The ‘90s, a Topless Bar and Libertarians in San Diego

Is this 1990? Really, is this 1990 all over again? Then why is Republican presidential frontrunner John McCain spouting off about "no new taxes" if elected? I know, Republicans are in awe of the Reagan years, but come on! Stop stealing campaign promises from Reagan's former vice president! 

Though, while this is amusing, it also seems someone didn't do neighborhood scoping plans well enough. Yes, Hillary Clinton's Austin, Texas campaign headquarters is next door to a topless bar. Furthermore, it seems her husband was an hour late to the new headquarters. Hmmm... I wonder, I wonder...

What ever could have kept the former president up? In all seriousness, I really hope this doesn't turn out to look too bad on her campaign. Topless dancers aside, the Democrats are pretty split. So split, in fact, they called forth Al Gore to help clean up the mess. And this, my friends, brings up the term superdelegates. 

No, readers, we're not in a Marvel comic book, superdelegates are over 750 REAL people who will finally, once and for all, decide the Democrat's candidate for president. I know, when I heard the term, I pictured Superman and Batman stepping into the Democratic National Convention to cast their votes. Though that WOULD bring some much needed excitement to the proceedings, in my opinion.

Also, this weekend in sunny San Diego is the Libertarian Annual Convention of Delegates for California.

Your Libertarian Citizen Voices blogger is going to try VERY hard to cover it for all of you, if he can! Check the blog for more updates. I'll be discussing it next week either way.

-Steven Garrett is a professional food blogger who lives in Chula Vista.

I Wish I Could Quit You, Ron Paul

Christine Smith won the Libertarian primaries not just in California, but in most of the country holding Libertarian primaries.
In covering the Libertarian views, I wanted to share this
video where Christine Smith was interviewed. It’s a good video, and it also goes into what the Libertarian party is really all about.

The big news over the weekend was Mitt Romney bowing out, thus leaving the GOP nomination up to Ron Paul and John McCain. 

You know, this puts me in a serious dilemma. Do I remain with one candidate, or switch to another?

Read full article

Super Fat Tuesday!

Happy Super Fat Tuesday!  As Mardi Gras winds down, and the last party revs up in San Diego, I'd like to recount my voting day for you.

First off, I'm a registered Libertarian.  So, I had thought I might be able to vote as a Democrat possibly due to the open election, just to try it out.  But, as I found out thanks to These Days, I couldn't.  So, I decided to head out to my polling place.

On the drive, I was confused over who to vote for.  The choices, in my mind, were narrowed down to George Phillies, Steve Kubby, or Christine Smith.  Now, I had the chance to hear Christine Smith speak before thanks to her radio show, and she has a good head on her shoulders.

And as I agree with some Democrats that it is time for a woman to be in the White House (and I like the cut of her jib!), I decided to vote for her.

So next up is to vote itself!  I rode up to my temple, which also happened to be my nearest voting place.  And who do I see but Amy, one of the reporters for KPBS!  We chuckled over that, and she said she didn't have to interview ME, as I could just blog about it.  Which I'm doing now, as we speak. 

Overall, the voting itself was rather painless, and I'm now back home and blogging.

Ralph Wiggum (I-Springfield) for President

If the presidential election were held tomorrow, I would vote for Ralph Wiggum (I-Springfield).  I do not expect him to win, and if he does win, I do not know how the  Supreme Court would rule on the constitutionality of an animated character holding elected office.

But practicality does not change the primary reason for the vote: None Of The Above is not a choice on my ballot.

I consider myself a little “l” Libertarian.  I believe in personal responsibility and minimal government interference in personal lives. That said, there are some positions where personal character takes precedence over agreeing with my policy views.  I want a president who I believe has good instincts for deciding the issues that haven't yet appeared. 

'Change' has become a popular word during the campaign so far. All the mainstream candidates seem to agree that change is good.

Despite the attraction of fiscal conservatism, the social nanny-statism of the Republican candidates is too much to take. While crying out for change, they seem to be racing to capture the evangelical vote to the exclusion of all others and in co-opting whatever goodwill President Bush has left by ratifying his most egregious mistakes.

Change appears to be nothing but a word about reprinting the letterhead to reflect a new regime, not a change in policy or direction. 

The Democratic candidates talk about change too. I have no doubt there would be change, at least in rhetoric, under a democratic administration. The two frontrunners as reported in national polls - Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - have conspicuous gaps in their careers as far as actually attempting to implement change. One notable example in my opinion is the issue involving the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy regarding homosexual service members.  Both candidates claim to oppose the policy, yet neither has introduced legislation to repeal the policy in the Senate.  

By voting for Mr. Wiggum, I know what I'm voting for.  A caricature whose personality has been molded and crafted by groups over the years based on ratings and consumer feedback. A fictional entity with no pretense toward free will or independent decision-making ability.  I'm voting for a cardboard cutout and if he wins I'll get a cardboard cutout for president.  That might not be much different than what I'd get if I voted for one of the other candidates, but my cardboard cutout will be here by choice, not by pretense and market research.

By voting for Ralph, win or lose, I also get what I want, which is to say loud and clear to the Republican and Democratic parties that enough is enough. This country deserves real leaders who can honestly debate issues, and have worked during their public careers to honestly address issues. The United States does not deserve to have someone as president just because they've avoided being pinned down on the controversial issues of the day.  That kind of track record does not lend itself toward honestly confronting controversial issues while in office and cannot earn my support.