<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 6:08 PM, Jeff Davis <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jrd1415@gmail.com">jrd1415@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:</div><div class="gmail_quote"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br>
</span></div><div class="gmail_quote"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">the AP takes no position. No position</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">means NO POSITION. No position means being "agnostic" on EVERYTHING<br>else. Individual AP members have their own views of course, but as a<br>
unified organization, the AP takes no position on: abortion, taxes,<br>gay marriage, gun rights, defense policy, campaign finance, racial<br>discrimination, immigration, terrorism, hate-speech, Israel, education<br>policy, environmentalism, global warming, etc.</span><br>
Ah, yes, the question of the transition from where we are "here" to<br>
the glorious Llibertarian utopia "there". This is my problem with<br>
libertarians -- particularly zealots-slash-purists. They say our<br>
current system is crappy. (I agree). They say life would be perfect<br>
in the Llibertarian utopia "over there". But they .rarely seem<br>
willing to propose a reality-based plan for getting from "here" to<br>
"there"-- a plan for the transition. And by reality-based I mean a<br>
plan which acknowledges that any responsible transition must be<br>
incremental. They don't like the old way -- understandable, who<br>
outside of the kleptocratic elite does? -- but they won't dirty<br>
themselves with the sort of compromise with the current system that an<br>
orderly transition implies. This annoys me. There's real substance to<br>
Llibertarian principles. I'm looking for less bitching and moaning,<br>
and more progress re implementation.<br>
<br>
Which brings us back to Darren's question: "...how do we go about<br>
establishing a system where the principle non-aggression is<br>
paramount,..."<br>
<br>
Let's talk about the US of A in the year 2011.<br>
<br>
How to begin the transition?<br>
<br>
Oddly, it seems to require only that enough people behind the curtain<br>
in the polling booth mark their ballot correctly. Which is to say, for<br>
the candidates put forth by The Accountability Party.<br>
<br>
"The Accountability Party? What's that?" you ask, puzzled, thinking<br>
you've missed some newsworthy "announcement". You haven't.<br>
<br>
The Accountability Party is my little fantasy, created at this most<br>
opportune moment, when the Dems and Repubs are both out of favor. To<br>
be robustly resistant to destruction by fragmentation, The<br>
Accountability Party is deliberately "preconfigured" to be<br>
broad-based, having only two planks: Accountability and Jobs.<br>
<br>
No other issue is relevant except as relates to these two concerns.<br>
So, regarduing any other issue: the AP takes no position. No position<br>
means NO POSITION. No position means being "agnostic" on EVERYTHING<br>
else. Individual AP members have their own views of course, but as a<br>
unified organization, the AP takes no position on: abortion, taxes,<br>
gay marriage, gun rights, defense policy, campaign finance, racial<br>
discrimination, immigration, terrorism, hate-speech, Israel, education<br>
policy, environmentalism, global warming, etc.<br>
<br>
The two issues which the AP devotes its exclusive focus are:<br>
accountability: no one is above the law. Everyone, but in particular<br>
persons in high position who have traditionally 'enjoyed' immunity<br>
from prosecution, will now have their get out of jail free cards<br>
voided.<br>
<br>
And jobs: everyone who wants a paycheck gets a paycheck. EV-REE-ONE.<br>
<br>
Now you might well ask -- certainly others will -- "How you gonna<br>
implement the jobs program, and more to the point, how you gonna pay<br>
for it?" To which I reply, "You must always remember that the AP<br>
subordinates ALL OTHER ISSUES to paychecks/jobs and accountability, so<br>
the details of the fiscal policy behind the "JOBS" commitment is for<br>
the most part irrelevant. That said, the Treasury has a machine that<br>
prints checks, so the policy is secured, "Move right along. Nothing to<br>
see here." Whatever may be the details required to reconcile the jobs<br>
program with fiscal reality, the program itself is in stone, and<br>
non-negotiable. For the curious though, I would state the obvious:<br>
print the money, borrow the money, or tax someone. In terms of<br>
practical economics, it would be quite simple: The more robust the<br>
private sector economy, the greater the proportion of jobs it<br>
provides. The rest to be provided by govt, and financed,... however.<br>
(Personally, I like a progressive income tax, or a flat tax based on<br>
net worth, or a financial transaction tax, but I'll go along with<br>
whatever the AP figures out AFTER THE ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN WON.)<br>
<br>
A major innovation: the AP does not conduct its campaigns by<br>
traditional methods. No TV, no radio, no interviews with mainstream<br>
journalists.<br>
<br>
TV, radio, and other conventional media are corporate. They are part<br>
of the illegitimate "mainstream", of the illegitimate corporate<br>
statist ruling elite. They are part of the political opposition. They<br>
are gatekeepers of the political process. If you pay them for TV and<br>
radio ads, you are giving material support to your political<br>
adversaries. The AP therefore, chooses to conduct its campaigns<br>
DIRECTLY with the voters, over the internet, no gatekeeper, no<br>
middleman -- no corporate mediation-for-profit of the political<br>
process. A not-for-profit political process is crucial to the<br>
elimination of corporate/govt corruption, and the restoration of a<br>
healthy society. In this way, the AP terminates the age old linkage<br>
between money and political power.<br>
<br>
There's more, but this is a start.<br>
<br>
Best, Jeff Davis<br>
<br>
"Everything's hard till you know how to do it."<br>
Ray Charles<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div><font face="'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><i>There is no history, only biography.</i></font></div><div><font face="'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><i><br>
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