A Libertarian’s Christmas Wish list for 2005

I moved back to Fort Wayne five years ago. I moved back to Fort Wayne to raise my family. I want to do my part to make America a better place for my children; I do not think anything is more important then that.

I feel that America has made some very bad decisions in the last 84 years. In 1920 Franklin Roosevelt started “The New Deal” and the government started growing. In 1920 total government spending was about 4% of the Gross Domestic Product. Today, total government spending is about 40% of the Gross Domestic Product! This means that about 40% of all spending in the United States is now done by one government entity or another. This is a trend that must be stopped. Our government gets larger and more inefficient every year. Bigger is NOT better.

I want my children to grow up in a country where citizens are responsible for their own actions. I want my children to grow up in a country where the United States Constitution is respected and adhered to. I want my children to live in a country that manufactures products; not one in which everything is made in China. I want my children to grow up in a country where the government has a limited role and our citizenry is responsible for their own actions. I want my children to grow up in a world like the one envisioned by our “Founding Fathers.”

Here is my Christmas Wish list for 2005:
1.I want to see the Republican House, Senate, and President Bush reign in Federal spending like they have been promising for years; I do not want to see the government keep adding one half a trillion dollars per year to the existing Federal debt. The Federal debt currently stands at over $7,600,000,000!
2.I want to see Mitch Daniels and the Republican majorities in the Indiana House and Senate balance the Indiana budget by reigning in spending. The local taxes I pay already skyrocketed far too much in 2004. My sales tax went up one percent AND my property tax went up over 61% this year. I paid almost $2000 more in local and state taxes in 2004 then I did in 2003.
3.I want to see the current seat belt laws for adults completely revoked in Indiana and I want to see the current proposals to expand the seat belt laws get defeated. It is absurd that the government should try to regulate whether law abiding citizens are wearing a seat belt or not.
4.I want the state of Indiana to wake up and completely legalize gambling. We should allow as many casinos as the market can bear. We should tax the existing machines already in many Indiana bars. I am tired of all the lame arguments against gambling that I hear. Responsible citizens should be able to spend their hard earned dollars how they want to spend them; as long as they are not hurting others.
5.I want the State of Indiana to stand up to the Federal government and stop letting the Federal government extort the citizens of Indiana. The Indiana government should not allow The Federal government to withhold our highway money just because we do not have an “Open Container Law” that meets Federal guidelines. That is absurd. Extortion is wrong; it should be stopped at once.
6.The Patriot Act needs to be modified. Thousands of innocent citizens of this country are being hassled and placed on “No Fly” lists by the Federal government including: a nun, a Master Sergeant in the military, high school students, ACLU lawyers, peace activists, reporters, and many others. Citizens of this country are being held in jail without being charged with a crime; they are not even allowed to consult with a lawyer!
7.The citizens of this country need to become more informed about what their government is doing and we need to organize and fight against the expansion of government.

The Libertarian Party of Allen County is organized and doing what it can to oppose the needless expansion of government. It is obvious that neither the Republican nor the Democratic Parties are at all interested in halting the spread of government into every facet of our lives. Please visit our website at AllenCountyLP.org and see what you can do to help us. Please contact me at Mike.Sylvester@Verizon.net or call me at 260-338-0833. We must join together and defend our freedom; no one will do it for us!

Mike Sylvester
Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Allen County
Fort Wayne