School Board Election: Some Random Thoughts...

During a recent interview, I was asked why I was running, considering I was of the Libertarian persuasion. For those of you unfamiliar with libertarianism, we simply believe education, like religion, health care, housing, etc., are best left to private, voluntary organizations and individuals.

My answer was simple. We have government mandated public schools and this will be the case for years to come. The N.C. Constitution guarantees a "free" public education for every citizen. That is the law until a Constitutional Convention changes it. I believe the taxpayer needs someone like myself on the board for the following reasons....

I will scrutinize each and every line of budget requests sent to the County Commission. Our citizens are taxed to the hilt when you add local, state, and federal wealth confiscation or legal plunder..otherwise known as taxes.(which, by the way, some have said are "the price of civilization". Personally, I find stealing people's money highly uncivilized.

I am from outside the education establishment. I am not simply seeking to improve the system, I seek to reform it. We need to completely overhaul and de-centralize our school system. Okay, sounds good, where would you start...

Break up the county into autonomous, independent school districts. The place to start would be the City of Concord. Concord needs to have it's own school system. If we do not get a handle on the growing bureaucracy, we will become another Char-Meck train wreck.. God Forbid!

Before I continue, I am well aware of the limits of my position on the school board. Reform would have to occur on all levels of government. Don't you believe that reform might happen quicker if we had someone advocating these changes as an elected official? I am not afraid to file my complaints with legislators.

You wouldn't consent to the government choosing your child' s religion. Why would you allow them to make educational decisions for your child?

If our public school system is so great, why do we have to use compulsory laws and extortion of wealth to prop it up?

If this is a free country, why don't we have school choice?

Why does someone who has no children in public schools pay the same tax rate as someone who has five children in the system?

I am not accepting donations to my campaign. I am asking my supporters to donate their money and time to the public school of their choice.

If elected, I promise to use the N.C. and U.S. Constitutions as metrics to determine my conclusions. But more importantly, my conscience will be the final authority over every decision I make.

Drop The Drama, Mr. Cox

From a story in the Independent Tribune concerning the proposed Interbasin Water Transfer...

...

On the bus before the meeting, John Cox, CEO of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce and president of the EDC, said it would be "ridiculous" if the transfer did not pass.

"Then we might as well close the Lowe's Motor Speedway and Concord Mills and shut off I-85 and kill the strongest economic engine of North Carolina," Cox said. "It would be as ridiculous if we were to oppose Hickory's use of our air (space) for commercial aviation. If they shut down their airport, we'll go look for water somewhere else."

Please Mr. Cox, your quote is ridiculous! You are playing the part of a quasi-government official to a tee! Hyperbole and fear, oh my!

If Mr. Cox wants to point fingers at the source of our region's water woes, he needs to point it at his beloved government. We are in this position because we rely on government to supply infrastructure for our roads, schools, water, etc. Mr. Cox doesn't trust the free market to provide these things. In other words, he doesn't trust his neighbors to do the right thing. Matter of fact, Mr. Cox doesn't trust the private sector at all. If he did, his EDC would be entirely funded by private enterprise. He would not advocate favoring certain companies over others with economic tax incentives or tax increment finance schemes. If the EDC is such a vital economic development tool, why do they need public money extorted from the tax payers.

You see, Mr. Cox doesn't care for private enterprise because he would have to find another job.

Helms For Hemp

Below is a op-ed piece published in the Independent Tribune recently. Mike Helms, candidate for NC Senate 36, is the only candidate with the moral courage to support re-legalising hemp.

Industrial hemp would revive our family farms. Tobacco farmers could easily convert to hemp. Nature has provided us with a wonderful resource.

Too bad the powerful oil/drug industries has been successful in suppressing hemp cultivation.



BRING ON THE HEMP

Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both farmed it. The U.S. Navy sailed with it. And today it is used in hundreds of products, from energy bars to auto parts.

Hemp is an agricultural product with an enormous potential, especially in North Carolina, where the idea of legalizing it has been floated several times. But hemp is a cousin of marijuana, and no amount of reasoning about the differences in the two has overcome political fears of being associated with dope. The federal government will hear nothing of it, either.

California and seven other states are on the brink of forcing a showdown on the federal government's refusal to sanction hemp agriculture. The New York Times reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must decide whether he will allow a recently passed hemp bill to become law. He could veto it, sign it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

His decision won't be politically easy. The Office of National Drug Control Policy and California narcotics officers are both opposed. The federal government has been adamant about anything having anything to do with marijuana, even medical marijuana.

The main fear expressed in news articles on the topic is that hemp cultivation would mask marijuana farms. A huge crop of hemp planted alongside marijuana would make it difficult for police to find the marijuana.

That's why North Dakota officials, who want to allow hemp farming, say they are ready to enact tough regulations for hemp growers. They'd register any such farms, open them to inspection, and require their owners to be fingerprinted by authorities.

Back in California, those who support the bill passed by the California legislature contend that a federal appellate court decision backs their position that the federal government has no authority to block hemp cultivation.

More than 30 countries allow the cultivation of hemp. The United States already imports a great deal of that hemp to use in the manufacture of a wide range of products. It appears to make no sense to block hemp production just because it is related to marijuana, especially since it contains only a tiny amount of the chemical that brings about a marijuana high.

There's no certainty that legalized hemp cultivation would be a big hit in North Carolina, or in any of the other states. China controls about 40 percent of the world's production already. But there are big parts of this state that could use a crop that produces a good income, and if the climate and soil here are good for that crop, then farmers should be able to give it a try.

There are ways around the problems associated with hemp's similarities to marijuana. The federal government just has to decide that it wants to pursue those remedies.

I'm Back..I Promise

Been a while, hadn't it? Life has been pretty crazy. During the past month, my marriage plans have been scrapped (not my choice) and my computer died. That is all I need to bore you with.

I will survive. The fight for freedom is reason enough to get up every morning.