Taxation with representation isn't working

 An open letter to my federal representatives as to why their representing me on the issue of taxation isn't working.

Please cut federal taxes.

Dear Mark, Jared, and Michael,

"All political power comes from the barrel of a gun." -- Mao Zedong

Subject: Voluntary cooperation vs. violence

If not for the threat of government violence -- of arrest, incarceration, and the loss of all your property -- how would you choose to spend your money?

Would you rather:

1. Give money to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or Habitat for Humanity?

2. Contribute to government foreign aid projects, or Doctors Without Borders?

3. Rely on the FDA for safe food and drugs, or the Underwriter's Laboratory?

4. Deliver your mail through the post office, or Fed Ex and UPS?

5. Contribute money directly to research clinics, or filter it through the National Institutes of Health?

6. Receive treatment in a V.A. Hospital, or a private one?

7. Give 15% of your income to Social Security, or use that money to buy annuities from a diverse portfolio of insurance companies? There's a rumor going around that youse guys have opted out of Social Security. What's good for the goose ought to be good for the gander.

8. Continue paying taxes to a ponzi-scheme Medicare program that must eventually cut benefits and ration your health care, or pile-up those funds in a tax-free, interest bearing Health Savings Account? There's another rumor going around that youse guys have your own "special" health care system entirely apart from Medicare. How come Medicare isn't good enough for you?

9. Contribute money to local charities to change and improve the lives of the poor, or to a food stamp program that merely maintains people in their poverty?

Imagine the choices all Americans would have if youse guys didn't use the threat of violent arrest, incarceration, and the loss of all my property, to force me to fund your preferred choices? 

No corporation or charity ever threatens me with violence if I don't buy their product, or contribute to their cause. Only "The Violent Entity," The State, or what we inaccurately call "government," does that. And it is only by colluding with youse guys that corporations and other special interests gain the power to pick my pocket. 

The State only performs the functions of a government when it protects its citizens from violence, through courts, police, and a tightly controlled military that does not initiate violence against other countries and peoples. 

But . . .

When The State uses violence against me, rather than protecting me from it, it ceases to be a government, and instead becomes a criminal gang. 

That is where we are today. We do not have a government. We have a violent criminal gang.

Do youse guys really wanna be a violent criminal gang? I hope not.

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem.

Please, please, please, have the courage to do nothing in this crisis. Your meddling only makes things worse. Learn from history:

"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong ... somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises ... I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started ... And an enormous debt to boot!" --FDR's Treasury Secretary, Henry Morganthau, speaking to Congress in May, 1939

In hope and respect for your tremendous powers of coercion,

 Unintended Consequences

Despite their supposed reverence for Gaia, the Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warmingists have no reverence for human beings

James Lovelock, one of the founders of the Gaian religion, tells us: “You could quite seriously look at climate change as a response of the system intended to get rid of an irritating species: us humans. Or, at least cut them back to size.”

This anti-human attitude has several unintended consequences. For example, the Congress of the United States is currently unwilling to allow exploration and drilling for petroleum in both the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge and off the east and west coasts of These United States. They blame the oil companies and their "windfall profits" for the rise in petroleum prices. Their hidden agenda, however, is that they want prices of petroleum products to go higher and remain higher. They fear that if petroleum prices return to their inflation-driven slow rise, Americans will continue to use their cars, trucks, and airplanes to improve their lifestyles and productivity, something the Congress is deathly afraid of. Most of Congress, if they had their way, would prefer to impose economically ruinous environmental taxation that would bring a European-like doubling ($8.00/gallon) of gasoline prices.

The Congress, as has been its constant purpose in the 20th and 21st centuries, wishes to reduce Americans' productivity and economic growth. Their excuse this time is that they're afraid of the possibility of a computer-predicted crisis called Catastrophic Anthropogenic (human-caused) Global Warming.

The Congress has been bullied into believing the myth of CAGW by a group of environmental terrorists, led mostly by Albert Gore and his lackey scientists at NCAR and NOAA who are bribed by the government of These United States to the tune of $5Billion each year. These Lysenkoist scientists want the Congress to attempt to reduce Americans' CO₂ emissions because they believe that those CO₂ emissions are the cause of the warming our globe is experiencing. It's odd that they believe this, because scientists around the globe are now finding that the global warming "crisis" 1. was based on a fraudulent piece of scientific propoganda called "the hockey stick", seen most prominently in Al Gore's mis-titled "an inconvenient truth" (mis-titled because it is actually polluted with at least 20 convenient lies) , and 2. is no longer happening.

Scientific and statistical evidence now points to deliberate malfesance on the part of those who created the "hockey stick" picture of temperature trends so revered by the Congress's favorite environmental terrorist, Albert Gore. 3000 people were killed in the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. How many hundreds of thousands of people have already starved to death because the price of food has risen by 75% now that we are fueling our cars with corn instead of fossil fuels?

Don't you think that you could "prove" just about anything, perhaps that the moon was made of green cheese, for example, if you had (conservative estimate of Bush Administration climate research spending) $29Billion to spend to "prove" that assertion?

Hockey Stick Debunked

From commentary on the above-linked debunked article: "I believe personally that here in the US in the Year 2008, government-owned global warming businesses have become an important manpower sink for scientific and engineering talent which in previous decades would have been otherwise employed in America's smoke-stack, industrial supply, and/or consumer goods manufacturing industries."

The temperature trends as measured by satellite are actually down over the 1998-2008 period. Many scientists believe that this is happening because of a delay in the Sun's sunspot cycle. Some are even predicting a global cooling that could produce a new Little Ice Age.

John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, believes that his baby has lost its way and has gone round the bend on an unscientific crusade.

A scientist in South Africa is calling the IPCC a band of "environmental terrorists."

Believers in the Gaian religion like to call people like me "deniers" (as in "holocaust deniers") because they want to lump me (and those whose scientific sense prevents them from believing in the Gaian religion) in with people who deny that the Nazi holocaust against Jewish people ever happened.

I call them anti-humanists, because they have reprioritized life on Earth as being Gaia-centered rather than human-centered. They believe that humans are a cancer on the surface of the earth, and, like James Lovelock quoted above, need to be cut down to size (read: real human holocaust of millions of deaths) because of their pollution of Gaia.

Gaian religionists would call me a supporter of pollution. I am not. I favor the reduction of pollution through economic development. There has not yet been a society that, when made wealthy enough to stop pollution, has forgone the cleanup of their environment. England no longer tolerates the coal-driven smog of the 1950s. Los Angeles no longer tolerates the acidified smog of the 1970s (which I personally experienced).

And CO₂ emissions are not pollution. If they were, the best thing humans could do in the current situation would be to cap all the volcanoes in the world, and cover all the oceans with some sort of CO₂-impermeable membrane, thus preventing CO₂-outgassing from the Earth itself. Perhaps the best advice for a Gaian religionist would be to stop emitting CO₂ from his or her breathing.

Increasing CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere benefits all life on earth. Even the miniscule temperature increase that might be caused by rising CO₂ concentrations is good for places like Siberia and Alaska. All plant life depends on "eating" CO₂ for nourishment. And without plants, all animals and all humans would ultimately perish.

Humans have always adapted to environmental change. We can (and will, if the Congress of These United States will quit interfering with our attempts) adapt to changes in Earth's temperature no matter whether those changes are caused by the Sun or by human activity.

What we cannot dare risk is a real human holocaust caused by meddling politicians imposing economically disastrous curbs on human CO₂ production.

I can do no better than to quote the Right Honourable 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley: “…as for the crooked pseudo-scientists who invented the hockey stick, supported it, and continue to parade it in the mendacious documents of the IPCC, no journalist would dare to ask any of them the questions that would expose their self-seeking corruption for what it is. These evil pseudo-scientists, through the falsity of their statistical manipulations, have already killed far more people through starvation than 'global warming' will ever kill. They should now be indicted and should stand trial alongside Radovan Karadzic for nothing less than high crimes against humanity: for, in their callous disregard for the fatal consequences of their corrupt falsification of science, they are no less guilty of genocide than he.”

 Working CFI

 Earl prepares a student for first solo.

I'm now working as a CFI at Journeys Aviation. I'm in the midst of preparing a student for his first solo in an airplane. Before he gets to solo, he must take a Presolo Stage Check ride with another instructor. I've flown many hours with this student, and am convinced he's ready to safely solo an airplane. It will be good to know what the other instructor finds regarding this student's knowledge and abilities.

LNC At-Large results

 Colley, Dixon, Keaton, Ruwart, Wrights

At-large winners were Mary Ruwart, Pat Dixon, Angela Keaton, Michael Colley, and Lee Wrights. A good balance of activists, purists, and rabble-rousers.

LNC At-large voting 

Large number of at-largers

The list of at-large candidates for Libertarian National Committee is long. I have five ballots. Four of them are already filled out and I have one left.

William Redpath (with whom I share one of my given names) was re-elected to Chair of the LNC. Michael Jingozian, one of the presidential candidates, was elected Vice-chair. Aaron Starr was re-elected as Treasurer. The current Secretary was re-elected without opposition.

Speeches continue for LNC At-Large candidates.

Root is the Vice Presidential nominee 

 Root for Veep

I spoke to Wayne Allyn Root on several occasions during the Libertarian National Convention in Denver. He presents himself well, has a smart and beautiful family, and has energy oozing from every pore. He has presented himself as a truly Libertarian candidate, and I have every hope that he will validate that appearance through his speeches and writings during the next 162 days.

 Vice president

 Barr wants Root, Ruwart wants Kubby

Since Mary Ruwart, the purist's choice for President, lost the race to Bob Barr, she is supporting Steve Kubby, the California Prop 215 proponent, for Vice President.

Bob Barr is now speaking in favor of Wayne Allyn Root for Vice President. Except for the fact that he spells his middle name weirdly, he seems a fine and energetic nominee with a clear plan to move the Libertarian party forward.

Balloting is now starting.

Barr is the Presidential nominee

Libertarians nominate Bob Barr

After a fairly ordered set of ballots, the Libertarian nominee for President is Bob Barr of Georgia, the congressman who helped impeach William Jefferson Clinton.

Pragmatists say that Barr brings some professionalism and political savvy to the Libertarian party.

Purists say that Barr has hijacked the Libertarian party in order to turn it into the conservative wing of the Republican party.

I am open to being a pragmatic purist who hopes that Barr will bring the Libertarian debate into the mainstream.

I only hope that those purists who are disappointed with the result will at least give Barr a chance. If he proves himself the politician that many suspect him to be, his support among purist Libertarians will be weak at best.

I'm optimistic about Barr's chances. I hope he will turn out to be the principled candidate he has appeared to be at the Libertarian convention in Denver. If John "McCain-Feingold" McCain will be the Republican nominee, and Barack "I'm a pretty Liberal" Obama will be the Democrat nominee, then Americans will once again be able to vote for a Libertarian nominee who has had the experience of being elected to Federal office.

 Presidential Debate

 Barr, Gravel, Phillies, Jingozian, Ruwart, Kubby, and Root

Mary Ruwart says that she's the woman to pick up the ball dropped by the Democrats. She will heal the world with Liberty.

Steve Kubby says he has only six months to live under adrenal cancer, although his doctors have been telling him this for thirty four years. He says that freedom is "Freedom from government."

Wayne Allyn Root says that he has a family and is a citizen politician and a small business man, Jewish, and from Nevada, where the drunks gamble with their own money (as opposed to the ones in Washington).

Mike Gravel says that Solon is the philosopher who influenced him most.

George Phillies says that Cicero is the philosopher who influenced him most.

Michael Jingozian says that Benjamin Franklin is is the philosopher who influenced him most.

Mary Ruwart says that Ayn Rand is the philosopher who influenced her most.

Steve Kubby says that David Nolan is the philosopher who influenced him most.

Wayne Allyn Root says that Yogi Berra is the philosopher who influenced him most.

Gravel can't think of anywhere that America should have troops.

Phillies says that troops should come home and America should compete economically.

Jingozian says that the only way to save the budget and end the war is to vote Libertarian.

Ruwart says to bring the troops home and never send troops to a middle-eastern Viet Nam.

Kubby says we don't have enemies, but competitors.

Root says that Thomas Jefferson is his foreign-policy hero, and that impounding unconstitutional spending and giving it back to the taxpayers would be a good idea.

Barr says that the Defense Department should actually defend the USA instead of trying to do nation building.

Phillies says that the President is limited in power but can influence Congress to look to make the changes needed to move towards nuclear and solar power.

Jingozian agrees that the President is limited, but leadership in Energy is the important point. He says that using oil for energy is wasteful and that ANWR shouldn't be drilled.

Ruwart says that to stop using the troops to secure the price of oil isn't sensible, and actually causes the price of oil to go up.

Kubby drives a Mercedes turbo-diesel that runs on cooking oil, not dependent on terrorists.

Root says that politicians aren't the solution, but the problem. Drill ANWR, use nuclear and clean coal.

Barr says that bureaucrats stifle innovation in energy and that getting government out and business in and everything will be solved.

Gravel says that it takes a national commitement of five years to get off of the gasoline habit.

Jingozian says, "I don't know" about the tragedy of the Commons. He knows how to ask the right people for the answers to difficult questions.

Ruwart says that road companies might be fined for the users of roads to compensate for car-caused pollution.

Kubby says that the US Government shouldn't be in charge of the environment.

Root says that Gore is the second biggest polluter after government bureaucrats.

Barr says that you shouldn't turn the environment over to the international bodies, like John McCain's proposal to implement the Kyoto treaty.

Gravel says that Libertarians have the advantage of private property for the basis of environmental suits.

Phillies says that all Americans need to use scientific truth about the environment, and that CFC and CO2 polluters should be imprisoned, not just fined.

Ruwart says that the Patriot Act and Real ID should be repealed.

Kubby says that Barr was one of the supporters of the Patriot Act, and that Government shouldn't be tracking citizens.

Root says that the Patriot Act and warentless wiretaps are the two issues that that turned him into a Libertarian.

Barr says that the Denver Post talks about the full-body X-ray scanner at DIA is driven by fear in Washington. Put a stake in the heart of the Patriot Act.

Gravel says to do away with the Patriot Act by allowing Americans to use initiatives to directly repeal it.

Phillies says to prosecute the bureaucrats for the unconstitutional Patriot Act.

Jingozian notes that the Patriot Act is deceitfully named. Dems and Repubs don't want to change the system, but Libertarians do.

Kubby says that American immigration policy appears to have been written by the KKK. Immigration policy should be open, allowing job-holding immigrants to come and go.

Root says that his Russian grandmother didn't take welfare, and neither should current immigrants.

Barr says that there isn't an immigration policy in the USA. We need an immigration policy that requires immigrants to come through a border and be checked for problems.

Gravel says that Europe put down their barriers and that Americans should do the same. A fair tax would allow economic growth to handle all possible immigrants.

Phillies says that if everybody is free, then there won't need to be an immigration policy.

Jingozian says that we don't have an immigration, energy, or any other policy, just a feel-good legislation policy.

Ruwart says that Americans fear losing their jobs, but that regulators are the reason that jobs are lost, and that removing regulations would allow us to beg for immigrants.

Root says that the War on Drugs is a failure, and that the international war on drugs needs to be ended. Legalize marijuana for all Americans.

Barr says that we have 10 times as many prisoners today as we had in 1980, and they are mostly due to drugs.

Gravel says that Nixon's commission said that drugs aren't a problem and the drug war has put more Americans in prison than any other country.

Phillies says that the War on Drugs is a total failure. We're broke and we can't afford it any more.

Jingozian says that we can't win the war on drugs. He says that 90% of property crime is related to meth. First day in office pardon all non-violent offenders.

Ruwart says to decriminalize all drugs. "Who owns your life anyway."

Kubby says he's getting a major buzz about being on stage with a former Senator and Congressman and leading Libertarian luminaries all decriminalizing marijuana. End the drug war by Executive Order.

Barr says to nominate Jim Gray to the Supreme Court.

Gravel says to change our judiciary system. Term limits for judges, Congress, Senate, president and the judiciary.

Phillies says he'd get a list of the good Libertarian attorneys and would appoint good Libertarians from every party because a non-partisan judiciary is necessary.

Jingozian says corruption has invaded the judicial system. The only way to change the system is to change the system by electing Libertarians.

Ruwart says that Libertarian appointees should be top priority because they abide by the non-aggression principle.

Kubby says that Jim Gray is good, but that the Supreme Court shouldn't lord it over us. Where did they get their authority?

Root says that Spreme Court nominees should believe in limited government and that education freedom will be defended by his cold dead fingers.

Gravel says that freedom includes being healthy and that you need to be educated. He doesn't know all the answers and wants to empower the American people to shrink the government.

Phillies says he'll give answers to frightened Americans. Eliminate cost transfers in medical care. If Europeans have approved a drug, bring it in.

Jingozian says Americans aren't stupid. Deregulating the drug and medical industry will allow Americans to use their smarts. Break the destructive two-party system now.

Ruwart says to deragulate to bring medical costs down. Seniors are turned away to go home and die because of centralized health care.

Kubby says the FDA a big part of the health care problem. Medical patients like himself know this.

Root says the answer to the FDA is freedom and choice. Deregulation and states' rights. Decouple employer and employee. Tort reform. Get the lawyers out.

Barr says he goes to Rome, GA to have his doctor look at him. He asked his doctor how much his fee was due to government regulation, the anwer was 50%.

Phillies says that Massachussets has equality in marriage rights.

Jingozian says that marriage issues aren't governmental issues.

Ruwart says that marriage should be a private contract, not a government privilege. Marriage is a private matter.

Kubby says that the government shouldn't be looking up skirts and trowsers.

Root says that it's none of the government's business to define marriage.

Barr says that his authorship of the defense of marriage act was terrible, and that he will work to repeal the Defense of Marriage act.

Gravel says that marriage is a secular term appropriated by religions. It's a commitment between two human beings.

Jingozian says that his campaign will help the Libertarian party by appealing to all voters like Harry Brown did. Jingozian finds 1.1% for Libertarians is disgraceful.

Ruwart says that a woman at the top of the Libertarian ticket will attract the Hillary voters.

Kubby says that everybody wants to be a libertarian. He says he can pick up from Ron Paul and fight for your freedom.

Root says voters and fundraising are the two issues. Small businesspeople can finance it. Education reform can help. 12 million online poker enthusiasts can help.

Barr says that travelling across country he has been in the belly of the beast. He says we're on the cusp of a libertarian era.

Gravel says to judge people by their actions, not their talk. He ended the draft, ended nuclear testing, authorized the Alaskan pipeline and endangered himself with the Pentagon Papers.

Phillies is hard atwork building the party. He's doing what a campaigner should do.

Ruwart says she will repeal all gun legislation.

Root says that Jews have the real reason for the 2nd Amendment.

Barr says that the 2nd Amendment is the 1st Amendment and that all gun laws should be removed.

Gravel would leave the 2nd Amendment inviolate. Americans should be able to deal with Gun issues.

Phillies went overtime.

Barr finally (standing) says that fear is not a part of the Libertarian platform. Courage is the word for Libertarians.

Gravel mentioned that Cicero says that freedom is participation in power. He advocates giving power back to the American people through initiatives. The people will make the decisions and will be empowered.

Phillies says that he's a long time activist with skeletons out of the pocket. He's doing all the things the party should do. Building all state parties.

Jingozian says the government should be run like a business, and that his business can best publicize libertarianism.

Ruwart wants to remind us of our victories. We need to strike while the iron is hot and consider her the candidate to provide the best campaign.

Kubby says that he used to be advised to change the law. He did. Prop 215. 

Root says he has energy and passion. Big government vs small business. Never ever ever ever ever give up. Elect Libertarians. God Bless You and good night.

Convention Delegate

I am a delegate from, of all places, Indiana

On the floor of the Libertarian National Convention, in the former Adams Mark (now Sheraton) Hotel in Denver Colorado, I'm amazed at the speed with which the platform planks are being passed and amended.

Because I did not place my name in contention for delegate status from Colorado, the Colorado delegation was full. I then requested that I be included in the Indiana delegation. The Indiana delegation was missing a few members, so I was welcomed as a delegate.

The most amazing thing that just happened was that the "Abortion" plank was passed with fairly minimal rancor and emotion. It reads as follows: "Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good faith views on all sides, we believe that government shouild be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration."

Amazing. This encapsulates my thinking as concisely as any wording I can think of.

Airline Dream Deferred 

 Instrument skills need improvement

My attempts to fly the B1900D full motion simulator while under the influence of only four or five hours of sleep each night for three weeks proved unfruitful.

My airline pilot dream is currently deferred while I regroup and reintegrate my instrument flying skills. A Pitts pilot doesn't normally build instrument skills during flying. I need more of those skills. I will get them and continue to pursue my airline ambitions.

 First day of simulator

 Muscle required

During the first day of simulator training, I learned that you can't muscle 15,000 pounds of airplane without the help of trim. I will not forgo trimming tomorrow. Today was steep turns, stall series, and an ILS or two.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, plus missed approaches, go arounds, windshear, and an NDB approach thrown in for good measure.

0600 dark thirty is the meeting time for groundschool before jumping in "the box" at 0800. And we thought it was just going to be 0800-1400.

 Sim approach

 Approaching minimums

2nd day of PCADT simulator, and things are getting tougher. Approaches to minimums without any view of the airport. Missed approaches to go around and try with a different navigation aid. Handling wind. Etc. Tough. Getting tougher.

 Sim Life

 Simulating real flying

Yesterday, the class started our simulator training in a PCADT trainer, a glorified Personal Computer with an instrument stack, yoke, and rudders attached. This simulator is set up to be about as tricky to "fly" as anything could be. "Flying" it is like balancing a basket full of apples on your head while hula-hooping.

Today, I'm going to fly a more realistically set-up simulator that will engrain the calls we learned in CPT yesterday. One of my classmates will join me there.

Knew my Limitations 

 Entire class passes Systems test

My entire Systems class passed the extremely long and exhaustive Systems test. I could probably draw the B1900D environmental system in my sleep. Speaking of sleep, I'm probably about 10 hours behind on my normal sleep amount. Everyone in the class seems to be in about the same somnolent state.

We got to sit in an actual airliner this afternoon and "do" the Run Up flow, which is the longest of all the flows we have to learn. I stumbled on remembering which annunciators are supposed to light up during the Environmental and Pneumatics tests, but that was partly because the airplane was in a hangar and many of the systems were disabled for maintenance, so it was just a "touch the switches" flow that didn't really feel "real" yet.

Calls come next. I've got my memory items down. Gotta learn to call 'em as I see 'em.