Red River Libertarians

Tax Day and 4/20 all in one week? Its like a libertarian field day! So for today's post I want to get into the nitty-gritty of taxation and cannabis reform and go into the economics of each. I think some of you may be surprised! Are taxes theft? Before I get into this, let me ask you: have you ever been asked if you want to pay taxes? Did you ever sign a contract or raise your hand volunteering to pay them? Chances are the answer is no. But... we do live in a civilized society where the government provides education, roads, law, and order, so its alright, right? So... would you be willing to give ALL your money to the government if they paid your bills, gave you a standard house and government issued clothing? Well, that just seems to be crossing a line, doesn't it? Now, charities provide clothing and food and resources to people as well... but if they threatened to lock you in a room (jail) if you refused to donate it would be called: Theft. The truth is we pay taxes on mon...

So I decided on the title for this blog post as a double meaning. Originally, the post was going to be about getting involved locally with your local leaders and urging them to act in responsible ways that promote life, liberty, and property (which I still plan to go over), but in light of the recent attack on Syria I figured I would include the question of whether we should get involved there as well. The fact is the Syrian government was not infringing on OUR life, liberty, or property... so should we ethically get involved? I think the better question is, do we get offended when other countries butt into our country's internal debates and arguments? Of course we do! We hate when other counties meddle, give advice, or "collude" with us, so why should we? And on top of that, what are we hoping the outcome of dropping $165 Million in bombs that didn't even hit their targets is supposed to be? Enough of that though. It does lead to a good discussion on life, liberty, ...

There's no easy way to say it - the State of Kentucky is just bad at handling money. In case any of you missed it over the last few days, we are still fighting about SB 151 that strips funding for schools and public employee/teacher pensions. Now, on top of this they are arguing HB 366 looking to raise different taxes and fees to bring more money into the state treasury. The whole thing stinks to me. We are trying to spend more money than we have and it is time for solutions. We need to upgrade our thinking and start budgeting and planning like it is 2016, these straight budgets aren't going to get us anywhere and it is a system that is outdated in budgetary practice. Here are my thoughts on what really needs done: Rolling Budgets and Flexible Budgets - This is simple operational accounting. Everyone that likes to put their word in on politics likes to say "Balanced Budget!" but that is only the first, and the most basic, step that needs taken. Accounting has come a...

I am making this posting hoping I can get some comments (or you can tweet me @LibertariansRed) about what some of the biggest issues in Eastern Kentucky/Mountain Parkway/Red River area are. As far as national issues and libertarian issues heres some of the things I think should be looked at: Coal mining - The United States is the "Saudi Arabia" of coal. We use it for electricity, jobs, and steel... thats right, steel. We are talking about tariffs on foreign steel, when we could increase mining of coal and production of coke (a coal by-product) which would greatly improve our region! Local taxes & licenses - Our communities are not very rich. Next time you go to a restaurant, notice the extra taxes that you get to pay for your food. On top of the 6% sales tax there is also a local tax (3% in Stanton, 2% in Mount Sterling if I remember correctly). Then on top of these there are taxed liberties such as dog licenses! Do we really need taxed to own a dog or buy food for ...

Welcome to my new blog! My goal is to talk about issues and rally support of libertarians in the the Red River area of Kentucky (this means Clay City, Stanton, Slade, Irvine, Ravenna, Campton, Hazel Green, and Frenchburg essentially). This will include national issues as well as local issues that have to do with liberty and taxes (for the most part). Just to name a few: Local "city taxes" on restaraunts "Licensing of personal liberties such as "dog licenses" Dry Counties/Blue Laws (need to be addressed!) And many many more! So stay tuned and feel free to write! I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write, but I am hoping to add new content as often as possible. I also hope to cover libertarian/tea party/personal liberty candidates soon.