. . .Your Informed Consent Right to choose healthcare, as stated in the Wilton Declaration: "The time has come for healers and those they seek to help to... assert our Right to Heal and Be Healed... we declare our independence from bureaucratic restrictions on our fundamental human rights ... to defend these basic human rights and the healers, physicians and other practitioners... who we freely choose to help us achieve and maintain health..."
Showing posts with label Libertarian Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Libertarian Party. Show all posts
Justin Amash was a (G)OP member of the House of Representatives until he changed his party affiliation to Independent in 2019 and to Libertarian earlier this year. He is the first sitting member of Congress to serve as a Libertarian Party member and has announced his candidacy for the LP nomination for President. The LP is the only "third party" which will appear on all, or nearly all, state ballots this coming November.
Libertarian Party presidential vote totals for the past three presidential elections:
2008 - 523,715 - 0.40% 2012 - 1,275,971 - 0.99% 2016 - 4,488,914 - 3.28% [Note: the 2016 total was greater than the difference between the two ruling parties.]
As my friend and mentor Maj. Gen. Bert Stubblebine reminded us four years ago, "Informed Consent is the defining issue of the 21st Century."
In that context, I have written the following note to Justin Amash - contact@justinamash.com:
In cooperation with the Natural Solutions Foundation I am polling all presidential candidates regarding the universal right of Informed Consent and mandatory vaccinations.
2018 ELECTIONS CONFIRM VOTER DESIRE FOR THIRD PARTY CHOICE
The Libertarian Party is Now America's Third Major Party
Not such a good election for the "(G)OP" (that means "(formerly) Grand Old Party") and the Demoncrats get to be led by one of the most out-of-touch crony pols of all times, Nancy Pelosi!
For Libertarians, however, this was a great election.
The Party announced significant voter results:
"Gov. Gary Johnson received more than 15 percent of the votes in his bid for U.S. Senate from New Mexico. Nebraska state Sen. Laura Ebke received 42 percent of the vote in her re-election bid. Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark received 11 percent of the vote for mayor of Phoenix. Libertarian National Committee Development Director Lauren Daugherty received 22 percent of the vote in her run for justice of the peace in McLennan County, Texas. Brian Luke received 27 percent of the votes in his run for U.S. House District 2 from Washington. Running for Washington state House in District 22, Allen Acosta scored a 30 percent vote total. Mark Fish received nearly 11 percent in his race for the Alaska state House in a three-way race that included both a Republican and a Democratic candidate." [2]
The American "two party system" is maintained through careful manipulation of the election laws, making the USA the only major "democracy" with only two "major parties." For any "third party" to be successful ballot access is essential, and the barriers against entry are significant. Major gains were made in ballot access:
"Libertarians in states without automatic ballot access have to spend an inordinate amount of time, money, and effort every year qualifying their candidates through petitioning. Fortunately, Libertarian Party vote totals in a few states have qualified them for future ballot access.
Oklahoma has some of the strictest ballot access laws in the country, which has historically made it a difficult state for Libertarians in past elections. Fortunately, Libertarian John Yeutter won nearly 25 percent of the vote in his race for Oklahoma auditor and inspector, which secures Libertarian Party ballot access until 2022. “Taxpayers in Oklahoma should have assurance that their state and local tax dollars are accounted for,” Yeutter said in his campaign.
In New York, Libertarian Larry Sharpe received an unprecedented 89,232 votes for governor, far in excess of the 50,000 needed to assure Libertarian Party ballot access in New York for the next four years. Sharpe ran an active campaign, with appearances throughout the news media and interviews on television and radio. In 2016, Sharpe was also only 32 votes short of being selected as the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential candidate.
Richard Brubaker, running for U.S. House from Wyoming, received enough votes to retain Libertarian Party ballot access for the state. Ballot access has also been assured until 2020 in Washington, D.C., thanks to the vote totals in Joseph Bishop-Henchman’s race for attorney general and his spouse Ethan Bishop-Henchman’s race for council chair. Mark Rutherford assured Indiana ballot access until 2022 with his race for secretary of state. In Massachusetts, Daniel Fishman has assured ballot access for two more years in his race for auditor." [2]
Here is what the Party Chair said:
"Over the past two years, we put so much into preparing for the 2018 elections. On Election Day, we made gains across the country that are the fruit of those labors and investments... The 2018 election cycle brought the rhetoric that we continue to hear every election cycle:
This is the most important election of our lifetime. The stakes are just too high to stay home. The future of our democracy is at stake.
While Ds and Rs stoked voters’ fears in order to drum up record-breaking voter turnout in some areas, our 833 Libertarian candidates campaigned on practical solutions to improve America’s communities.
As Libertarians, we take a different approach than our opponents do; we appeal to common sense. Our solutions cut taxes, improve lives, and present opportunities to make communities more free and prosperous.
We are proud of our 16 newly-elected Libertarians and the 833 Libertarians that ran this year. Each of our candidates courageously challenged the two-party system." [3]
Just before the election the Gallup Poll questioned Americans about the need for a "major third party." The graph at the top of this blog entry tells the story. This is what Gallup had to say:
"Americans' views of the two-party system have soured since Gallup's initial 2003 measurement when a solid majority said the Republican and Democratic parties were doing an adequate job. More than 40% continued to feel this way on occasion through 2012, but since then no more than 38% have believed the two parties are adequate while as many as 61% have said a third party is needed." [1]
My conclusion is that the time has never been better for the Libertarian Party to confirm its "major party" status, returning real democracy to the American federal republic. Americans no longer have just two choices. There is a third choice to Demoncrat and (G)OP politics-as-usual. That choice is Liberty!
Millions Vote Libertarian
Assuring Ballot Access in More States:
Larry Sharpe received 90,816 votes in his race for governor of New York, well over the 50,000-vote threshold to assure Libertarian Party ballot access in New York through 2020.
John Yeutter won nearly 25 percent of the vote in his race for Oklahoma auditor and inspector, which secures Libertarian Party ballot access through 2022.
Voters numbering 1,609,716 cast their ballots for Mark Ash for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 8. His 25.3 percent result serves to assure LP Texas ballot access through 2020.
Richard Brubaker, running for the U.S. house from Wyoming, received enough votes to retain Libertarian Party ballot access for the state.
Mark Rutherford assured Indiana ballot access until 2022 with his race for secretary of state.
In Massachusetts, Daniel Fishman has assured ballot access for two more years in his race for auditor.
Ben Shapiro, writing in the Daily Wire June 14, 2018, said he was shocked that FBI agents would interfere with American elections, and particularly in the 2016 presidential election.
"Buried in the Department of Justice Inspector General’s report – a report that found no political bias in the actions of the FBI during the Hillary investigation – is one massive bombshell: a text from FBI agent Peter Strzok to his lover, FBI agent Lisa Page. Here’s the insane exchange, circa August 2016:
Page: "[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!"
Strzok: "No. No he won’t. We’ll stop it."
WE’LL STOP IT?
How in the world could an FBI agent – and not just an FBI agent, but a key, high-ranking FBI agent involved in both the Hillary Clinton investigation and the Russian election interference investigation – text this? And more importantly, how could the IG then find that no political bias was present in the actions of the FBI?" [1]
My comment posted at the Shapiro article was:
"While I doubt that Mr. Shapiro is really shocked, he does right by pointing to the FBI's interference in the election. If you want a deep state "strong enough" to "guarantee security" you will get a deep state strong enough to "guide" the electoral process. We are not just witnessing deep state corruption in the FBI, we are seeing how all power corrupts. If you want a return to a free republic, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress must reassert "our representatives" control over the government. Or, failing that (and fail Congress will!) we the people must vote for third party candidates this November to send a clear message of rejection of the deep state takeover!"
That is the theme I take up here: voting for the (G)OP or the Demoncrats is a vote for the Deep State.
Such a vote is worse than wasted. It allows the "two" tax-eater party leaders to pretend to have public support. The only vote that is not wasted is a vote for any third party candidate. Only someone willing to stand for Congress on a ticket other than the duopoly parties is someone we might be able to trust in Congress! Continuing Donald Trump's disruptive impact on American politics requires a real shake-up of voting habits.
What impact will third party votes have on the way the ruling parties govern?
Historically, American third parties have often "set the agenda" for the governing coalitions, even though the "two party system" has been maintained as a structure in which the elites are able to contain their rivalries. There are numerous examples of significant policy changes, from the end of slavery through alcohol prohibition of the effect of third party movements throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. Independent campaigns, such as those of former governor George Wallace (the last independent candidate to win electoral votes in multiple states - 1968), connected businessman Ross Perot and politician John Anderson determined the scope of presidential politics throughout the second half of the 20th Century.
What impact will future third party votes have on election outcomes?
Let's look at Libertarian Party votes over the past three presidential elections. I addressed that in more detail [2] where I wrote,
"The recent trend in Libertarian Party [www.lp.org] Presidential Vote Results is clearly upward: [3]
[Note that the 2016 total, when two former two term (G)OP governors carried the LP banner, was substantially larger than the 2.9 million vote difference between the two tax-eater parties.]"
Third party votes most likely prevented Hillary Clinton from becoming president.
During the 2017 off-year election LP candidates garnered anywhere from 1% to 45% of the votes cast in particular local elections [4]. As far back as the presidential election of 1972 the LP presidential candidate did receive an electoral vote in Virginia [5].
Voter participation (as a percent of VAP -- Voting Age Population ) peaked, interestingly in 1860, at 81% and has slowly declined to 2016's 55.5% (the lowest was 50.3% in 2000). [6] As the voting percentage has declined, in recent years, however, the percentage of people who regularly vote for third parties has grown. [7] This is confirmed by the above noted LP presidential votes over the past three cycles.
So the question becomes: what is a patriotic American to do when faced with the choices on the ballot this coming November?
Voting for either Democrats or Republicans just encourages the continuation of the current situation -- a Congress unable to reform the broken "progressive" entitlement programs that are leading us to ruin; unable to protect the peace, our security and especially our liberties.
The Federal Government still chooses to borrow about 40% of its bloated budget, policing the world to make it safe for Chinese commerce, while failing to provide safe roads, bridges and schools here in America.
While the deregulation "Trump Boom " may paper-over the fundamentals, for a while, we are still faced with extraordinary increases in the Federal Debt, which are themselves papered-over by the Federal Reserve buying nearly all new Treasury Bonds and inflating the money supply as a result. This Keynsian debt time bomb will blow up the boom, sooner or later. Especially since the President, in years past, had famously stated, "I love debt."
The two tax-eater parties need to fear a taxpayer revolt, again.Taxed Enough Already. That revolt is always expressed by refusing to vote for the duopoly parties. They do, indeed, watch the numbers carefully.
If even ten percent of voters started regularly voting third party, the duopoly would shudder.
If a third did so, it would collapse and the deadlock in DC would be replaced by new alliances and new approaches.
The power of disruptive politics has been proven by the Trump Presidency. Now it needs to move beyond Trump.
Your vote counts. But only if you don't vote Democan or Republicat. It's TEA time again!
“Liberty is to the collective body what health is to every individual body. Without health no pleasure can be tasted by man; without liberty, no happiness can be enjoyed by society.” –Thomas Jefferson
The Vitamin Consultancy - www.vitaminconsultancy.com -- I practiced law for 36 years in NJ (1971-2006), gaining a reputation as The Vitamin Lawyer, representing people in the Natural Products, Dietary Supplements and CAM (Complementary and Alternative Modalities) fields. Now I provide educational services and I consult with lawyers and other professionals, formulators, manufacturers and purveyors of natural and nutritional products, as well as with CAM enterprises and practitioners.
I started these blogs to comment on health and freedom issues and to provide an archive of information for my clients and associates. This is a private expressive association communication.
I have been a trustee of several NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) including the Natural Solutions Foundation - www.OpenSourceTruth.com - Institute for Health Research - www.InHeRe.org (of which I am President) and LifeSpirit Church - www.lifespirit.org
