Monthly Archives: September 2011

Gov. Johnson–a successful two-term Republican governor of New Mexico–possesses the best resume of any candidate in the field with respect to reducing the size and scope of government, reducing spending, lowering taxes (14 times, and never raised them), vetoing legislation emblematic of bad politics (750 such vetoes), advocating for policies that increase individual freedom and choice (school vouchers, ending war on drugs), balancing budgets, delivering budget surpluses, and creating regulatory certainty in the NM marketplace. The common sense, business approach to Constitutionally limited, fiscally responsible government, which he implemented in New Mexico and which resulted in over 10% economic growth while Gov. Johnson was in office, is necessary on a national level to right the American ship. Moreover, Gov. Johnson fundamentally believes in the efficacy of individual freedom, which principle (rather than government) has long been the source of American prosperity. Based upon his exemplary record of successful conservative governance and longstanding commitment to policies that, even if not adopted by the Republican party at large, expand individual freedom, I endorse Gov. Gary Johnson in 2012.

Via Redstate:

Thursday night a lot of people got to see Governor Gary Johnson for the first time in the Republican Debate. He made an impression causing “Gary Johnson” to be the most searched term on Google today. Here’s some facts everyone should know about Gary Johnson and his two terms as governor:

• Before running for Governor he grew a one man handyman business to a thousand employees.

• Not only did he cut taxes 14 times as Governor, Gary Johnson’s 8 years as governor  was the longest period of time New Mexico had ever gone without a raise in taxes.

• As governor Gary Johnson vetoed 750 bills during his two terms – more bills vetoed then all the other governors during the same 8 year period combined - earning him the nickname Governor Veto. One third of those bills were Republican bills.

• Gary Johnson used his line-item veto thousands of times.

• Gary Johnson made the healthcare plan he received as governor available to every citizen of New Mexico and transitioned the state’s Medicare program to managed care. This provided incentives for better care, cost control, and lowered the cost to the state of New Mexico by 25%.

• He reduced the number of state employees by over a thousand employees.

• When he expressed interest in running for Governor of New Mexico the Republican establishment advised him that in order to run for governor he would need to run for lower offices first. Gary ignored their advice and won against a Democratic incumbent 50% – 40% in a state where registered Democrats out number registered Republicans 2 – 1.

• When Gary Johnson ran for reelection the democrats put up a hispanic candidate in a state that is 40% hispanic and has a 2-1 Dem – GOP ratio. Gary Johnson then won 55% to 45%.

• Gary Johnson could not run for third term because he was term limited. He left undefeated. He left the state with a $1 billion dollar surplus.

• Gary Johnson’s adherence to rock solid limited government principles brought his state 11.7% job growth over the course of this two terms.

Where others merely talk the talk about small government principles Gary Johnson has walked the walk as demonstrated by his unmatched rock solid limited government record as a two-term Governor.

It says a lot about a person when he/she prefers Romney, Perry, Bachmann, Palin, Cain, etc. to Johnson, notwithstanding Johnson’s above described record–which walked the conservative talk plus some–and the fact that every position Johnson maintains is consistent with his overarching common sense, business approach to Constitutionally limited, fiscally accountable government always purposed to expanding individual freedom.

Tell me: what is the argument for any other candidate vis a vis Johnson? Do they have a better record? (Answer: No – not one other candidate can boast of Johnson’s conservative bona fides.) Do you disagree with his particular views? Ok, perhaps you believe that ending the failed and disastrous war on drugs, and decreasing America’s military-cop role abroad is no bueno. If so–meaning, you disagree with Johnson’s plan to reduce the warfare state that is, in large part, further bankrupting us with little if any return to show for it–can you please explain to me how the war on drugs and an expansive military policy (against which Eisenhower, our last Conservative President, warned) are consistent with the Burkean conservative ideology ostensibly adhered to by Romney et al? Good luck with that. (Spoiler alert: there is nothing conservative about our multiple wars or the war on drugs.) Perhaps then, dear Romney et al supporter, you’ll be good enough to explain why America’s ever increasing warfare state in its various incarnations demand partisan or ideological exceptions to the conservatism you otherwise adhere to?

The final tripe Romney et al supporters resort to is: “I would support Johnson but he can’t win.” You only believe he cannot win–and as a reminder he’s a successful two-term governor of a 2-1 Democrat state, which means that he has proven against all odds to be a political winner–because the MSM media that so loathes the Tea Party, and which MSM includes RINOs such as Rove on Fox, who sneers at the Tea Party for not falling in goose step with establishment Republican positions, has told you that Johnson or Ron Paul can’t win based on nothing more than their transparent self interest in Romney et al winning. Do you feel like a sucker?

If Republicans are bad for the Democrat’s conception of the business of government (e.g. Solyndra), Gary Johnson is motherfucking poison for the business of government writ large, including the Right’s sacred cattle, which include the military-industrial complex and the war on drugs. I have yet to read a compelling much less convincing article explaining why Gary Johnson is not the best individual in the running for the Presidency. I do not believe such an article could be written consistent with traditional American notions of individual freedom and limited government.

by Alex Fidel

Gary Johnson Q&A w/ The Objective Standard:

Johnson: We don’t live in a democracy, we live in a republic. We live in a country that’s governed by laws. If we lived in a democracy, we could all vote ourselves a raise, and we wouldn’t be able to afford that, and that’s been the demise of democracies. We live in a republic, and if we lose sight of that, we do so at the expense of individual freedom and liberty.

‎”If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear” ~ George Orwell.

Johnson, in an interview with POLITICO, said he has not received word of the invitation, but said he’d take it if offered. He said he doesn’t plan to use the debate stage to make a spectacle of his campaign, but will reiterate his campaign themes.

“I would be saying things different than everyone else up there,” he said. “I’m promising to submit a balanced budget in 2013. I am promising to veto spending legislation that exceeds revenue. I am promising to overhaul the tax code, that means throwing out the entire federal tax system and replacing it with the fair tax.”

Issei Sagawa–who in 1981 murdered and cannibalized a Dutch woman named Renée Hartevelt–walks free while millions languish in prison worldwide for drug related offenses. Man, fuck that shit.

Parts one and two of a gnarly documentary on Sagawa below.

Dear DuelingBarstools,

Two weeks ago, I asked my senior advisors to share with you details of our plan for victory in New Hampshire.

Called the “New Hampshire Path,” we are executing a strategy similar to the one I employed when I first ran for Governor of New Mexico. I’m happy to report that we’re right on track.

Now I would like to announce Part II of our plan, my upcoming “Ride for Freedom.”

As you know, I’ve long been a cycling enthusiast. When I return to New Hampshire on October 5, I will begin a 6-day, 458-mile bike ride across the state.

Contribute now to support the Ride for Freedom.

The Ride will begin in Milford and end in Manchester as I crisscross most of New Hampshire along the way. Additional stops will include Concord, Gilford, Alton, Wolfeboro, Moultonborough, Meredith, Laconia, Fitzwilliam, Keene, Newport, Loudon, Durham, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton, Exeter, Derry, Salem, Windham and Nashua.

I started a similar ride across New Mexico when I first ran for Governor, and found it to be one of the best ways to connect with voters across the state. The Ride for Freedom promises to be equally successful.

Each day, I’ll ride and meet with voters at various planned stops along the way, before ending each day with a town hall meeting in a different New Hampshire city. It promises to be a great way to take my engagement with New Hampshire residents to the next level.

Contribute now to support the Ride for Freedom.

Of course, my current trip in the state has been fantastic as well. Sunday I spoke at the “Steak Out,” an annual event hosted by the Nashua Republican City Committee. It was another great opportunity for me to make the case for my candidacy directly to Republicans in New Hampshire.

In between knocking on doors yesterday with volunteers, I also attended the Bedford Republicans Annual Breakfast, visited the office of the Nashua Telegraph, and made a prominent appearance on the WGIR Morning Show.

Thank you for having lent my campaign so much support. I truly cannot do this without you. Your financial contributions make our progress toward the goal of liberty possible: https://donate.GaryJohnson2012.com.

Live Free,

Gary

P.S. Have you read our campaign’s “New Hampshire Path” memo yet? It lays out in detail our plan for winning the New Hampshire primary. Follow this link to read the full memo.

Via InverseCondemnation:

by Alex Fidel

“I’m Gary Johnson-entrepreneur, athlete, former 2 term gov. Of NM, veto king” – Gary Johnson on Twitter responding to the Tampa, FL debate hosted by CNN/The Tea Party. The only kind of king that results in liberty.

Via GaryJohnson2012.com:

September 10, 2011, Santa Fe, NM — Governor Gary Johnson released the following statement on the anniversary of September 11, 2001:

“As we all pause this weekend to remember the events of September 11, 2001, our thoughts are with those who lost their lives, those who saved so many lives, and a nation that showed its greatness in countless ways.  9/11 and the days after were a time when ordinary Americans did extraordinary things. Our thoughts and our gratitude are also with the amazing men and women of our military who are putting themselves on the line every day to keep us safe.  The fight against those who would do us harm continues today, and it is a fight we must carry out with the same determination that was so magnificently displayed by the heroes of 9/11.

“America is about liberty.  Ten years ago, liberty was attacked.  To those who lost their lives and those many more whose lives were forever changed, our deep obligation is to insure that liberty prevails not just today, but for generations to come.”

ZeroHedge has an excellent post up about the Solyndra bankruptcy and what it means.

And from the comments:

I moved to South America 6 years ago.  I was amazed, fascinated and disturbed by the corruptibility of the people, top to bottom.  I only payed attention to fraud and corruption in the local government (NW U.S) and saw it was pretty clean and easy to remove a corrupt person.

What absolutely amazes me is the 180* turn, or perhaps the revelation, like a mushroom above the stink, of the high level of institutionalized corruption in the US.  Sure, we always suspected that military contrators and others were ´lobbying´with more than dinner and a movie, but Readers Digest always had stories on how they were getting busted by the law.

Now?????  The police forces down to a local level are adopting the ´us´ vs. them attitude.

For instance, this poor bastard is facing 75 years of prison for recording the police. (Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.)

The [U.S.] goverment is fascist, by almost any definition – in bed with, and bound to, the multinational corporations.

E.g. G.E., G.M., Goldman Sachs, etc.

We can’t change the tax code or the accountants will riot.  We can’t change the educational system or the teachers will riot.  We can’t end the wars, or the military, God forbid, would riot.  What a stinking mess.

True.

‎”The real division is not between conservatives and revolutionaries but between authoritarians and libertarians.” — George Orwell

Via Occamatic

FTW:

In these cases, then, the problems did turn out to be more complicated than any “simple” solution the theocratic fanatics could propose. But, and against the tendencies of euphemism and evasion, some stout simplicities deservedly remain. Among them: Holocaust denial is in fact a surreptitious form of Holocaust affirmation. The fatwa against Salman Rushdie was a direct and lethal challenge to free expression, not a clash between traditional faith and “free speech fundamentalism.” The mass murder in Bosnia-Herzegovina was not the random product of “ancient hatreds” but a deliberate plan to erase the Muslim population. The regimes of Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fully deserve to be called “evil.” And, 10 years ago in Manhattan and Washington and Shanksville, Pa., there was a direct confrontation with the totalitarian idea, expressed in its most vicious and unvarnished form. Let this and other struggles temper and strengthen us for future battles where it will be necessary to repudiate the big lie.

Via Chuck Dahmer’s Facebook:

It is no crime to be ignorant of Ron Paul’s principles or policies, which are, after all, sometimes difficult to grasp without a thorough understanding of this nation’s unglamorous history and a fundamental grasp of free-market capitalism. But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on Ron Paul while remaining in this state of ignorance.