A libertarian nightmare: Bitcoin meets Big Government

A libertarian nightmare: Bitcoin meets Big Government - Salon.com - Andrew Leonard:

March 22, 2013 - "Bitcoins are ... a form of monetary exchange invented in 2009 by a mysterious character who called himself “Satoshi Nakamoto” but then disappeared.... Bitcoins are undeniably cool: marvelously “mined” from the ore of computer processing power and electricity.... Bitcoin is the fulfillment of a libertarian dream, a currency created out of the workings of the free market, unaffiliated with any state authority, respectful and protective of user privacy and anonymity, and designed to resist inflationary pressures.

"That’s all fine and dandy, but then here comes the government with its strong suggestion that any organization that facilitates the exchange of Bitcoins into other non-virtual currencies needs to register with the proper authorities....

"The more popular Bitcoin gets, whether as a symbol of resistance or a perceived safe haven in financially troubled times, the more government attention it will inevitably draw, and the more inexorably it will be sucked into existing regulatory structures."

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/03/22/a_libertarian_nightmare_bitcoin_meets_big_government/
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Justin Amash considering Senate run | The Daily Caller

Rep. Justin Amash considering Senate run | The Daily Caller - Alex Pappas:

March 14, 2013 - "'Most recently, he had the honor of being distinguished as a libertarian "wacko bird" by Sen. John McCain'....The crowd of young libertarians sipping pints of Guinness at a downtown D.C. Irish pub on Wednesday night burst into applause.... The host concluded: 'Please join me in welcoming Congressman Justin Amash!'....

"With Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin recently announcing his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Amash acknowledged during the Wednesday night 'Liberty on the Rocks' gathering at the D.C. bar Mackey’s that he is now thinking hard about jumping into the race to replace Levin in 2014.

"'The Senate seat in Michigan is an open seat,' Amash explained. 'I definitely will take a good look at it. But I have no plans in the immediate future to announce any campaign. So we got a ways to go, and I want to see how thing play out.'”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/14/rep-justin-amash-considering-senate-run/
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Wisconsin Libertarian Party defends effort to legalize raw milk

Wisconsin Ag Connection - State's Libertarian Party Defends Effort to Legalize Raw Milk:

March 20, 2013 - "Leaders of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin say the state government should have no right to stop people from selling or drinking raw milk. In a statement from the political group's chairman on Tuesday, Terry Gray claimed the current state law that prevents consumers from purchasing what he calls 'real' or unpasteurized milk demonstrates 'the power of the corporate dairy control over the legislature of America's Dairyland.'

"'Government health officials claim that all uncooked animal products are inherently dangerous, even if our forefathers seem to have thrived on raw milk up until the 1950s,' Gray said in his memo. 'Fresh dairy proponents insist that unpasteurized milk is tastier, healthier, and easier to digest. Ultimately, shouldn't informed consumers be the ones to decide whether to purchase this natural product -- or not?'

"State Senator Glenn Grothman of West Bend has said he plans to introduce a new bill this spring that would legalize the sales of unpasteurized milk under certain conditions. A similar bill was drafted last year, but failed to be brought up for a floor vote."

Read moe: http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=330&yr=2013
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George Will on "The rise of the libertarian strand of Republicanism" at CPAC

George Will: "What I Did See At CPAC Was The Rise Of The Libertarian Strand Of Republicanism" | RealClearPolitics:

March 17, 2013 - "GEORGE WILL: First, here's the New York Times headline on the CPAC conference 'GOP Divisions Fester at Conservative Retreat.' Festering – an infected wound – it's awful. I guarantee, if there were a liberal conclave comparable to this, and there were vigorous debates going on there, the New York Times headline would be 'Healthy diversity flourishes at liberal conclave'.

"Republicans have been arguing, social conservatives and libertarian free market conservatives, since the 1950s when the National Review was founded on the idea of a fusion of the two. It has worked before with Ronald Reagan. It can work again.

"What I did see at CPAC was the rise of the libertarian strand of Republicanism, which has an effect on foreign policy, that is a pullback from nation building and other kind of ambitions abroad that they never countenance from government at home, and a sense of live and let live with subjects such as decriminalization of certain drugs and gay marriage."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/03/17/george_will_what_i_did_see_at_cpac_was_the_rise_of_the_libertarian_strand_of_republicanism.html
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Republican National Committee to GOP: Be more libertarian

Republican National Committee To GOP: Be More Libertarian - David Bier, Competitive Enterprise Institiute:

March 18, 2013 - "If there is one message underlying all the recommendations from the recently released Republican National Committee strategy guide, it is that the Grand Old Party should heed the advice of libertarians: Focus on free-market economics, become more socially inclusive, and work to reform, rather than immediately abolish, the welfare state.

"'We need to remain America’s conservative alternative to big-government, redistribution-to-extremes liberalism, while building a route into our Party that a non-traditional Republican will want to travel,' declares the report prepared by a team of GOP strategists. 'We are the party of private-sector economic growth because that is the best way to create jobs and opportunity.'

"But the party clearly lacks a compelling vision for voters. In the strategists’ meetings with voters, the party was repeatedly called 'narrow minded' and 'out of touch.' Freedom in both social and economic spheres, the report details, is the only solution."

Read more: http://www.openmarket.org/2013/03/18/republican-national-committee-to-gop-be-more-libertarian/
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Dorian Electra: libertarian at heart but not as a label (video)

Dorian Electra Interview: Libertarian at heart but not as a label - National Libertarian news | Examiner.com - Garry Reed:

March 16, 2013 - "Dorian Electra ... a teenage singing phenom who launched her career with love lyrics for Friedrich Hayek would later disavow her libertarian label.

"She agreed to an interview after saying 'I need to think very carefully about how I articulate my thoughts'....  Now Dorian Electra Fridkin Gomberg offers those 'articulated thoughts' in this exclusive Libertarian News Examiner interview.

Do you consider yourself to be a libertarian?

"I’m against the use of force, intimidation, fraud.... I’d like to live in a world where coercion is minimized as much as possible.... I have called myself a 'libertarian' in the past before, but in my experience, ... political labels ... can be off-putting and over-simplifying. Not labeling myself has opened more people up to dialogue with me about the actual ideas, rather than assume they know what I believe because of a label."

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/dorian-electra-interview-libertarian-at-heart-but-not-as-a-label
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Libertarian Konwinski to run for mayor - Toledo Blade

Libertarian Konwinski plans to run for mayor - Toledo Blade -Tom Troy:

March 12,2013 - "Michael Konwinski on Tuesday announced his candidacy for Toledo mayor on the Libertarian Party ticket....

"Mr. Konwinski, 57, of West Bancroft Street, retired in December after 30 years with the city, including in water distribution, environmental services, and the finance department. When he retired, he was involved as an analyst in converting the city’s payroll from a third-party provider to an in-house software program, he said.

"He said his goal would be to use his experience to lower the cost of city government, and ultimately the city payroll tax, by reducing unnecessary administrative and managerial positions and reorganizing some city divisions. 'If we can cut costs, that makes Toledo more attractive to people to move here,' he said."

Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2013/03/13/Libertarian-Konwinski-plans-to-run-for-mayor.html
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