Archive for the ‘Libertarian’ Category

Opponents of Unfettered Capitalism Are Fighting a Phantom – National Review

Senator Marco Rubio speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, March 14, 2018.(Joshua Roberts/Reuters)We put plenty of restraints on economic activity. What we dont need is unfettered government.

Enemies of unfettered capitalism, unite!

For as long as I can remember, people on the left have complained about unfettered capitalism. Moderate liberals do it, and of course flat-out Marxists do it.

In his new book, A Bit of Everything: Power, People, Profits and Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz contends that the only way well be able to confront climate change is through a new social contract.

Capitalism will be part of the story, but it cant be the kind of capitalism that weve had for the last 40 years, Stiglitz writes. It cant be the kind of selfish, unfettered capitalism where firms just maximize shareholder value regardless of the social consequences.

Senator Bernie Sanders said earlier this year that we have to talk about democratic socialism as an alternative to unfettered capitalism.

History texts insist that the New Deal followed in the wake of the unfettered capitalism of the 1920s. The Progressive Era, were told, was in part a response to the unfettered capitalism of the late 19th century and the Gilded Age. In 1987, the Milwaukee Journal reported that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev planned to visit Trump Tower, that glittering monument to unfettered capitalism. In 2016, The Nation, a journal that has been at war with unfettered capitalism for nearly a century, ran an essay explaining that America got President Donald Trump because of Americas brand of largely unfettered capitalism.

Recently, the concern with capitalisms unfetteredness has become bipartisan. Senators Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio have taken up the cause in a series of speeches and policy proposals. Conservative intellectuals such as Patrick Deneen and Yoram Hazony have taken dead aim at unrestrained capitalism. J. D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy, and Tucker Carlson of Fox News have suggested that economic policy is run by ... libertarians.

My response to this dismaying development is: What on earth are these people talking about?

If the Progressive Era was a response to unfettered capitalism, did it accomplish nothing? Teddy Roosevelt broke up the trusts, regulated the food supply, created the National Park System, and fettered the railroads. The Labor Department was established (by President Taft, a conservative) in 1913. The Federal Employees Compensation Act, enacted in 1916, provided benefits to workers injured on the job. The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act was passed in 1927. And then theres the New Deal, another famous attempt to slap fetters on the rough beast of capitalism. It created Social Security, formally banned child labor, and established the minimum wage, among countless other restraints on capitalism run amok.

I could go on and on. I mean, I havent even mentioned the Great Society.

A fetter is a chain, manacle, or restraint. If you think there are no restraints on the market or on economic activity, why on earth do we have the Department of Labor, HHS, HUD, FDA, EPA, OSHA, or IRS?

The United States has one of the most progressive tax systems in the world (i.e., the share of taxes paid by the rich versus everyone else). If you take into account all social-welfare spending, we spend more on entitlements than plenty of rich countries.

Now, if you think we dont spend, regulate, or tax enough, fine. Make your case. If you think we should spend and tax differently, Im right there with you. But the notion that the United States is a libertarian fantasyland is itself a fantasy. I mean, by the Hammer of Thor, every summer we get stories of kids being fined for running lemonade stands without a license.

My frustration stems from the fact that we fetter the market constantly. And whenever the fetters yield an undesirable result such as, say, the financial crisis of 2008 the blame always lands on eternally unfettered capitalism.

Just to be clear: Im not an advocate for unfettered capitalism. But I am sick and tired of hearing people advocate unfettered government to fight an enemy that doesnt exist. And Im particularly dyspeptic about the fact that conservatives are now buying into the same fantasy.

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Opponents of Unfettered Capitalism Are Fighting a Phantom - National Review

How CBD Gummies Can Be Used For Holiday Stress Relief – The Libertarian Republic

Picture this: Your whole family is gathered around the table for a holiday dinner. Aunt Becky is on her third glass of wine, and winding up to start throwing darts of judgement at your cousins new artist boyfriend. Dad is still bandaging his hand because he sliced it instead of the turkey. And your niece is reminding you for the trillionth time that she HATES stuffing. But you are cool as a cucumber and actually kind of enjoying yourself. Is this a dream?

No! You can have that sense of peace, calm, and true seasonal joy, if you just follow a few steps to take care of your mind and body leading up to the holiday season. Combatting holiday-related anxiety and stress does not have to be complicated. Especially when you have delicious CBD gummies like these made by Verma Farms to help you keep your cool.

CBD gummies serve a wide array of purposes, from anxiety relief to supporting healthier skin. Gummies that are free of THC will not intoxicate you, and it is virtually impossible to overdose on CBD. Though you should go lighter on dosing until you know how it will affect you, you can incorporate CBD into your daily routines. Plus, CBD is losing its stigma, so maybe grandma will want to try a few, too. This will improve multiple facets of your coping. Keep reading and learn how to set yourself up for the best holiday season ever.

This advice goes for any challenge you face in life. When we start gearing up for the holidays, our bodies hold on to stress hormones. This is why we feel more tense, get more headaches, and have a general feeling of unease around the holidays.

Whatever is wrong, there is a good chance that more water will help. Water flushes out your system, helps your body get rid of toxins, and gets your nervous system communicating again. CBD works with your endocannabinoid system to restore homeostasis. When you combine the power of eight glasses of water a day, with the balancing benefits of CBD, then you prime your body for greatness.

This is the most basic step maintaining calm during the holidays, and likely the easiest. It takes virtually no time at all to pop a few gummies into your mouth and go. The time you spend getting the extra water can be that minute you give yourself to reset in your day.

Athletes use CBD to boost their performance and speed up their recovery. They take a few gummies before they work out to help them focus and stay calm. They take CBD gummies after, to help relax sore muscles, reduce inflammation, and speed healing.

Even if you are not an athlete, you will benefit from working CBD into your workout. If you do not normally work out, then why not get a head start on your holiday resolutions and start now? Exercising can be a rewarding way to manage stress, getting all those feel-good hormones flowing, and clearing out the anxiety.

You dont have to turn into Hercules or run a 5k tomorrow. Even some relaxing yoga or a brisk walk can do wonders for your emotional health. Give yourself an extra boost by taking a few gummies to prevent soreness and help you stay motivated.

When you feel your best physically, it is much easier to deal with the stress and pressure of the holidays. Unfortunately, most holiday foods are loaded with sugar, fat, calories, and salt, which can make you feel sluggish and bloated. It wont kill you to indulge a little on the holidays, but in the time leading up to holiday meals, do your best to keep your eating as healthy as possible. This will help you feel less bloated and grumpy, while also helping you avoid the holiday pounds.

Fill up on fresh fruits and veggies before holiday parties. That way, you wont be as tempted to indulge in a third candy-cane cutout cookie. Keep a bag of sweet gummies on hand to help reduce social jitters. No more stress-eating pretzels and dip. Take a few CBD gummies and get out on the dance floor.

Getting enough sleep during this stressful time is vital. You need sleep for your body and nervous system to repair itself. You need sleep for your immune system to function properly. And you need sleep in order to regulate emotions. When you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, your rest is wrecked. A few CBD gummies a half-hour before bed will help you slip off to dreamland and stay there until your morning alarm. Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to untangle those long strings of lights waiting in your garage.

Your holiday season will get a whole lot easier when you incorporate a few simple self-care steps into your daily routine. Boost your mood and your motivation with CBD gummies. They reduce anxiety and depression, clear up those holiday zits, speed recovery from shopping fatigue, and give you the support you need in order to be your best self this holiday season.

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How CBD Gummies Can Be Used For Holiday Stress Relief - The Libertarian Republic

Californians have to register with a political party to vote in the 2020 primary – CBS News 8

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. The San Diego Registrar of Voters will send postcards to 1.8 million San Diego County voters to alert them of California's political party rules on voting for president in the March 3, 2020 primary election.

Political parties decide who can vote for their presidential candidates.

RELATED: First-time San Diego voters gather to watch 5th Democratic debate

Anyone who is registered as nonpartisan also known as independent, no party preference or decline to state will not see the presidential race on their primary election ballot at all. To vote for president on March 3, 2020, they must act to get that option.

The American Independent, Democratic or Libertarian parties are allowing nonpartisan voters to cross over and vote for their presidential candidate. But they must request one of those ballots.

To vote for a presidential candidate with the Green, Peace and Freedom or Republican party, nonpartisan voters must re-register with that party.

Voters who are already registered with a political party will get only that partys ballot with their presidential candidate. To vote for a candidate in another party, the voter will need to re-register with that party.

During a news conference Thursday morning, Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said its imperative to know the rules and verify your registration to confirm your party status.

We want to make sure every registered voter who wants to cast a ballot for president in the March 2020 primary election has that opportunity, said Registrar of Voters Michael Vu. That means voters need to act sooner rather than later to make sure theyre not caught by surprise on Election Day.

Voters can double check their registration, re-register and register to vote at sdvote.com. Voters who have moved, changed their name or visited the DMV recently will also need to re-register.

For more information, call (858) 565-5800 or visit sdvote.com. You can find additional resources about the upcoming election here.

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Californians have to register with a political party to vote in the 2020 primary - CBS News 8

Voting infrastructure: Let’s iron out the kinks – taosnews

By Kate Keely

On Nov. 5, I headed to the courthouse around 4 p.m. to vote. The clerk explained there was no voting at the courthouse, only local polling stations, because it was such a small election. Another woman who came to vote was as disappointed as I was.

I headed for my polling station, the Las Cordovas Community Center. The building was gated and there were no signs or lights on. I went to the old armory where a small sign on the locked door stated the armory was no longer a polling station.

I called the phone number on the sign and was told Las Cordovas had been closed because of a gas heating problem. The substitute polling station was at a firehouse across the street from the sanitation plant. I drove up and down the dark road in front of the plant looking for lights or signs, but found none. The water tower across the street was the only thing visible.

When I got home, I was pretty unhinged that, despite traveling to four polling places, my dogged persistence hadn't enabled me to vote. I belatedly remembered being unable to find that firehouse years ago. I learned afterward that the polling station was across a side road, not the main road. Perhaps if it had been lighted, I might have seen it.

How difficult would it have been to redirect voters with signage and lighting from a closed to an open polling station? The voters are not the problem; the infrastructure is. Since the courthouse, the backbone of our voting infrastructure, was already set up for early voting, why not continue accepting voters on election day?

Since media communication is a critical pillar of this infrastructure, perhaps the Taos News could assign one reporter to cover on-the-ground digital updates on where and when to vote and any polling redirects in the system.

Taos has a noble history of proactive, political involvement. With proper, efficient media, lighting and signage, we could potentially better utilize our powerful sense of civic duty and thereby increase our voting numbers.

I realize it was a small election and the school board members ran unopposed. But the point is to make voting an ingrained habit, a commitment, that can be easily accommodated. As the only political power we exercise, voting ascends to a sacred duty. We have to show up.

Our historically weak participation in voting indicates insufficient value is being placed on our citizenship and our democracy. Ours is the only successful democracy in history. Citizens who are too busy, don't think their vote matters or opt to not let daily politics aggravate them, forfeit a rare privilege that could easily be lost due to collective apathy. Then what? A renewed battle against tyranny and dictatorship? All those valiant soldiers who died to maintain our democracy would roll over and moan in their graves.

Let's push to make voting day a national holiday, or at least legislate that workers be released to vote. In order to offset election interference from abroad and voter suppression at home, we will need massive voter turnout. That power is in the hands of the people.

The success of the 2018 elections and the recent election of Democrats and progressives in Kentucky, Virginia, Louisiana, San Francisco and Seattle were outstanding steps forward. This is the beginning of what needs to be an all-out movement to retake our democracy. We must remember that if we don't work constantly to keep it alive and well, our government by the people can slip away in an instant.

Our presidential primary in June will be one of the most important elections in our history. Since our state primaries are still not open, voting will be limited to registered Democrats, Republicans and libertarians. Registered greens and independents will be turned away. Those voters should register temporarily as Democrat, Republican or libertarian, and then reregister back to their party of choice after the primary. It's easy to do at nmvote.org.

Our Climate Generation can now, for the first time, vote in the primary in June as long as they will be 18 by November, 2020. Let's get them registered.

We need to vote like our lives depended on it - because in many ways they do.

Kate Keely is a retired teacher and social worker who lives in Ranchos de Taos.

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Voting infrastructure: Let's iron out the kinks - taosnews

Dozens of lawmakers call for government surveillance reforms | TheHill – The Hill

Dozens ofprogressive and libertarian-leaning lawmakers on Wednesday threw their support behind significantly revising a set of government surveillance authoritiesthat are set to expire within months.

Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and conservative House Freedom Caucus signed onto a letter calling for "meaningful, bipartisan surveillance reform" just as Congress voted to extend those controversial provisions for another three months.

At the last minute, lawmakers tucked the 90-day surveillance authority extensioninto the temporary government funding measure, which passed theHouse 231-192 onTuesday. Thecontinuing resolution (CR), which allowed Congress to avoid an immediate government shutdown, gavekey committees three more months to debate what they want to do about the set of controversial surveillance authorities.

The House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence Committee have jurisdiction over the USA Freedom Act, the bill that isset to expire, which allows the government to comb through phone records on millions of Americans and tracktargets during terrorism investigations.

Its unfortunate that we still have no agreement on critical privacy and civil liberties provisions that must be included in any final reauthorization of the USA Freedom Act," Rep. Pramila JayapalPramila JayapalBicameral group of Democrats introduces bill to protect immigrant laborers Hillicon Valley: Google to limit political ad targeting | Senators scrutinize self-driving car safety | Trump to 'look at' Apple tariff exemption | Progressive lawmakers call for surveillance reforms | House panel advances telecom bills Dozens of lawmakers call for government surveillance reforms MORE (D-Wash.) said in a statement on Wednesday. "Ive been deeply engaged with my Judiciary and Intelligence colleagues to make significant changes to any reauthorization billwere making good progress and hope to complete our work before this 90-day extension period ends."

Jayapal said the short-term extension was necessary because without it, the Senate might have pushed a "full reauthorization through with no changes" ahead of the original Dec. 15 expiration date. Now, the provisions likely won't expire until March 15.

"Our goal now is to ensure the final reauthorization contains our critical limits and protections on surveillance and privacy," Jayapal said.

In the letter sent to the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees on Tuesday, a group of 49 lawmakers called for significant reforms. Theyasked for a total repeal of the call detail records program, whichallows the government toaccess phone records on millions of Americans every year during terrorism investigations, and strict restrictions on surveillance "that threatens First Amendment protected activities."

The lawmakers are asking to "prevent large-scale collection" of information on U.S. citizens and impose "strict limits" around how the government is allowed to use information obtained during criminal investigations.

"Disclosures over the past several years make clear that existing expansive surveillance powers pose an unacceptable threat to civil rights and civil liberties," the letter reads. "These laws contain numerous loopholes that can be exploited to improperly surveil people based on speech, race, religion, and other impermissible factors."

"Members should be given the opportunity to consider and vote on surveillance reform legislation as a standalone measure in the House, and not tucked into an expansive omnibus or budget bill," they wrote.

One of the expiring provisions, known as Section 215,is particularly contentious because it enables the phone records program, which was originally disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. That program was pared down by the USA Freedom Act in 2015, and the National Security Agency (NSA) disclosed this year that it shuttered the effort entirely amid insurmountable technical difficulties.

Bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers have questioned whetherto extend the NSA's ability to reopen that program at any point, as the Trump administration has requested.

Under the CR,the provisions are set to expire on March 15 rather than next month.

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Dozens of lawmakers call for government surveillance reforms | TheHill - The Hill