Volume 12, Number 14 | July 27, 2007
The Liberator Online
Contents
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
PERSUASION POWER POINT
#231
ASK DR. RUWART
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dear friends, I will have the honor of speaking at the International Society for Individual Liberty's 26th WORLD FREEDOM SUMMIT. This event will be held in historic Williamsburg, Virginia -- the very place where the seeds of liberty planted 400 years ago in 1607 took root and grew into the United States of America. The theme of the conference: "The Refounding of America." It will be held August 11-15, 2007. And there is a truly stellar
line-up of speakers and activities, including Liberator Online columnist
Dr. Mary Ruwart and Advocates board member Dr. James Lark III. Visit
here Luxurious accommodations, meals, a tour of Colonial Williamsburg and
much more are included i * * * For full details on the speakers and conference program, go to:
ISIL is a wonderful organization, linking thousands of libertarians on every continent together. This is their first conference in the United States since 1990. ISIL's conferences are legendary, life-changing events. This promises to be an grand experience. My speech will be "Sticking It To The State -- Linking Libertarianism to the 'Stickiness Revolution.'" We'll explore a new model that explains why some ideas take off and spread like wildfire, while other ideas simply die a quiet death. Could this model provide the path for a REAL BREAKTHROUGH for libertarianism? *** FREE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS TO ISIL SUMMIT! *** STUDENTS: As we go to press ISIL still has openings for over 20 scholarships to attend the conference. If you are a student and are interested in libertarian ideas and want to meet and party with top intellectuals and activists from around the world, it's still not too late to apply. Please contact ISIL scholarship chairman Richard Venable at Sufficit@aol.com for more information. *** This is an incredible opportunity! *** Scholarships cover registration fees, first-class hotel accommodations at the Williamsburg Lodge (shared 2 to a room), meals, an opening reception and a closing gala banquet. (Scholarship includes ALL COSTS except your transportation). All this is part of an ISIL project to help revitalize the student libertarian movement and grassroots activism in general in the United States. Hope to see you there! * * * An editorial by Liberator Online editor James W. Harris, "Why Is Marijuana Still Illegal?" was published in the Orange County Register (California), one of America's largest newspapers, on July 13. It makes both the moral and practical case for ending marijuana prohibition. For several days it was the most highly rated story in the Orange County Register's opinion section. You can read it online here: * * * Welcome to 173 new Liberator Online subscribers this issue. Thanks for joining our subscription "family" of over 69,000 liberty-loving readers in more than 100 countries! To learn more about the Advocates and our work for liberty: To learn more about libertarianism: -- Sharon Harris, President | Email: sharon@TheAdvocates.org PS: Great Summer Sale! 15% off ALL MERCHANDISE in our online catalog! Books, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, Quiz cards, OPH kits... EVERYTHING! (The
only exceptions are
You can browse the catalog and place your order from here: (PLEASE NOTE: The prices you'll see at our catalog are our *regular*
prices. If you prefer to order by phone or mail, please see "Product Review" at the end of this issue. Great bargains -- and a GREAT WAY to support the Advocates! Offer good through August 9, 2007. Thank you!
What's Happening With The Advocates * MORE REPUBLICAN LIBERTY CAUCUS SUCCESS WITH OPH: The biennial National Taxpayers Union Foundation conference, held in June in Washington, DC, and cosponsored this year by the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), was the largest-ever -- and OPH was there, thanks to the RLC, a libertarian caucus within the GOP. Numerous luminaries were featured speakers, including libertarian presidential hopeful Ron Paul (R-TX) and other presidential candidates. According to RLC Board member Jeff Palmer, "RLC members manned a
membership outreach [OPH] table at the conference which was very well
received. World's Smallest Political Quiz results by conference-goers
who stopped by the table were *unusually* supportive -- 13% Centrist,
11% Right-Conservative and 76% Libertarian!" * Sharon Harris in LP NEWS: Advocates President Sharon Harris
is now writing a column on successful libertarian communication for
Libertarian Party News, the monthly newspaper of America's third-largest
political party. You can read back issues of LP News, and learn more
about the Libertarian Party, at their Web site: ******
by James W. Harris Two years ago we reported that Sandy Springs, a new Georgia city just outside of Atlanta, was trying a bold new experiment: turning over the provision of almost every traditional government service to the private sector. So how's that working? Remarkably well, according to Reason Foundation director of government reform Geoffrey F. Segal. Writing in Tampa Tribune, Segal says:
Segal continues, "In its two years under private management, Sandy Springs hasn't needed a tax hike or a fee increase, the government has become more responsive, the service quality has improved, and so has customer satisfaction. The residents love it. "In fact, this model has worked so well that two other Atlanta-area communities adopted it last year, and several others are considering a similar approach." This is a remarkable and revolutionary step. There's nothing special about Sandy Springs -- except the wisdom to realize that government isn't needed to provide most, if any, services. (Indeed, we look for the day when governments abandon outsourcing, too, and just let the private sector provide services without government involvement at all.) Let's hope Sandy Springs becomes a model for the rest of the nation. (Source: * * * America's Biggest Corporate Welfare Program Question: What is America's largest corporate welfare program? Answer: Farm subsidies -- most of which go to millionaires. And that's just one of many surprising facts about farm subsidies uncovered by Brian M. Riedl of the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Today, the average farm household earns $81,420 and has a net worth of $838,875 - both well above the national average. Farm incomes are setting records, and farms have one of the lowest failure rates of any industry. "[C]ommercial farmers -- who report an average income of $200,000 and net worth of nearly $2 million -- now collect the majority of farm subsidies." Indeed, farm subsidies today go to some of the richest and most powerful corporations and individuals in America, Riedl reports. "[F]rom 1995 to 2005, farm subsidies have been distributed to Fortune
500 companies such
Liberator Online readers will not be surprised to learn that farm subsidies have little to do with their alleged goal of protecting farmers from poverty. Notes Riedl: "The vast majority of farmers thrive despite few, if any, subsidies. In fact, 90 percent of all farm subsidies are linked to just five crops -- wheat, cotton, corn, soybeans and rice. Producers of fruits, vegetables, beef and poultry receive almost no farm subsidies. Yet they earn healthy incomes, and supermarkets are filled with their products. Free enterprise already works for all other farm production, and it can surely work for the few remaining subsidized crops. "[I]f farm subsidies were really about alleviating farmer poverty, then lawmakers could guarantee every full-time farmer an income of 185 percent of the federal level ($38,203 for a family of four) for under $5 billion annually - one-fifth the current cost of farm subsidies." In fact, despite claims that subsidies protect small farmers, the opposite is true: "Small farmers are harmed the most by farm subsidies. Excluded from most subsidies, they must endure the lower crop prices, higher farmland costs and industry consolidation that result from subsidies to agribusiness." (Source: "Farm Subsidies for Millionaires," Brian Riedl: * * * When Privatization Goes Bad: Outsourcing Obscenity Law Leave it to ethically-challenged U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to take a great concept -- privatization -- and pervert it into a government-funded religious war on the First Amendment. Citizens visiting the Justice Department Web site to report an "obscene" Web site are directed to a section titled "What Citizens Can Do About Obscenity." In turn, that sends you to ObscenityCrimes.org -- a privately-operated Web site, run by a religious anti-obscenity group, that since 2004 has received federal funding. ObscenityCrimes.org provides an online form you can fill out. Your form will be reviewed by "a team of two seasoned investigators," you are told. If they deem your report worthy, it will be forwarded to the Justice Department and your U.S. attorney. And what organization runs ObscenityCrimes.org? Morality in Media Inc. Morality in Media, according to media law professor Stephen Bates, is a religious organization "that has battled pornography, profanity and blasphemy since 1962. It aims to 'rid the world of pornography' -- most of which is constitutionally protected. The site blames porn for, among other things, the Virginia Tech massacre, international trafficking in women and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Playboy promotes sibling incest, and even Cosmopolitan is nothing short of pornographic, says Morality in Media, which also fulminates against 'the hellish sexual revolution,' R-rated movies, gangsta rap and Bratz dolls." Morality in Media disagrees that the First Amendment protects pornography, declaring in a letter to President Bush that the First Amendment is not "a license to publish pornography." You don't have to support pornography to see the dangers of having a religious organization that opposes R-rated movies and Cosmopolitan magazine receiving government funding to wage war against pornography. And you don't have to be a fan of smut to be alarmed at this cavalier treatment of sensitive First Amendment issues by the Justice Department. (Source: Stephen Bates: "Outsourcing Justice? That's just obscene." * * * QUICK SHOTS... WORSE THAN FACELESS BUREAUCRATS: "Faceless bureaucrats in federal agencies waste so much money that they need someone constantly looking over their shoulder. This is why congressional oversight is so important. But, let's face it: when we approve congressional earmarks for indoor rainforests in Iowa or teapot museums in North Carolina, we make the most spendthrift faceless bureaucrat look frugal." -- Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), U.S. House of Representatives, July 17, 2007. * * * DON'T TRUST, EVER: "When my father Ronald Reagan said one of his mottos was 'trust but verify,' he was talking about dealing with the Soviet Union. If he was talking about present-day Washington I think he'd simply say, 'Don't trust -- ever.'" -- Michael Reagan, syndicated columnist, talk show host, son of President Ronald Reagan. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21356 * * * * * * * * ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"The Refounding of America"! ISIL INTERNATIONAL LIBERTARIAN WORLD FREEDOM CONFERENCE August 11-15, 2007 -- in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, the birthplace of America. * Great speakers! Legendary surroundings! Don't Miss It! Check out the
FABULOUS
line-up of speakers and more!
SOME FREE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS STILL AVAILABLE!
APPLY
IMMEDIATELY! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Dr. Phil's Simple Questions Can Open People's Minds by Michael Cloud "...Then I yell at my teenaged daughter, tell her what'll happen if she keeps acting this way, and ground her for 2 weeks," says the frustrated mother. "How's that working out for you?" asks Dr. Phil. "She talks back to me or gives me the silent treatment. She sneaks out late at night. And she refuses to listen," says Mom. "Are those the kind of results you want?" asks Dr. Phil. "No," answers the mother.
Dr. Phil asks simple questions about actions and consequences. About causes and effects. About behaviors and results. What might happen if you and I asked these kinds of questions about government programs? Anti-gun laws. "The Brady Bill and other new gun control laws have been on the books for over 10 years," says the anti-gun activist. "We're very proud that we finally have these laws enacted." "How's that working out?" asks the freedom advocate. "Are fewer
criminals getting their hands on guns? Are there fewer armed robberies?
How's that "Well, the same numbers of criminals are getting guns. And we have the same number of armed robberies," answers the anti-gun activist. "Are those the results you expected? Are those the results you want?" asks the freedom advocate. "No." After an honest look at results, the freedom advocate can suggest and discuss different -- perhaps counter-intuitive -- ways of reducing crime. Ways that restore gun freedom and reduce gun crime. Ways of meeting both of their needs. Government-run public schools. "We've doubled the number of dollars spent on each child during the last 12 years," beams the politician. "But we have so much more to do." "You've doubled spending for each school child in the last 12 years? How's that working out?" asks the home schooling mom. "Have literacy rates dramatically improved? Have SAT scores substantially increased? Have math test results skyrocketed? Have dropout rates plummeted? How's that working out?" "Well, we face a number of problems..." begins the politician. "I'm sure you do," says the mom. "But with your doubled spending, are you getting better results or worse?" "I don't know why, but literacy rates are lower, SAT scores have fallen, math tests results are worse, and dropout rates are nearly 30%," said the candid politician. "Are those the results you expected? Are they the results you wanted?" asked the mom. "No." "Would you be interested in considering different -- maybe even revolutionary -- approaches to getting children a much better education for a lot less money?" asks the homeschooling mom. Disaster relief. Food stamps. Welfare. Social Security. Medicaid. Medicare. Imagine asking Dr. Phil's elegantly simple questions about each and every government economic and social program. Cause: "What are you doing now?" Effects: "How's that working out for you?" Action: "How are you handling this now?" Consequences: "What kind of results are you getting?" Dr. Phillip McGraw keeps it simple: What are you sowing? What are you reaping? Then he asks: "Is this what you want?" Sometimes he follows up with: "If you keep doing what you're doing,
you're going to keep getting these results. Do you want This is when Dr. Phil offers new and different choices and actions. And the different results they produce. To change what you're reaping, change what you're sowing. To stop reaping what you're reaping, stop sowing what you're sowing. A wise approach to counseling. And to government programs. Whether you read Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What
Matters by How would that work out for you? * * * * * * * * In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most
Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.
BUILDING THE CASE FOR LIBERTY
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Dr. Mary Ruwart is a leading expert in libertarian communication. In this column she offers short answers to real questions about libertarianism. To submit questions to Dr. Ruwart, see end of column. * * * QUESTION: Alan Keyes has said the Declaration of Independence assumes "a transcendent Good, a transcendent Will, a transcendent Power beyond our reach that dictates the requirement that we respect the life and dignity and rights of every human being." Does libertarianism assume this as well? MY SHORT ANSWER: Libertarians respect the life and dignity and rights of every human being. Some believe that this "natural law" can be derived from logic and reason; others attribute it to "a transcendent God." My personal belief is that there are many paths (e.g., logic, love, faith) to discovering that honoring our neighbor's choice is the only one that gives us the chance to create the universal harmony and abundance that humankind craves. * * * QUESTION: Which is better: free trade or protectionism? MY SHORT ANSWER: Truly free trade (no tariffs, quotas, restrictions) is win-win. Workers in poor nations make more money selling goods to developed nations than they do from farming. Their wages may be low, but they are an improvement over their other options. The wealthy nations also benefit from the lower prices of imported goods. Consumers in wealthy nations can spend these savings on other domestic goods, creating more jobs in their own nation. Protectionism saves inefficient industries by destroying more efficient ones and driving up prices. For example, in the U.S., the auto industry convinced Congress to place tariffs on foreign imports. Auto workers maintained their jobs by forcing their neighbors to pay more for cars than necessary. Since consumers had less money to buy other domestic products, workers in other U.S. industries were laid off. The number of jobs lost overall was much greater than the number of auto workers who would have been laid off without protectionism. * * * * * * * * Due to volume, Dr. Ruwart can't personally acknowledge all emails. But we'll run the best questions and answers in upcoming issues. Dr. Ruwart's previous Liberator Online answers are archived in searchable form at: http://www.TheAdvocates.org/ruwart/categories_list.php Dr. Ruwart's outstanding books "Healing Our World" and "Short Answers
to the Tough Questions" are available from the Advocates:
http://www.TheAdvocates.org/Merchant2/merchant.mv
"Hey, What's a Libertarian?" by Sharon Harris, Advocates President One day, you're going to be asked: "Just what is a libertarian, anyway?" It may happen while you're calling into a talk radio show. "So tell us,", the host may ask you. "What do libertarians believe, anyway?" Or you may be running for office and a reporter gives you the opportunity to "define yourself" for his story. Your answer could be very important. It might reach thousands. Or it might reach just one person who is very important to you. Don't hope for inspiration. Instead, be prepared. Have a clear, short, persuasive and easy-to-understand definition on the tip of your tongue. I strongly suggest you *memorize* your favorite definition -- and practice delivering it -- so you don't have to even think about it when asked. That's what two of America's most successful libertarian communicators -- presidential candidates Harry Browne and David Bergland -- both told me they did. You can write your own definition. You can also use someone else's, or modify someone else's to fit your own style. Here's some definitions to try on for size: The American Heritage Dictionary: "One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state." Here's what I usually say: "Libertarianism is, as the name implies, the belief in liberty. Libertarians believe that you own your own life and property, and you have the right to make your own choices as to how you live your life -- as long as you simply respect the same right of others to do the same. We believe in individual liberty and limited government." And here's a great one from David Bergland: "Libertarianism is what you probably already believe. Libertarian values are American values. Libertarianism is America's heritage of liberty, patriotism and honest work to build a future for your family. It's the idea that being free and independent is a great way to live. That each of us is a unique individual, with great potential. That you own yourself, and that you have the right to decide what's best for you. Americans of all races and creeds built a great and prosperous country with these libertarian ideals. Let's use them to build America's future." Find more great short definitions here:
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n the conference package!
shipping, applicable taxes, seminars, and magazine
subscriptions, whose price we do not control.) 
"The experiment in Sandy Springs, has proved that local governments
don't need hundreds of public employees to function. Sandy Springs, a
fast-growing town of more than 80,000 residents, has only four public
employees who are not involved with public safety. Except for police and
fire, virtually every government function has been contracted out."
as John Hancock Life Insurance ($2,849,799) and
Westvaco ($534,210); as well as celebrity hobby farmers like David
Rockefeller ($553,782) and Ted Turner ($206,948). Even Members of
Congress who vote on farm legislation have received subsidies, such as
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa, $225,041) and Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.,
$161,084)." 
Then Dr. Phil discusses different ways of meeting both of their
needs. 
Speaking of our libertarianism.com site, keep that URL in mind! It's
very useful to be able to add, after your definition: "If you want to
learn more about libertarianism, there's a Web site that can answer your
questions: 
