The Freedom Bulletin

I’m going to miss George W. Bush. 

Our 43rd president wasn’t perfect by any means, but out of the three presidents I can remember, he is my favorite. When I was little, it seemed like Bill Clinton had been president forever. I don’t have any memory of Bush 41, and until Bush 43 was elected, it seemed like the name Clinton was basically synonymous with the word president. In the 2000 election (the first election when I was actually into politics) I rooted for Bush, and I was happy when he won. Same with 2004. In this election, let’s just say I wasn’t overly thrilled with the result.

Although I am trying to give Obama a chance, I liked Bush better and am sad to see him leave. He had a few policies I didn’t agree with, such as increasing AIDS funding for Africa, spending so much money on the Iraq War, and increasing airport security, but overall I think he was one of our better presidents.

Ever since Election Day, I have been bombarded by unquestioning reverence for Obama everywhere I look. I constantly see people wearing Obama buttons, Obama stickers, and Obama t-shirts and speaking adoringly about everything from Obama’s policies to how cute his daughters are. They gush at everyone they talk to (including me) about how election night was “the most exciting experience in my life” or how they’re “still walking on air” and are “proud of America for the first time.”

How inconsiderate to assume that everyone else worships Obama as much as you do! Numerous times I have found myself in the awkward position of either keeping my mouth shut and nodding or making people’s jaws drop by telling them that, believe it or not, I actually don’t really like Obama. Has it ever occurred to you that conservatives exist in the world, and you might be talking to one?

Liberals are known for their tolerance of all different races, religions, and sexual orientations. Apparently, though, liberals require people to be identical to them in ideology in order to be accepted. Would you ever bash gay people if there was a possibility you were talking to a gay person? I don’t think so. Then why do you bash conservatives when you have no idea whether the person you are talking to is conservative or liberal?

Guess what, liberals? Remember how you unanimously and mercilessly bashed the president for the past eight years and called anyone who disagreed with you stupid? Remember how you complained about how horrible America was and how all the other countries are better than us?

Well, now it’s our turn. I did not vote for Obama, and I do not support him. I hope he doesn’t mess up the country too badly, but if he does, it’s the job of us conservatives to give him just as much grief as the liberals gave poor Bush during the past eight years. And if you support Obama, it’s okay to be excited about having a black president for the first time, and even to be excited about Obama’s political views, but remember that he’s just a person, not a god. It’s not good to worship a politician as infallible and perfect, whether they are liberal or conservative.

Left-wing socialists across the country have been opining that Republicans did so badly in the election because conservatism is a dying, obsolete philosophy that Americans are beginning to abandon. Well, they are wrong. I know the real reason why conservatives did so badly on November 4th – because liberals bought the election.

Take Barack Obama, for example. He spent $573 million, while John McCain, who accepted public financing, spent only $293 million. It is simply not right that one candidate can have a half-hour long infomercial on all the major networks and the other candidate cannot.

Another great example of liberals buying the election is Question 1 – the initiative to repeal the Massachusetts income tax. It sickens my heart that Question 1 was defeated 70% to 30%. There would have been no drawbacks to eliminating the state income tax and a huge benefit, namely people getting to keep their money! However, because opponents of Question 1 raised $4.5 million and supporters raised only $431,000, the government theives were able to run deceptive TV ads to brainwash the people of Massachusetts into making the irrational, immoral choice.

It is sad that people are so easily influenced by propaganda instead of thinking for themselves. The amount of money a candidate or group has should not affect their chances of winning an election. I believe that campaign spending limits need to be implemented. I don’t believe in public financing because the government shouldn’t spend money on anything but the military, the justice system, and roads, but I also don’t think campaigns should be able to spend as much as they want. Financial arms races are a waste of money, time, and energy and are collectively self-defeating. To ensure fair elections in which people have a chance to make their own decisions instead of being brainwashed, the government needs to limit the amount of money campaigns are allowed to spend.

Sources for stats:
Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org)
SouthCoastToday.com

After my (appropriately) depressing post about the election yesterday, I thought I’d recap the few good decisions voters made. Yes, I said that America did the wrong thing on almost every choice, but “almost” is the key word. Here are the few things voters did right:

• It looks like Proposition 8 is going to pass in California! I’m very pleasantly surprised that a state with such a liberal reputation is actually trying to put an end to gay marriage. Marriage is not a right, and the voters have every right to ban it. I hope the state government doesn’t somehow try to overrule the people’s decision like Massachusetts did.
• Arizona and Florida approved resolutions to ban gay marriage, too.
• Nebraska voted to end affirmative action. This discriminatory practice is insulting and unfair to people of all races and genders.
• Washington voted to allow doctor-assisted suicide. Committing suicide does not hurt anyone and is not immoral, so there is no reason why people shouldn’t be allowed to do it if they choose to.
• Colorado rejected an amendment that would define “person” as “any human being from the moment of fertilization.” In philosophy, a person is defined as a rational, autonomous being. Fetuses (and babies, by the way) are therefore not persons, and to define them as such would be contrary to the rules of the English language.

The 2008 election was the worst election in American history. Voters as a whole made the wrong choice on almost every race and ballot initiative in the entire country.

We’ll have a socialist-leaning president who will continue to decrease people’s liberty and property rights. Massachusetts voters had an opportunity to halt the expansion of government theft and oppression, but, brainwashed by the media and the multi-million dollar ad campaign from government moochers, they let the chance slip by. The magnificent, fun sport of greyhound racing is no more. Kerry and Kennedy are still the Massachusetts senators, depriving all Republicans in this state of representation. New Hampshire, which was supposed to be the only state in New England with a remnant of sense left, elected Jeanne Shaheen the taxing machine to the Senate.

Needless to say, I am extraordinarily disappointed in the people of the United States. All true Americans need to remember that although times are bad now, we must keep fighting and never give up. This will be a terrible four years, but hopefully the majority will realize the mistake they made and will vote differently next time. Every socialist nation so far has deteriorated because there is no incentive for people to work. America is clearly headed in this direction, with Obama as president and a Democratic Congress that will eagerly agree to do anything he asks. Don’t lose hope. Eventually America will realize that socialism is not the way to go.

Unfortunately for conservatives, the presidential race features a liberal, left-wing Democrat, Barack Obama, running against a moderate, centrist Republican, John McCain. Although the addition of Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket brought some much-needed balance, I cannot feel enthusiastic about either of the major party tickets.

Actually, that’s not quite true. I am enthusiastic about Obama, but in exactly the opposite way that most people in Massachusetts are. His tax and health care policies are un-American and unjust, and I am creeped out at the prospect of him becoming president. Yes, Obama stands for change, but his kind of change is exactly the opposite of what America needs. The concepts of freedom, individualism, and private ownership of property have been steadily eroded in America through the passage of the 16th Amendment (1913), the Social Security Act (1935), the Durham-Humphrey Amendment (1951), the Brady Bill (1994), the Patriot Act (2001), and countless other governmental actions. Obama would only continue this disturbing, unacceptable trend.

John McCain, on the other hand, might not decrease Americans’ liberty any further but he certainly would not increase it either. His moderate stances on immigration, the economic bailout, and Social Securty make him a poor representative of the Republican Party.

The two candidates in the race who would actually fight for freedom and justice are Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party and Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. Although neither one has a chance of winning, a vote for either Barr or Baldwin is a statement that you believe in the Constitution and want to stand up to big government. Voting for a third-party candidate is also a protest against the unjust two-party system, in which minority views (which are often the best views) are ignored and the two major parties try to become as similar as possible in order to alienate the fewest voters.

If you want to vote for the best candidate, vote for Barr or Baldwin, or write in Ron Paul. If you want to vote for the best candidate that actually has a chance of winning, vote for McCain. Although I am not endorsing a single candidate, I encourage voters to do whatever it takes to prevent an Obama presidency.

Out of the three Massachusetts ballot initiatives, this is the one that I am the least opinionated about. Question 2 would decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and instead institute civil penalties. Convictions for marijuana possession would no longer give people a criminal record or hurt their chances of getting into college, getting a job, receiving student financial aid, public housing, or public assistance.

On the one hand, I don’t think the government has the right to prevent things that it has decided are “harmful,” “dangerous,” or “bad for people.” The government doesn’t have the right to ban things that could lead to harmful consequences, so opponents of Question 2 are wrong to argue that marijuana use should be penalized because it could lead to the use of more dangerous drugs. Additionally, the purpose of the law is not to deter crimes but simply to punish criminals.

On the other hand, I don’t see anything wrong with the fact that marijuana users are penalized in their chances for college admissions, jobs, or publicly-funded assistance. Because using (or not using) marijuana is a choice, it does not seem fundamentally unfair for schools and employers to take it into account when determining an applicant’s merit. Another thing I don’t like about Question 2 is that it would force offenders under age 18 to complete a drug-awareness program or else have their fine raised to $1000 (which the parents would be responsible for if the kid didn’t pay it). This is ageist and demeaning. I am opposed to the idea of forcing offenders to undergo educational programs because I believe the purpose of the law is to punish criminals, not to rehabilitate them. I also don’t believe in holding parents responsible for their children’s conduct, because everyone is responsible for his or her own conduct. And why not treat people of all ages equally?

So in conclusion, I don’t really think there’s anything wrong with the current marijuana laws. A “yes” vote on Question 2 wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but why fix something that isn’t broken? I don’t think Question 2 would make the laws any more just than they are now, so I’m going to vote “no” on it.