Recently in Third Party Politics Category

I'd love to see Jim Ostrowski step forward and try like he did in 1994. A stalwart of the movement and no stranger to politics, Jim could splatter a serious piece of humble pie into the faces of the nut job lackeys of the donkeys and elephants. His broad range of knowledge, professional capacity as a lawyer and tireless pursuit of all thing libertarian could ignite theupstate freedom movement. Who knows how many in the big apple itself ?

Unfortunately, I don't see Jim doing this. I spent a long drive with Jim last March down to Poughkeepsie (and back) and I think it's safe to say he won't try it again. Without getting too personal into his life or means, it's sufficient to say that his focus on family and profession at this point in his life is more important than a quixotic run at the head guy job in New York. I spoke with Jim this weekend and he's not interested in running for office.

However, I am urging Warren Redlich to pick up his shield, mount his high horse and charge those windmills. Warren has all the credentials and qualifications that I've listed previously and he also holds public office as a town board member in Guilderland, NY. He's run for Congress twice in a hopelessly Democratic district like Albany. He's helped me multiple times during my campaigns on a pro bono basis. He's smart, funny and media savvy. While Warren does have ties to the Republican party as such, he's by no means a favorite son. If anything he's a bit of a pariah. He likes and understands freedom too much.

While I personally never seem to point to any hard electoral result in a campaign other than a footnote in Wikipedia, by virtue of the simple fact that I never make the ballot, I say it's still worth trying on occasion. I love being a candidate, fighting the battles and engaging with the public and media. The other day I had a couple at a local eatery insist that they voted for me despite the petition woes. They saw me on TV during a debate and thanked me profusely, asking when I'd try again. Since the attempt last Spring I've been mildly surprised at how often this happens. It's a sign that people are listening and want real change. Of course I demurred the other day and am doing so now in this post.

While the special election was an interesting side journey, since my experience in 2006, I've concluded that statewide office would be my only attempt again. Given my media contacts and experience I could make a decent case that running for Governor or US Senate would be effective for the message of liberty above anything else. My Guv pitch would be that I've been tossed off the ballot twice and am seeking to rectify that one final time by bringing to light the awful condition of ballot access in NY. If you and 49,999 individuals vote for me, maybe you can run next time, locally or whatever. Why waste your vote or money on Democrats or Republicans that will do nothing to stop the constant onslaught against liberty ? Because that's more practical ? Insane I say.

The recent special election in NY's 23rd Congressional District while seemingly a success of Doug Hoffman as a Conservative Party candidate, it simply wasn't the case. In NY a special election of this sort requires the county chairs to pick a candidate. Most likely the Dede Scozzafava appointment had the more disgruntled conservative faction in the NY GOP, scrambling for what they considered a better choice. It was effectively a primary after the disaster that was a certain diminutive Schenectady resident, in the 20th District special election last spring. By pumping national money into Republican enrolled Hoffman's Conservative campaign, they outflanked the weaker intra-Republican party opponent with another ballot line. Reader's might note that my own campaign in the 20th was not received well by Conservatives who bumped me off with a hand picked judge in Poughkeepsie in full cooperation with the Republicans, no doubt.

That being said, I am urging Libertarians in New York not to select a convenience candidate next year for governor. While our lot may very well be a Sisyphus like plodding towards a damned eternity of electoral nothingness (I prefer to keep this mantle to myself), we should not sell our souls to a luke warm promise of success in a statist universe. If our little cabal actually became that ballot qualified party it might only a matter of months before it is sucked into the Borg that is New York State politics. It's not to say that protections on a bylaw and legal level wouldn't hold up to a constant deluge of attempts to colonize a newly qualified party, but would the party simply become an appendage to the bigger apparatus which tends to reward it participants with pork and privilege. Is that not our opposite purpose ?

I'm wondering whether author and historian Thomas Woods is in fact too far into the woods despite being one of those city kids. He pens a curious piece today on LRC defending St. Paul and true Lew against another cadre of egghead liberty folk. In typical theory of the leisure class mode, Woods assumes that all mention of certain people directly correlates with the mindful followers of the aforementioned. He takes umbrage with a statement about the state of the movement with regards to a right/left drift made by professor Tyler Cowen at a recent CATO gig.

I know Tom gets out a lot to speak at certain events and does a lot of Break The Matrix interviews. He's commented on C-SPAN about his like for media attention and the subsequent lack thereof. He's not DiLorenzo jawing with Brian Lamb about Lincoln yet, but he's still a young man and those things may come. Like most intellectuals, they think they are the indispensable core of whatever school or faction of thinking that has suddenly powered the movement de jure. The cackling minions of Paul Krugman are still toasting themselves.

Joe six pack libertarian doesn't see the world the same way as Woods. Gadsen flags, guns and legal weed all appeal to folk who don't particularly want to see brothers and sisters in foreign lands. They had that done to them since WWII. Even Vietnam era thinking supplies a notion amongst old school believers that such a war would have been won if but permission was granted to 'win it'. So yeah, another undeclared action abroad for the purposes of good might win the emotions of the day when the stakes are for the whole enchilada (ie the Presidency). Ron Paul suddenly fit the bill of someone valiant enough to stand against the Rudy's of the world. As an attendee of the 25th Mises Institute affair, I can attest to the fact that the old men of the grand old institute turned in for sleep that night at the Grand Hyatt in NYC. Hardly the stuff of the Green Mountain boys in their quest for freedom.

Evoking Nixon's 'Silent Majority' to inspire a tax payer's union might have worked if Root anticipated the Tea Party protests that have popped up in the last six months. It's clear that Root didn't have a clue about this spontaneous uprising during what was likely the final revisions of the book. In fact, he claims that these noble wealth makers (which include 'married-with-children' folks as opposed to those dual income no children types) are simply too occupied with their own success. " We don't waste our time marching, complaining, or protesting (p.155)."

Of course, come last July 4th when the Tea Party protests were in full bloom we find Wayne taking the stage just prior to neo-con lapdog Michele Malkin at a very large protest in Dallas. No true politician can turn down an adoring crowd, even the anti-politician. This chapter seems like a lame filler before the solution section and it shows again with the strained, invented acronyms and automatic claims of socialism attributed to Obama. Once again the nature of taxation isn't approached so much as the levels thereof. No mention of the wars that got us into the mess, only the upcoming vilification of the 'rich' (p.155) by Obama.

My Google alerts let's me know when my name pops up somewhere and apparently my critique of Brian Holtz's version of the World's smallest political quiz has him a bit miffed.

You can't leave comments on Brian's website, but I'm sure he'll find this and is welcome to leave his here.

With the exception of the obviously inspired chapter title, I actually found myself identifying with this chapter in a moment of weakness. As someone who has lived in the extended shadow of New York's Capital Region (and the other side of the River) hardly a day goes by without the reminder that those who work for the state are made men, or women as the case may be and the saying goes. Big fat pensions, sick and vacation time, the contrast to my own entrepreneurial existence, often present a stark contrast in philosophy and life style.

Like Wayne, I have also worked on holidays, extended after hours and sometimes even sick. I recall spending the last days in a business location dismantling the operation with a head cold that would have sidelined a state worker for a week. I was so happy to be free of the local bureaucracy's control after years of struggle, it was almost a joy. The extra lawn mowing in the summer, fixing the heating and air conditioning units in the facility are experiences that I imagine Root doesn't actually do, but the persistence and struggle is common amongst the self-employed and business owners.

Subtitle: Why California Leads the Nation in Deficit, Debt and Out-Migration

I was born in California. I visit family there every couple of years and I always have a great time. I can recount tales of Fremont, Steinbeck and Bukowski. Between Hollywood and the general world culture leading type of things that emerge from that space on the planet, you'd think that starting a chapter about California would give an author a myriad of devices, anecdotes or launch points that would be equally attuned to a modern hip political culture potentially emerging. Instead we get a contorted play on an old Mamas and Papas song (California Dreaming, not Dream btw) and a lame anti-communist dig to start things out. I'm beginning to think I'm the anti-root. After all I'm a former Californian turned successful New Yorker. Root's a former New Yorker turned away from California.

The best insight that we get from Root in this chapter is the claim that his failed business pumped sixty million into the overall economy despite failing sometime this year. While I understand this as a fellow businessman and appreciate the candid manner in which Root portrays this, the rest of the chapter isn't even good Californication. If anything, it gives the term nightmare a bad name because it doesn't evoke any real horror or imagery that we don't already know about or can somehow be morbidly attracted to. looking at any deeper level of the crisis out there does not happen in this chapter. Rather we are brought a long a litany of spending and budget boondoggles that feels like we're suddenly in the Hotel California.

Note to readers: the photo is for those with a subtle irony . . .

Showing America How It's Done !

Thus begins the second part of the book entitled, " Let's Talk Money and Politics "

To hear Root talk about the Nevada economic and political model we should all move there in order to enjoy no income, business, inheritance or capital gains tax. Never mind the fact that over 80% of the vast desert that is Nevada is owned by the Federal government and has been ranked as the most dangerous state for five years running . . is it fair to mention Area 51 and all the bloody nukes (over a 1000) they've tested there ?

Of course if quality of life was simply measured by the lack of involvement in one's finances by the government or the lack of water, Nevada may well be the place to be. The reality is that Nevada has always somewhat of a political punching bag between its initial formation to benefit Lincoln's second election, to its current distinction of housing Sin City. Trying to apply Nevada's marginally libertarian-like laws and taxation policies to the rest of the country would be like trying to get parents to let their kids watch more TV and eat sugary foods. They may ultimately do it anyway, but getting the fussy policy movers to even consider is tantamount to heresy.