menus with offerings that are tasty, and cater to the gastronomic preferences of the largest number of potential customers.

The Private Prison industry makes money by providing a large volume of food, in which quality, choice and taste is irrelevant because its customers are a captive audience.

The hospitality industry only gets business as a result of the creativeness, thoughtfulness, and service capabilities of its staff, combined with marketing that outshines the competition.

The Private prison industry gets its business from actual criminals, overzealous courts, bribes, and lobbyists who push for more exposure to business from the laws and the courts.

People say that the privatized prison system saves money.  I disagree.  If there are 1 million violent offenders that should be imprisoned in a public prison, versus 2 Million people that are manufactured as criminals to support the private prisons, the result is more money paid by the taxpayers to the private prisons for victim less crimes than the amount that would be paid for public prisons for actual crimes that affected another person.

If the point of private prisons is to save the taxpayers money.. guess what?  In the end, not only do they take away rights and freedoms of more people, they also cost the taxpayers more money.  This is a lose-lose proposition and any interpretation that there is any benefit to the public is simply flat out wrong.

Imprisonment should be only for the safety of the public.  If a person represents a threat to the safety of the public, this is the purpose of prisons.  Taking away the freedoms of others is not an economic decision, and prison should never have anything to do with profit.  Today, this is what is happening.

As an investor, investing in a hotel chain is speculative at best.  Investing in a private prison provider is the closest thing to a sure thing that exists. If you were looking to invest in one or the other…  which would you choose?  Ignoring the obvious answer…  should government create the corrupt situation that results in an investment return that benefits investors from the elimination of rights and freedoms from people who do not pose a threat?

My resounding and definitive answer is….  NO!

The Liberty Movement will prevail!!!

Get ready America!  More than half of all voters now do not identify with either the Republicans or the Democrats!  The Libertarian Party is the fastest growing political party in the USA.  What this means to me is that there is a definite shift toward individual liberty and a solid recognition of the fact that the old parties do not serve anyone but themselves.  A major shift to Libertarianism is real, its now and its happening!

Sure, the major news networks still keep the Libertarian candidates out of the limelight, but I can tell you from personal experience that more and more mass media participants are looking to include Libertarians in their coverage.  I have been contacted by Television producers, major radio networks, international publishers and more to be interviewed and featured in their publications and broadcasts.

Many have agreed that it is time for the Libertarian Party candidates to share the media with the old parties, and that it is their goal to feature additional candidates that have not been featured in previous years.

What this means is that the Libertarian platform and candidates will actually be presented to the American voters.  Once our message is heard by the majority of Americans, they will understand the simplicity and strength of our message.  Our core belief is that it is wrong to hurt others and it is wrong to acquire their belongings without their consent.  This is a principle that is hard to argue with, and relates to the entire goals of the Liberty movement.

I firmly believe that once the blockade of the message of Liberty is removed from mass media, the majority of Americans will identify as Libertarians, and the long road of political mischief and abuse will be redirected toward a finite march toward liberty.  So long Democratic and Republican party domination of the American political system!  Welcome a real path to the American Dream and a more peaceful world.  Welcome a real path to individual choice.  Welcome a real path to the ability for the individual to do what they believe is right for themselves without government intervention.  Welcome a real path to a better nation with true hope for our children and grandchildren.

To all the people who wish for a rebirth of a nation closer to the vision of the forefathers, we are getting close!  All of us have a duty to ourselves and our nation to do one thing…  when we enter the voting booth, ignore your trepidation about not voting for a Republican or a Democrat.  Ignore what you have been told about wanting to vote for who you think will win.  Ignore the fear of what you have been told by the old parties in their quest to retain control.

Think of who you love the most, and how you want to help them by allowing them real choice… real promise..  real liberty.  Vote for the Libertarian candidate every time, because that is the only way your voice will be heard, and a real difference can be made for the one you love to have a chance to live their life the way they really want to live it.  Your vote means everything to the future of the ones you love, and the ones you will love but have not met yet.

If we all follow our hearts and not the programming of the old parties, the best really is yet to come.

There ought to be a law (or regulation)? Are you sure about that?

As Americans, many of us were taught that we are a nation of laws, and that was assumed to be a good thing.  Of course some laws are completely necessary. Taking the property of others without their consent and physically harming others should be against the law.  It has been a long standing mantra that “ignorance of the law is no excuse”

If you ask a lawmaker how many laws currently exist, it is most likely that they do not know.  There are thousands of federal statutes that impose criminal sanctions. There are millions of regulations nationwide which also carry criminal penalties. Does anyone else come to the same conclusion that there is something wrong when almost everyone commits crimes unintentionally simply in the course of making an honest living?

Most laws are born from a good faith intent.  An incident occurs which is viewed by someone as a bad thing, so someone aware of that incident decides to try to make sure that what happened does not happen again.  Our enforcement today is very efficient and very aggressive.  So aggressive that some visitors from other countries such as the UK, France, Canada, Russia, Germany, Japan, Austria, Sweden and more, are warned that visiting the USA requires diligence to avoid prosecution from myriad laws that are strongly enforced, for behaviors that are innocent in their native lands.

We cannot blame law enforcement for doing what we hire them to do.  Sure there are pervasive issues in enforcement due to overzealous individuals, but if we were to think twice about making the law or creating the regulation, that would take care of many of the problems by default.

So with over 1,000,000 regulations in the USA, how is it that ignorance of the law is no excuse?  Is it the outright intent of our government to make small business impossible?  If everything we do in the pursuit of self employment is illegal, does it remove the option of self employment from our people?  What will it take for us all to see the big picture, and the damage we are allowing via our own government?

It has been said that licensing is simply when government removes our right to do something and sells it back to us.  I agree wholeheartedly.  This is a vicious spiral against personal liberty.  Here is a somewhat factual and somewhat fictional example of the pattern created with regulation and licensing:

1)  The State of Texas demands that every computer repair technician in the entire state acquire a private investigator’s license to repair a computer.

2) In order to enforce this requirement, a new enforcement entity is created.

3) A new license is created for computer repair technicians to qualify as private investigators.

4) Definitions are put in place, such as “If you perform certain repairs without a private investigator’s license, or if you have your computer repaired by someone without a license, you can be punished by a $4,000 fine and one year in jail as well as a $10,000 civil penalty.”

5) License revenues are put toward financing the new enforcement division.

6) Fines are paid to that enforcement division.

7) The new enforcement division has enough revenue to hire more enforcers.

8) Enforcement gets more and more pervasive and unwilling to bend, as that revenue is now needed in order to sustain the new enforcement division.

9) The additional enforcement makes the division continue to grow in size and with that growth comes even more enforcement.

Do you see the problem?

By the way, the regulation used as an example is not fictional.  How many computer repair technicians would be aware of this requirement, and even if they were, how many were actually qualified under Texas law to obtain a private investigators license?  After all, To get that license, you are required to have a degree in criminal justice or perform a three-year apprenticeship under a licensed private investigator.  All to fix computers?  It looks to me that some poor person who paid for their education as a computer repair technician would lose their investment in time and money overnight with such a regulation.

So how many of these crazy regulations pop up that destroy the careers of hard working Americans?  More than you would care to know.

“Regulated out of business” represents a growing cause of business failure in the USA.  Why is it so important for government to create this landscape?  Why is small business such a threat to government?  I don’t know either.  What this phenomena is creating is the environment that destroys lives for good.

If the only opportunities to support one’s family come from government or large businesses, and these entities exclude employment of a person with a record, and more and more Americans are getting criminal records due to excessive laws, regulations and enforcement  (So far one out of four Americans now have criminal records), how are we to continue as a nation?  What happens when one in two Americans have records… or two out of three…?

Something needs to happen.  What needs to happen is the elimination of the majority of regulations, as well as the elimination of laws which create crimes with no victims. At this point, ignorance of the law is a real excuse.  Once we reached the point that legislators are not aware of all the laws, we also reached the point that the people are held to a higher standard than those who actually create the laws.

All of this is a symptom of the real problem.  Growth of government is directly proportional to reduction of personal freedom.  I think its a good bet that the founding fathers did not include this in their plan for a nation of liberty and in which the people were also their government.

Take the profit out of government and curb excessive enforcement!

It recently occurred to me that the reason for so much enforcement is more than simply having too many restrictive laws.  Like many wise people have stated before…  It’s all about the cash!

Looking at traffic enforcement, regulatory enforcement, criminal enforcement and more, there is a common denominator.  The agencies that go after us all have a financial motivation.  We all know about speed traps.  What is so ironic about speed traps is that while the argument from the government is that traffic enforcement is that it is all about safety, their actions not only speak louder than their words, their actions actually prove that their words are disingenuous at best. Also, why would troopers vehicles be unmarked unless they are in it for the money?  If safety was an issue, they would be marked to encourage us all to better obey traffic laws.

Take the examples of Frisco Texas… Houston Texas… Olathe Kansas…  Ellisville Missouri,… and many other jurisdictions that clearly prove that traffic enforcement is more about the money than about safety.  People warning others about an upcoming speed trap have been cited or arrested.  If it was really about safety, than the authorities would appreciate those warning others because they will slow down and according to the authorities, that is safer.  They do not appreciate the safety because when it comes down to it, the money is all that matters.

The same is true with regulatory agencies that fine business people and get to keep the money.  Criminal prosecutions that result on fines also create a profit for government.

So how can we reign in government that is essentially demanding protection money via overzealous enforcement?  Perhaps if there was no financial gain, the enforcement might be more reasonable.

As President, I can use the bully pulpit to encourage people of all states to create propositions which make any fines generated by government never be payable to government.  If the voters required all fines be paid to a charity with tax exempt status, then I believe that enforcement would be as the people intended, and not looking for a quick buck from as many people as possible.  Not to mention…  if the resources of local policing agencies were not directed to generating revenue, it might just free up the police to work toward solving and deterring actual crimes.

Also, recognizing the fact that not all jurisdictions will choose to vote out the “protection money” practices of local governments, the Department of Justice (which would be fully audited and redirected to constitutionally acceptable activities under my leadership) can look into RICO style charges for local governments that abuse their authority against individuals in the style of organized crime.

Government should not be a profit center for anyone.  When regulators levy huge fines and receive the money themselves, this creates a rather serious conflict of interest.  Civil asset forfeiture is another prime example of profit in government, against the people.

To me, it seems that the only way to redirect enforcement to a more reasonable level is to remove the financial incentive.  I encourage the people of every state to begin writing initiatives for the vote that requires any fines to be paid to charity or injured victims, and never to any government entity.

This is just one of many ways that I propose the people take back our country.