More political fun
April 28, 2009
Friday this week is Law Day, traditionally the day Americans of the legal profession celebrate the "rule of law". It is also the day that is set aside for the Utah Attorney General to have a major fund raiser for his political action committee. This year he has invited the Utah football coach to talk about the wonderful year his team had last year, and presumably to invite commiseration about having lost the national championship because of the bowl matchups. As many people no doubt remember, the current Attorney General has been threatening to "investigate" the BCS championship system for possible violations of anti-trust laws. This week the newspapers tell us that he is not yet "investigating", but is still looking into whether to investigate. That, it seems to me, is pretty confusing, but it apparently is enough to bring out a big crowd to his event, at $300 per plate. I sure hope the food is good.
The question that has kept me guessing is what this fund raising effort is for. The Attorney General has announced that he is not running for re-election; and there is some chance he may run for the Senate next year. But then, there is also Utah's strange campaign law which allows him to vaguely raise huge amounts of money for political purposes, and then later declare it as income and just keep it. What a deal! And there are still stories making the rounds about huge contributions from those who are seeking favors. All perfectly legal, and yet somehow just slightly slimy. Well, the Republicans seem to have mor money than they need -- perhaps it is from government bailout money, which they so vocally oppose.
Yesterday, I received a letter from a lady in Pennsylvania, addressing me as a fellow conservative, and calling on me and like-minded religious people to help throw Senator Arlen Spector right out of the Republican party, for being so liberal. Well, she got her wish, and so very quickly. Senator Spector apparently realized that the Republican Party in his state has moved far to the right, and no longer tolerates "moderates" or liberals. So, today he became a Democrat, just about totally sealing the power of the Democratic Party in Washington. Some in my own Libertarian Party have joined the wailing that the "socialists" have taken over completely, and that all is lost. Personally, I think that the Republican Party, with their drive to become the "pure" conservative party in the United States, has alienated far too many people. As a former Republican who long ago felt squeezed out by the religious right, I have a strong impulse to just gloat. There is little doubt that civil liberties under the Democrats will enjoy a resurgence. Sadly, however, the war on drugs will go on, and jails and prisons will remain full.
But, lest anyone think otherwise, I am not a Democrat. This week I read that the Federal government is likely to become the majority stockholder of General Motors. As a Ford stockholder, I am not happy that we will have to compete against the government. That is not the way the capitalist system is supposed to work. And yes, taxes are too high, and the government is too big. But those who think that a return to Republican control will help have short memories, or are just naive. It really is about time that our little Libertarian Party be given some attention, and that people wean themselves from the "two party system". What a mess we are in, and both "major" parties are to blame. See our website at www.lputah.org and see what you can do to help force real change. Now if we Libertarians can just keep from trying to kill each other!
Friday this week is Law Day, traditionally the day Americans of the legal profession celebrate the "rule of law". It is also the day that is set aside for the Utah Attorney General to have a major fund raiser for his political action committee. This year he has invited the Utah football coach to talk about the wonderful year his team had last year, and presumably to invite commiseration about having lost the national championship because of the bowl matchups. As many people no doubt remember, the current Attorney General has been threatening to "investigate" the BCS championship system for possible violations of anti-trust laws. This week the newspapers tell us that he is not yet "investigating", but is still looking into whether to investigate. That, it seems to me, is pretty confusing, but it apparently is enough to bring out a big crowd to his event, at $300 per plate. I sure hope the food is good.
The question that has kept me guessing is what this fund raising effort is for. The Attorney General has announced that he is not running for re-election; and there is some chance he may run for the Senate next year. But then, there is also Utah's strange campaign law which allows him to vaguely raise huge amounts of money for political purposes, and then later declare it as income and just keep it. What a deal! And there are still stories making the rounds about huge contributions from those who are seeking favors. All perfectly legal, and yet somehow just slightly slimy. Well, the Republicans seem to have mor money than they need -- perhaps it is from government bailout money, which they so vocally oppose.
Yesterday, I received a letter from a lady in Pennsylvania, addressing me as a fellow conservative, and calling on me and like-minded religious people to help throw Senator Arlen Spector right out of the Republican party, for being so liberal. Well, she got her wish, and so very quickly. Senator Spector apparently realized that the Republican Party in his state has moved far to the right, and no longer tolerates "moderates" or liberals. So, today he became a Democrat, just about totally sealing the power of the Democratic Party in Washington. Some in my own Libertarian Party have joined the wailing that the "socialists" have taken over completely, and that all is lost. Personally, I think that the Republican Party, with their drive to become the "pure" conservative party in the United States, has alienated far too many people. As a former Republican who long ago felt squeezed out by the religious right, I have a strong impulse to just gloat. There is little doubt that civil liberties under the Democrats will enjoy a resurgence. Sadly, however, the war on drugs will go on, and jails and prisons will remain full.
But, lest anyone think otherwise, I am not a Democrat. This week I read that the Federal government is likely to become the majority stockholder of General Motors. As a Ford stockholder, I am not happy that we will have to compete against the government. That is not the way the capitalist system is supposed to work. And yes, taxes are too high, and the government is too big. But those who think that a return to Republican control will help have short memories, or are just naive. It really is about time that our little Libertarian Party be given some attention, and that people wean themselves from the "two party system". What a mess we are in, and both "major" parties are to blame. See our website at www.lputah.org and see what you can do to help force real change. Now if we Libertarians can just keep from trying to kill each other!
posted by Andrew McCullough @ 8:35 PM
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