Skip to main content

What are some of the biggest political issues in the red river area?

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 our families!?
  • Gun "Reform" - There has been alot of talk recently about limiting ownership of firearms, and even banning semi automatic rifles all together. The biggest arguments against this are that it is a constitutional right, people want to hunt for food, protection, and people enjoy target practice... but this isn't enough for some people. Lest we forget though, there is a feral hog problem in Texas, there are wolves in Alaska- guns (especially semi-auto rifles) can be life or death! For us in the red river area, we have small bears and coyotes, as well as hard to kill pests such as raccoons and possums but the need is no less. Plus, who doesn't love shooting watermelons for fun?
  • Cannabis Reform - The Daniel Boone National Forest is the second biggest area in the United States for growing marijuana illegally. We just have good soil and climate for it. That means our soil is good for industrial hemp and medical cannabis as well. Right now China is the number one producer of hemp in the world with 44,000 TONS a year! Forget tariffs, lets just outgrow them!! Our jails and law enforcement budgets could use the break.
  • Dry County/Blue Laws - Research has proven that there are more drunk driving accidents in dry counties than in wet counties due to people having to drive longer distances to get alcohol. Additionally, last I checked Jesus drank wine as well. Just because your denomination doesn't believe in drinking alcohol doesn't mean others don't- heck a one of the best times to spread the word of god is over a cold beer!
So what do you all think? What are some of the biggest issues in our area? If you live in the area (Irvine, Ravenna, Stanton, Clay City, Means, Slade, Bowen, Frenchburg, Campton, or surrounding areas) feel free to chime in. I'd love to hear more!
Labels:

Comments

  1. ChadApril 16, 2018 at 3:44 PM

    Hey. Glad to see I am not the only libertarian in this area. I do have some opinions on these topics but typically not popular especially in our region.

    Coal - Let the market decides what happens to coal. How many coal jobs are left and should we concentrate more on bringing more industry to eastern KY?

    Taxes - I hate them.

    Guns - It is just amazing how blind people are to history. Governments are not your friend. They will take everything from you if you are not vigilant.

    Blue laws - Please for the love of Christ can I buy a margarita at the Mexican place in Stanton?


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew EdwardsAugust 2, 2018 at 11:14 AM

      Sorry I didn't see your comment until just now when I was checking our analytics! Its awesome to see other active Libertarians in the area! Add the Red River Libertarians twitter or instagram and reach out. Its my hope to have a Libertarian round table or coffee meetup here soon with Frank Harris and some other Libertarians in the area to see what we can do!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What HB 366 and SB 151 mean to us

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dangerous Time and Dangerous Precidents

 Let me start off by saying I actually do get some weird joy watching leftists get pepper sprayed and taken down on camera, because, well, I don't like commies. Likewise, I don't like Letitia James - I think she is on the far left and has tried pressuring banks into not working with gun manufacturers (let alone her prosecution of a political opponent). BUT - I have to be honest. Its all getting to be a bit too much. The indictment of Letitia James, James Comey, and the upcoming indictment of John Bolton (who I also actually don't like) are a little tyrant-y and are setting us up for some dangerous times. Are these powers the president should have in a free society? Are we under the illusion that when the left regains office (which will happen again, maybe in 4 years, maybe in 8... but we'd be fools to believe it won't) that they won't go on arresting sprees of their own in revenge?  Then there is the national guard and ICE pushing back protesters and slamming pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Its been a big week for Libertarians!! #taxday #420

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...
Post a Comment
Read more