2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: #97 “Reason Foundation’s Stand for Liberty”

      People who believe in Liberty should be aware and proud of the Reason Foundation.  Here is how it describes its mission:  “Over the last fifty years, global trade, technological innovation, and capitalism have lifted more than a billion people out of poverty.  Consider what that means.  It means that a poor person in Africa with a cheap cell phone and Internet access can exploit vast amounts of knowledge.  It means that the odds of dying violently at the hand of another man have never been lower.  It means that people around the globe have access to food, clean water, and a greater standard of living than the generations that preceded them.  These changes have come about because of the libertarian principles of individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law.  At Reason Foundation, we advance these principles using journalism and public policy research to influence the frameworks and actions of journalists, policy makers, and opinion leaders.  As we enter the presidency of Donald Trump, our challenge remains the same: to develop, apply, and communicate libertarian principles to a growing and influential audience.”

I also just read an advertisement by Deloitte, which stressed that “The key to good government: Treat citizens like consumers. . . .  As long as government requires businesses to get licenses and permits, pass inspections, pay fees, and comply with other regulations, it’s in government’s interest to help make those transactions as painless as possible.”  In a different way, that is what Reason is saying.  We citizens are the consumers of government.  So government should be asking, “Who are we?  How do we behave?  And what do we want?”  Individual liberty, free markets, free trade and the rule of law have delivered those billion people out of poverty, and brought wealth to billions more.  That is what consumers want.  So please spread the word, because what the Reason Foundation does matters.  For example, as he started reading about the results of this philosophy in Reason magazine, John Stossel started seeing life differently, saying: “Suddenly, I saw the wonderful things that happen when government leaves us alone.”  In the coming year and beyond, Reason Foundation deserves our help as it promotes our principles of Liberty.

 

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President,
along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

 

Please forward this on to your circle of friends for their consideration.  And, by the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejimgrayOAI, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

 

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2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: #96 “Share a Smile With People Who Need It”

         From my involvement in Juvenile Court and also on the Mental Health Calendar, I have learned, among other things, that people with mental and physical disabilities simply want to be treated like everyone else.  But, as a practical matter, so often when we encounter these people whether they are in wheelchairs, are missing limbs or have obvious mental disabilities we turn away from them (often so as not to stare).

But don’t!  I strongly recommend that we all look them in the eye, smile and say something like “Good Morning,” “How are you doing?” or other suitable greeting.  We are truly blessed, living (mostly) in Liberty in the United States of America.  So as the Holiday Season is upon us, and even during the rest of the year, remember to treat all people as if they are human beings who have feelings and pride: Because they do!  And for those of you who share my faith, also don’t be hesitant to say “Merry Christmas!”

 

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President,
along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please forward this on to your circle of friends for their consideration.  And, by the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejimgrayoai, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

 

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2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: #95 “The Liberty/Government Partnership”

The last edition of this series advocated turning over the mandate of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the private sector, which could do a better and less expensive job of protecting us from harmful and mislabeled pharmaceuticals and other products.  But there would still remain a large role for the government to play, and it is twofold.  The first is to maintain our judicial system that enforces contracts and warranties, and the second is to establish a system that better promotes accurate information being placed into the marketplace.

One of the best examples of the justice
system enforcing responsibility is found in the fairly recent successful lawsuits brought against the manufacturers of cigarettes.  Even though cigarettes had been approved by the FDA, it was the legal system that held the manufacturers accountable for having manipulated the amount of nicotine and other substances in their products to create more addictions, and then hiding their actions and lying about them.  There are also two strong and illustrative examples of good results being obtained from causing
truthful information to be placed into the marketplace.  The first is the federal Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which almost by itself closed down the so-called patent medicine industry by requiring accuracy in labeling.  Since these elixirs or snake oils often consisted of about 50 percent cocaine, when people discovered what they were taking, they were horrified and they simply stopped.  The second was when truthful information was promulgated about the harms of smoking tobacco products, their usage was seriously reduced.  Prohibitions of these products in many ways cause more harm than good, but a Liberty/Government partnership that combines the promulgation of truthful information with responsibility for the manufacturers maximizes the benefits and reduces the harms these products can bring.

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President,
along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please forward this on to your circle of friends for their consideration.  And, by the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejimgrayoai, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

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