2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #263 "A PLAN TO WIN"

 As you know, I am currently seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States.  Yes, I know, no third-party candidate has any chance to win the presidency.  But, actually, we do.  First of all, there is no question that we will not have the tens of millions of dollars and the media attention to compete in large states like California and New York, which will go to Vice President Biden (or whomever the Democrats nominate), or in Texas, which will go to President Trump.  Instead, we will spend our resources, time and energy in five small and independent states, as yet to be determined.  Then we will engage the local media and speak directly with the voters, looking them in the eye and telling them that their votes will make history.  Imagine if we win two or three small states – which could be done by receiving 38 to 40 percent of the vote!  In addition, it would almost certainly become newsworthy for the entire country if the Libertarian candidates were beginning to poll stronger in these smaller states.  So the national media would begin to explain why that was happening, which gain attention and would also likely result in increased votes for the libertarian down-ballot candidates in other states as well.

So what would happen if we won two or three small states?  That could likely result in neither Trump nor Biden winning enough delegates to get a majority in the Electoral College and this, in turn, would place the outcome of the vote with the House of Representatives (as covered by the 12th Amendment).  So if the election were to go to the House, it is virtually guaranteed that no Republican would vote for Biden, and no Democrat would vote for Trump. But the list would be restricted to the top three finishers in the election, which would very likely mean the Libertarian would win.  (In case you are interested, the Vice President would be selected by the Senate choosing between the top two finishers.)  In my view, this is exciting.  But even if we only won one state, this would be a revolution for the Libertarian Party, and that alone would help our down-ballot Libertarian candidates for years to come.  So life is certainly interesting, and I am excited to report to you about the possibilities.  Our nominating convention will take place (remotely) over the next weekend, so I will update you again next week.  So please stay tuned!

Song title of the week: “If I’d have shot you when I wanted to, I would be out by now.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear all past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, 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.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with your friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #262 "TURN A CRUTCH INTO A LADDER"

 What if we could implement a system that would vastly reduce the intrusions, expense, bureaucracy and fraud now present with the IRS?  And what if at the same time we could pre-empt and abolish the welfare system except for those people with truly special needs?  What if we could provide incentives for everyone to earn the extra dollar and to improve themselves, which are demonstrably lacking in today’s system?  What if we could at the same time implement an institutional program to assist the homeless? Would you be interested?  In other words, what if we could vastly simplify the tax system and also change the welfare system from a Crutch to a Ladder?   Please review this proposal, because I believe it will accomplish these goals, thus making so many things better for virtually everyone (except for government bureaucrats and companies like H & R Block!)  As you will see, it combines a graduated flat tax with Milton Friedman’s proposal of a Safety Net.  So, with these figures used only for illustration, no one will pay any income taxes on their first $30,000 of income (which will be defined as net revenues from virtually any source, including wages, capital gains, interest, etc.)  Then they will pay a flat fee of 10 cents for every dollar earned between $30,000 and $100,000, 15 cents for every dollar between $100,001 and $500,000 and 20 cents for every dollar over $500,000.  No deductions, so the government won’t have any reason to pry into your private life to see how you spend your money!  But what about people who earn no income?  Well, regardless of whether they just lost their jobs to a robot, want to go back to school or are just plain lazy, if they are either citizens or hold a valid Green Card and are over 18 years old they will receive a stipend from the federal government for $15,000 per year, probably broken down into monthly payments of $1,250.  And, importantly enough, they would lose 50 cents of that stipend for every dollar they earned up to $30,000 – so they would always have an incentive to earn the extra dollar!  (Thus, as you can see, $30,000 is the cut-off point where people would pay no taxes but receive no stipend.)  Of course this incentive to earn the extra dollar is almost entirely lacking in today’s system, which often provides more incentives not to work than to be productive!  (BTW Milton Friedman called his system a “negative income tax,” but I don’t like the word negative so I call it a stipend.)  In addition, importantly enough, all other welfare programs would be abolished, except those for people with truly special needs.  Think of the benefits!  People’s tax returns could be submitted on a postcard, and the savings from not having to keep records and prepare taxes would be staggering.  And if the government tried to increase our taxes or – imagine this – reduce our taxes, it would be transparent!  Furthermore, imagine the effect of getting rid of all of the bureaucracy, administration expenses, government intrusions and fraud both regarding the IRS and the welfare agencies!  And a ladder would be extended where necessary to help people like single parents, veterans, people just released from prison and those going back to school to avoid or to climb up out of poverty.

                But what about the homeless?  To begin with, I want to make it clear that if I were bleeding on the street, no one would have a legal obligation to help me unless they caused my injuries.  But I believe that we will because we want to – we are compassionate people.  That would also mean the recipients would not be entitled to receive anything, so maybe they might even be grateful!  But if homeless people were receiving $1,250 every month automatically in their ATM accounts, the private sector would quickly create some fairly inexpensive room and board facilities where people could have a roof over their heads and three meals per day for about $1,100 per month, which would still leave the recipients some money to purchase clothing and other personal items.  In today’s world, politicians mostly on occasion throw lots of money at the homeless problems, like temporarily opening some shelters and soup kitchens or paying for the homeless to stay in various motel rooms for a while, etc.  But these “fixes” don’t last.  And, even worse, most of these governmental actions actually increase homelessness, because if people can receive free beds, televisions and meals at a motel, why should they go back to work?  But Friedman’s institutional response would last because it contains incentives for everyone to become more productive. 

I was in the Peace Corps – I care about people – and I believe that homelessness is a blight upon who we are as a country.  Of course, many of the homeless people have additional problems, such as mental disabilities, drug addiction and more.  But if people need a conservatorship or drug treatment, the local governments can and should address those problems.  So this is a program I am advocating out on the Libertarian Campaign Trail.  What do you think?  If you have suggestions or criticisms, please let me know.  But if you like the proposal, please help me by spreading the word.

Quote for the week: “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what is an empty desk a sign of?  Albert Einstein

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, 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.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #261: "GOVERNMENTS CAN'T CENTRALLY PLAN!"

  One of the most cogent Op-Ed pieces I have ever read was published by Texas Tech University Economics Professor Benjamin Powell in the May 3, 2020 edition of the Orange County Register.  The article discusses the realities of the attempts by governments to be central planners and to decide when and how to “re-open” our economy.  I strongly recommend that you find and read it, but in the meantime I will get you started by quoting liberally from it. 

“(G)overnment officials can’t know how to plan that reopening for precisely the same reasons that they can’t know how to plan an economy that’s already open. 

“Centrally planned economies have a 100-year history of stagnation, inefficiency, and shortages of basic consumer goods.  It didn’t take a global health crisis to empty the shelves in Cuban or Venezuelan grocery stores.  Mistakes made by central planners, who hold monopoly power over economic decisions, did that all on their own.

“The future is necessarily uncertain.  So, anyone forecasting supply and demand for a given product is bound to make mistakes.  But market economies decentralize decision-making.  The mistakes of some entrepreneurs are usually made up for by the correct actions of others, while profit-and-loss signals guide mistaken entrepreneurs to adjust their behavior.

“Unfortunately, the health care sector is one of the most regulated sectors of the U.S. economy.  Government planners limit the ability of entrepreneurs to discover better ways of providing health care – with predictable dismal results.”

                Professor Powell goes on to say that the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration first used their monopoly powers to obstruct private efforts to produce testing, vaccines and bringing new products to market by prohibiting doctors, patients and entrepreneurial companies from exercising their “right to try.”  And, yes, finally some progress was made when the CDC provided special “fast-track” approvals to the private sector, but the need for those special approvals simply highlights the problems in central planning.  The better way was and always will be to employ a system where individuals and entrepreneurs are free to choose how to interact with other businesses and their customers and employees.  No one wants to get sick, so employees and customers will be much less likely to work for or frequent businesses where the health risks are too high.  But the best solutions will not be the same everywhere because one size clearly does not fit all!  Instead the solutions come from the Invisible Hand of the pricing system, economic incentives to make the right decisions and everyone’s desire to be and remain healthy.  Thus no government planner can know better than the private sector can regarding how to re-open and maintain the economy. 

My own observations are that politicians naturally respond to problems by protecting themselves politically.  So virtually every governor and mayor said things like “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you healthy.”  Why did they do that?  Because if you stay healthy: “See, it worked – I am a hero!”  And if you did get sick: “Well, you can’t blame me because I did everything I could!”  Of course this pandemic brought us serious health issues and of course no one wants to get sick.  But government central planners have in the past brought global starvation to millions of people.  In addition, the arbitrary closing of hundreds of thousands of “non-essential” businesses and putting literally tens of millions of people out of work also caused damages: think suicides, depression and even domestic violence, in addition to the enormous economic losses!  Politicians with political courage, such as Libertarians, would have left the operations of businesses up to the business owners and their employees and customers.  For example, let stores advertise that they have an effective air filtration system, require masks for and take the temperature of all who enter, practice social distancing, and only allow so many people into their stores at any one time, etc.  Then their customers can decide whether or not to do business at that location.  Churches can choose to provide spacing and other protections for people’s health fully as well as big box stores and other “essential” businesses!  Let their worshipers decide. Crises are often used to erode our freedoms and liberties, but those freedoms and liberties are the soul of our country!  We are right to protest.  We are right to defy.  We don’t have monarchs in our country, and there are many decisions that still must only be decided by “We the People!”   

Quote for the week: “There can be no rainbows without sunshine – and rain.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, 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.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #260 "CAMPAIGN SLOGANS"

 The GraySharpe2020 campaign for the Libertarian nomination for President and Vice President is in full swing, so I thought you might like to hear some of our campaign slogans and cites.  Of course, regular readers of this 2 Paragraphs series and listeners of my weekly podcast “All Rise!  The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” will recognize many of them.  But I see these as effective ways to show people how logical and effective our Libertarian principles, values and approaches really are.  So they are:

·         “I don’t care if you worship one God, 20 gods or no god.  It doesn’t pick my pocket and it doesn’t break my leg.”  Thomas Jefferson – a prototypical Libertarian;

·         “We should judge our programs by their results and not their good intentions.”                    Milton Friedman;

·         “Anyone who believes they can thrive by relying upon the Government need only talk to the American Indian.”  Henry Ford;

·         “Think about it: Can you point out any instance where the involvement of Government in the marketplace did not result in the prices going up and the quality of the products and services didn’t go down?”  Judge Jim Gray;

·         “Ron Paul told us that our country has about 400 military reservations in other countries all around the world.  A simple audit performed by the military considering today’s realities would probably result in us being able to close down three-quarters of them without much controversy – and this would probably actually make us safer.”  Judge Jim Gray;

·         “We as a country must decide what the purpose is of our educational system: To educate our children (What a concept!), or to protect below-average teachers.  And guess which one we are mostly following today.”  Judge Jim Gray;

·         Do you know that the USA has 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its prisoners?  When former US Senator Jim Webb of Virginia heard these statistics he responded: “Either we are the most criminally-oriented people in the world, or we are doing something wrong.  Which do you think it is?”;

·         “If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait ‘til it’s free.”  P. J. O’Rourke;

·         Our Founders bickered, debated and even fought at the 1787 Constitutional Convention about numbers of issues.  But the one thing that each of the 55 delegates agreed upon was that the most important function of government is to protect our freedoms and liberties from the encroachment of government. The second most important was to keep us safe.

·         “Our country will need a bloody revolution every generation to keep the vested interests at bay.”  Thomas Jefferson.  Fortunately, our Constitution allows the revolution not to be bloody,  but how long has it been?  Maybe since the Republicans took over from the Whigs?  And don’t you agree that we Libertarians are the right ones for a new revolution?

·         “We should reserve our prison space for people we are afraid of, not people we’re mad at.”  Judge Jim Gray;

·         “No society has ever raised itself up out of poverty except through a system of free enterprise and private property rights.”  Milton Friedman; and,

·         If you want your healthcare services to be controlled by the equivalent of the department of motor vehicles, we are well on our way.”  Judge Jim Gray.

Please give me your feedback about how effective you think they are, and maybe some suggestions for others.  In law school I was known as a “bearded outside agitator in disguise,” and, actually, I have never backed off from that definition.  What do you think?  

Quote for the week from a young surfer-type:  “Dude!  I just learned that there is no popcorn in popcorn shrimp.  So I guess there’s no reason for me to eat pot roast.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, 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.  In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com.   Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.