The Debate that Should Have Been

Brad & Britt in the Morning featured Dr. Mike Munger, the Libertarian candidate for governor of North Carolina, on FM Talk 101.1 Wednesday, the morning after a debate aired by WTVD that failed to include him. Munger commented on the other candidates' answers, talked about his own views on several issues, and responded to live callers.

Listen online here --> Munger on Brad & Britt Show

Brad & Britt in the Morning is broadcast on WZTK, FM Talk 101.1, from Burlington to the Triangle and the Triad regions of North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point.

Update 8/25/08: Michael Munger has been invited to participate in the UNC-TV debates scheduled for September 24 and October 8, in addition to the debate in Charlotte on October 15.

Update 8/26/08: Munger and McCrory, but not Perdue, have accepted invitations to a candidate forum co-sponsored by WWAY News Channel 3 and Big Talker FM in Wilmington on October 24.

Christopher Cole on the Federal Drinking Age

From the campaign of Christopher Cole for US Senate

Cole is challenging the re-election of Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole, who was also Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Transportation in 1984, when the Federal drinking-age standard was adopted.

News recently says that a group of college presidents has asked the Federal government to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. Christopher Cole, Libertarian for US Senate, agrees that such a move should be a no-brainer: If 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds are trustworthy with automatic weapons, driving tanks, or standing toe-to-toe with terrorists in Iraq, only a deranged busybody could claim that they are unable to handle a beer.

However, Cole believes that; while the academics are right about the problem, they are wrong about the solution. He points to three dirty little secrets about the federal drinking age:

Dirty secret #1: There actually IS NO Federal drinking age. Rather, Congress put a limitation on Federal transportation funds, cutting disbursements to states that had a drinking age LOWER than 21. They understood that they had no authority to set a standard directly, so they used money as a leash on state autonomy. Which leads to ...

Dirty secret #2: There IS NO constitutional authority for Congress to collect or disburse funds for transportation. The Federal bureaucrats have chosen to ignore THAT limitation, because it gave them control over state and local governments. Which leads to ...

Dirty secret #3: North Carolina is a net DONOR to Federal transportation expenditures (recently increased to 92 cents on the dollar). That means that money is transferred from NC taxpayers to other states for THEIR transportation needs. It follows that the elimination of those funds would actually result in an INCREASE in transportation funds available to North Carolina needs.

As a lover of the Constitution, Cole advocates the abolition of the collection or disbursement of transportation funds by Congress from or within the states. He would limit the Federal Department of Transportation to those areas under proper Federal authority: the District of Columbia, US territories (such as Puerto Rico), or constitutional Federal enclaves, such as Indian reservations and military bases. (The constitution also authorizes postal roads, but that need was met long ago.)

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Christopher “Chris” Cole is the Libertarian nominee for US Senator from North Carolina. To learn more about Chris, visit his campaign website.

Munger Holds Shadow Debate

Contributed by Brian Irving

The Libertarian candidate for governor may be excluded from the gubernatorial debates, but that does not prevent him from responding to the questions.

Dr. Mike Munger will hold a "shadow debate" tomorrow on WZTK FM 101.1 from 8 to 9 a.m. courtesy of the Brad and Britt Show. The format will be to replay the questions and answers from the Democrat and Republican candidates debate tonight on WTVD-TV 11, then air Dr. Munger's comments.

"It will be like the old TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000," quipped the Duke University political science and economics professor. "I listen to the lieutenant governor and the mayor tonight, then offer my own answers." He said he probably will think of some witty retorts "having had all night to think of them."

"I appreciate Brad and Britt giving me the opportunity to respond to Bev and Pat, something most of the other so-called major broadcast media have refused to do." Munger said.

"Honestly, I expect more people will hear this than the TV debate," Dr. Munger said.

Bob Barr Should be Included in Presidential Debates

According to a Zogby poll released Friday, 55% of likely voters nationwide say that Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party nominee for President, should be included in the presidential debates. While support for his inclusion is strongest among independents (69%), the majority of Democrats (52%) and half of Republicans also believe he should be included in the debates.

What about Munger in the Gubernatorial Debates?

If most Americans want Bob Barr included in the presidential debates, it stands to reason that most North Carolinians would also like to see Michael "Mike" Munger included in the gubernatorial debates. So far, Mike Munger has been invited to the final gubernatorial debate scheduled for October 15 in Charlotte, and sponsored by WSOC-TV, WTVI Charlotte, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg League of Women Voters.

Three debates are scheduled in the Triangle area between now and then. It remains to be seen whether any of the Triangle-area sponsors will invite Munger to participate.

Update 8/25/08: Dr. Munger has now been invited to participate in the UNC-TV gubernatorial debates scheduled for September 24 and October 8.

Zogby Poll: Majority Want Libertarian Bob Barr Included in Presidential Debates
Zogby International, August 15, 2008

Libertarian Munger In At Least One Debate
LPNC news release, July 28, 2008

Michael Munger for Governor '08

Upcoming Episodes of ‘The Libertarian Alternative’

Contributed by Johnny Crawford

Here are summaries of the next four episodes of The Libertarian Alternative that will air in Raleigh on cable channel RTN 10:

Episode #7: Taking Responsibility

Host Mark Selzer interviews author and psycho-therapist Nathaniel Branden about personal responsibility as it ties into his previous research on self-esteem. Branden also discusses the state of the entitlement mentality, victimhood, and welfare dependence in contemporary society.

Episode #8: Reason on Pensions

Host Dusti Taylor interviews Adrian Moore, Vice President of Research for the Reason Foundation on problems with government pension programs, solutions for fixing these problems, and the state of pension reform. During the last segment of the show, host Mark Selzer interviews David Nott, President of the Reason Foundation about Reason and the Reason Foundation's outreach efforts in areas of transportation and environmental policy and the benefits of medical marijuana.

Episode #9: A Gun is a Girl's Best Friend

Host Mark Selzer interviews Jennifer Freeman and Anna Z of The Liberty Belles about the perception of women and guns. Also discussed is gun ownership as a deterrent to crimes against women, the feminist movement and self-defense, gun ownership in household's with children, police response to crimes, and getting women involved with guns.

Episode #10: Freedom of Expression

Hosts Mark Selzer and Dusti Taylor interview ACLU attorneys Roger Diamond and Stephen F. Robde. Diamond discusses his work in defending adult businesses, adult materials, and sexual lifestyles as it relates to protected political speech. Robde discusses separation of religious morality from policy decisions concerning personal choices. Also discussed is rap music, prostitution, and child pornography.

Episode #7 will only air once more this week (this Saturday night).
Episode #8 will air the week of August 18th (M W F).
Episode #9 will air the week of August 25th (M W F).
Episode #10 will air the week of September 1st (M W F).

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Editor's note: If you missed the Taking Responsibility episode with Nathaniel Branden, there's a video of it in this previous post.

Weekly Schedule
Mondays at 4:30pm (first airing)
Wednesdays at 11:30pm
Saturdays at 10:00pm

Thanks to Johnny Crawford for this preview of the upcoming episodes, and more importantly, for his time and effort to get this show on the air in Raleigh.

Christopher Cole Advocates a Foreign Policy of Non-intervention

From the campaign of Christopher Cole for US Senate

In a speech to the US House on September 5, 2002, Texas Congressman Ron Paul announced a deadly prophecy: “Russia, now licking its wounds and once-again accumulating wealth, will not sit idly by and watch the American empire engulf this region. When time runs out for us, we can be sure Russia will once again be ready to fight for control of all those resources in countries adjacent to her border.”

Then-Russian President warned in April that he would consider US policy in Kosovo as a template for his own policy in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (see this BBC story, http://tinyurl.com/5nuweu).

Those two speeches alone gave clear evidence that the policy of the American government to interfere with ethnic and political conflicts far from our shores would lead to an increase in death and instability was easily foreseeable. Yet the warnings were ignored. And now, Georgians, Russians, Ossetians, and probably soon Abkhazi, watch their homes burn, their neighbors die, and their homelands descend into anarchy.

In contrast, Libertarian Christopher Cole advocates a policy of non-intervention, the longheld Libertarian position of foreign policy, which was also the policy of historical American governments, as the ONLY path to peace and international amity. For example, two-time US president Grover Cleveland said, “It is the policy of peace suitable to our interests. It is the policy of neutrality, rejecting any share in foreign brawls and ambitions on other continents, and repelling their intrusion here. It is the policy of Monroe and of Washington and Jefferson: Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.”

The US Senate plays a special role in foreign policy, since all ambassadorial appointments and treaty commitments require Senate confirmation. In addition, the Senate shares with the House control of the fiscal purse-strings. Cole is committed to using those Constitutional powers to push for a foreign policy in the interests of Americans in peace, prosperity, and international amity.

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Christopher “Chris” Cole is the Libertarian nominee for US Senator from North Carolina. To learn more about Chris, visit his campaign website.

Christopher Cole on Illegal Immigration

From the campaign of Christopher Cole for US Senate

While my opponents advocate a punishment approach to undocumented immigrants, my position is quite different.

It's simply a matter of looking at illegal immigration as an economic situation, rather than a cultural or foreign relations issue. Alcohol Prohibition created a black market for alcohol (remember Al Capone?). Drug Prohibition has created a black market in illicit drugs.

Likewise, if we look at illegal immigration as a black market in labor, all the pieces fall into place. Minimum wage laws, maximum work-week laws, and the prohibition of piece work have created an artificial labor shortage, primarily at the low end of skills and productivity. Those laws leave no legitimate option for satisfying the shortage. The result is the smuggling of labor, a/k/a illegal immigration. Repealing those laws both eliminates the incentive to turn to the black market, and undermines bureaucratic responses.

The current prohibitionist regime necessarily results in creeping interventionism. As one law or program is exposed as ineffective or obsolete, it isn't repealed, it is merely augmented with new laws, rules, and bureaucracy. The government gloved fist is emboldened, resulting in penalties against employers, shrill denunciations of immigrants, and the promotion of a crisis mentality.

My solution of removing the prohibitionist barriers would instead promote economic expansion, greater social harmony, and - most importantly - greater liberty.

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Christopher “Chris” Cole is the Libertarian nominee for US Senator from North Carolina. To learn more about Chris, visit his campaign website and see this interview with Steve Newton of Delaware Libertarian.

Christopher Cole on the Price of Gas

From the campaign of Christopher Cole for US Senate

Elizabeth Dole recently changed her position on offshore drilling. In response, Democrat Kay Hagan complains that production from new fields offshore or in ANWR won't come in to the market for approximately ten years. Dole was right in changing her position, and Hagan is right about the time lag for new gasoline at the pump.

But where Hagan is wrong and Dole is silent is about the impact of such a policy change on CURRENT prices at the gas pump. Only Libertarian Christopher Cole explains how FUTURE production can lower CURRENT prices, prices which are dragging down our economy and strangling the family budget.

What Hagan ignores is the role of expected FUTURE supply on current price. Due to OPEC intransigence and possible interruptions due to Bush policy against Iran, speculators fear interruptions to oil supply for years to come. They have therefore bid up prices on present shipments, in order to assure their future inventory. With that future supply assured by increased access at home, that price pressure will be removed, resulting in immediate easing of pump prices.

Cole supports open access to offshore oil and natural gas deposits, as well as those under federal lands, such as the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve. Not only would that assure future oil supply, but it will provide economic growth and high-wage jobs in such regions as North Carolina's coastal plain. Cole also disputes the alarmist response of some on the left who complain of ecological risks, pointing out that major spills, such as the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, have always come from tankers, not rigs or modern land-based pumps.

For further information, Cole recommends this article from the Ludwig von Mises Institute, a free-market economics think tank, based at Auburn University:

ANWR Drilling Would Provide Quick Relief.

----- end of press release -----

Christopher “Chris” Cole is the Libertarian nominee for US Senator from North Carolina. To learn more about Chris, visit his campaign website.

Bikers USA Endorses LPNC Candidates

Endorsement from Bikers USA:

The Libertarian Party of North Carolina has adopted a strong position statement in support of rights, and that includes helmet law repeal.

Prior to the LPNC being allowed onto the ballot, Bikers USA endorsed incumbents who voted against H563. A vote against H563 was a vote against embedding federal standards into the helmet law. This was an indicator that those legislators have some concern for individual liberties.

However, none of the incumbent legislators introduced a bill for repeal of mandatory helmet laws, and none of them entertained our suggestion that they can use the established NCGA procedures to motion for full repeal of mandatory helmet laws, as a substitution. All NCGA members were advised of our proposal, had ample opportunity, and could have made the motion either from the chamber floors or in judiciary committees. None did.

This is a situation of some masters being kinder to their subjects than others, while continuing to keep us in bondage, but not resorting to federal shackles and chains.

Therefore, we are in unanimous agreement.

Bikers USA endorses candidates of the Libertarian Party, first and foremost, as they represent the only real hope for a return to a state government which values individual liberties.

In those districts which have no candidate from the Libertarian Party, Bikers USA will endorse those incumbent legislators who voted against House Bill 563.

NC Candidates Endorsement and Analysis (PDF)
Bikers USA, 2008

Libertarian Candidates on NC Helmet Laws

Libertarian Candidates on Helmet Laws in NC

Statements on North Carolina's mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists - from Libertarian Party candidates running for statewide offices and for General Assembly seats representing NC House and NC Senate districts in the Triangle area:

Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for NC Governor:

I favor the immediate repeal of all motorcycle helmet laws.

These laws are an intrusion on personal choice, force a false sense of security on many riders, and represent an unjustified expense for many riders who have perfectly good helmets that are not "certified."

The choice of whether to wear a helmet, and which helmet to wear, is personal and individual. The state has no business harassing motorcycle riders this way.

Phillip Rhodes, Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor:

I support the repeal of mandatory helmet laws.

Jan MacKay, Libertarian candidate for NC Senate 15:

The repeal of mandatory helmet laws is about individual liberty. It is not really about helmets. Even if you do not ride a motorcycle, you can understand it is about the right to decide. As such, it is very important.

Brian Irving, Libertarian candidate for NC Senate 17:

I call for the repeal of all helmet laws and restrictions in all forms, at all levels of government.

David Rollins, Libertarian candidate for NC Senate 20:

As a longtime motorcycle rider I wholeheartedly support the repeal of all NC restraint and helmet laws, as well as the repeal of motor vehicle safety inspections and highway speed limits.

Barbara Howe, Libertarian candidate for NC House 32:

I believe in the right of all individuals to choose how to live their lives as long as they are not harming other individuals. Helmet laws are contrary to freedom. I support the immediate repeal of mandatory helmet laws.

Susan Hogarth, Libertarian candidate for NC House 38:

I favor the immediate repeal of all motorcycle helmet laws. I am a motorcyclist myself, and choose to wear a helmet. I urge others to do so as well. But I understand the difference between persuasion and force, and recognize that persuasion makes our society stronger and allows individuals to grow in their personal responsibility, while force weakens the ability of individuals to learn to make correct choices.

from Libertarian Party candidates across North Carolina:

T.J. Rohr, Libertarian candidate for NC House 87:

I oppose all motorcycle helmet laws. Motorcycle helmet laws (and seatbelt laws), however, are symptoms of the problem of Big Government. For those who are on Medicare, Medicaid, and other similar government programs, taxpayers ultimately pay for their healthcare, regardless of how they conduct themselves. The only way the government can make these folks "behave" is by criminalizing "bad" conduct by all of us.

Even private insurance contracts are heavily regulated by the government. In a free market, an insurance company could exclude coverage if you weren't wearing a seatbelt or a helmet in the event of an accident. If you wanted such coverage, you could possibly find another company that would be willing to underwrite such behavior (presumably at a much higher premium).

Bikers USA Endorses LPNC Candidates