I had a 10 minute interview on WRVA with Doc Thompson today, which went well. Also, I just finished this newsletter...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
New Endorsement
I just received the endorsement the Newport News activist, Minister Darrel Whitaker. He was kind enough to send a copy of an e-mail about me that was sent to his readers and I have his permission to post it here:
After talking to Mr. Quigley about a Felon's right to vote and the eighth amendment, I met with him and some of the members of the Libertarian Party. I was curious about other rights of citizens being perverted. The meeting was extremely informative. I found that the Libertarian Party is the only Party that is for change, but not the change I expected. This was really not a change to something new, but a change to something old: the original interpretation of The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of The United States of America.
These documents have been the cornerstone of this country's belief in its freedom. Sadly these documents have also been the most distorted and perverted of this country's history. Through their political appointments of Supreme Court, state and local judges, and the abuse of their powers on every level, politicians have betrayed the public trust.
The evidence is quite clear to those of sound mind and knowledge of the history and intent of the Constitution and Declaration.
This Government has become exactly what the framers of these documents were freeing themselves from in the first place when they inserted safe guards to insure government's control by the people. The Bill of Rights for instance, has been interpreted as rights controlled by the government, rather than rights to be protected by the Government. They have turned a nightmare into the unalienable rights mentioned in The Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This Government has seized power; complete power over our lives. Our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has become their choice, not their responsibility.
The Libertarian Party, in my opinion, represents a more citizen-oriented Government. It pushes for the choice of what kind of life we may live, while protecting our liberty in our pursuit of happiness. It is the only Party advocating the return of the government to the people. If you are poor, it is the best chance for you to rely on your own ability to navigate your own life, as you attempt and begin your climb to a better life for your family. If you are middle class it will help to make your climb more solid, as you build family wealth for the next generation and know that the government can't just take it from you. If you are rich through your own hard work, well the sky is the limit.
I strongly recommend that poor people and people of color take a closer look at the Libertarians. AS a matter of fact, everyone should take a closer look at the Libertarian Party.
- Minister Darrel C. Whitaker
After talking to Mr. Quigley about a Felon's right to vote and the eighth amendment, I met with him and some of the members of the Libertarian Party. I was curious about other rights of citizens being perverted. The meeting was extremely informative. I found that the Libertarian Party is the only Party that is for change, but not the change I expected. This was really not a change to something new, but a change to something old: the original interpretation of The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of The United States of America.
These documents have been the cornerstone of this country's belief in its freedom. Sadly these documents have also been the most distorted and perverted of this country's history. Through their political appointments of Supreme Court, state and local judges, and the abuse of their powers on every level, politicians have betrayed the public trust.
The evidence is quite clear to those of sound mind and knowledge of the history and intent of the Constitution and Declaration.
This Government has become exactly what the framers of these documents were freeing themselves from in the first place when they inserted safe guards to insure government's control by the people. The Bill of Rights for instance, has been interpreted as rights controlled by the government, rather than rights to be protected by the Government. They have turned a nightmare into the unalienable rights mentioned in The Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This Government has seized power; complete power over our lives. Our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has become their choice, not their responsibility.
The Libertarian Party, in my opinion, represents a more citizen-oriented Government. It pushes for the choice of what kind of life we may live, while protecting our liberty in our pursuit of happiness. It is the only Party advocating the return of the government to the people. If you are poor, it is the best chance for you to rely on your own ability to navigate your own life, as you attempt and begin your climb to a better life for your family. If you are middle class it will help to make your climb more solid, as you build family wealth for the next generation and know that the government can't just take it from you. If you are rich through your own hard work, well the sky is the limit.
I strongly recommend that poor people and people of color take a closer look at the Libertarians. AS a matter of fact, everyone should take a closer look at the Libertarian Party.
- Minister Darrel C. Whitaker
The New Healthcare Law
I've written my thoughts on the Healthcare plan, but I wanted to post some quotes from others who 'get it':
From the Hugh Hewitt Show's interview with Mark Steyn on March 25th, 2010:
Hugh Hewitt: Now they tell us, Mark Steyn. It’s a spread the wealth around bill.
Mark Steyn: Yeah, that’s right. I thought it was supposed to spread the health around, but as you say, it’s going to be spreading the wealth around. I mean, I think this is right, that this is, that the concept behind this bill is actually an income redistribution bill. If you look at the additional taxes that will be imposed on small businesses, and when people say the very wealthy, by the way, they’re talking…people think you mean Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. It’s not. It’s going to be a lot of small businesses, and a lot of guys doing various kinds of jobs where they employ three or four people who are going to have additional regulation, and additional taxes, and additional costs in pursuit of this grubby deal. And by the way, I don’t want to be told by a Senator that I’m too wealthy, because Senators in this country are a disgrace to republican government and the concept of citizen legislatures. They prance around with these vast retinues of the size of an average Gulf emir. Max Baucus hardly ever has to do anything in his life that requires him to reach in his pocket and get out a $20 dollar bill, or write a personal check. I don’t want to be told by Senators, I don’t want to be told by Senators that I’m too wealthy, and that’s why they need to over-regulate me, and overtax me to give it to their preferred constituency groups.
Hugh Hewitt: And it’s not going to go to…you know, the older people on Medicare Advantage, who are going to get their Medicare Advantage chopped off, and their $500 billion dollars of benefits deleted, so that the unions can keep their Cadillac plans…
Mark Steyn: Right, right.
Hugh Hewitt: They’re not, this isn’t wealth distribution for them. It’s for preferred constituents.
Mark Steyn: Yes, and that’s what this bill…this is why, as I said last week, Hugh, this is why it’s actually worse than the sort of equality of mediocrity that, the equality of awfulness, in fact, that characterizes a lot of socialized health care systems around the world, because this is worse than that. You’ve got all the smoke-filled room horse trading by which certain preferred interest groups have got opt outs from the most punitive aspects of this legislation, depending on how plugged you are to the Democratic Party. And this is the lie, by the way, to go back to this idiot, Baucus. The really wealthy guys have got the workarounds. They know how to pick up the phone and call someone in Washington who can make the problem go away. It’s the guys holding up this country, it’s the small businessmen holding up this country who haven’t got the workarounds, who can’t afford the expensive lawyers and lobby groups, that can call someone like Max Baucus and make the problem go away. So if you think…anybody who’s stupid enough to think this is a way of sticking it to the mega-wealthy, to the Wall Street plutocrat, to the guy from the Monopoly board, this isn’t going to affect them. They’ve got the workarounds. You don’t.
From the Hugh Hewitt Show's interview with Mark Steyn on March 25th, 2010:
Hugh Hewitt: Now they tell us, Mark Steyn. It’s a spread the wealth around bill.
Mark Steyn: Yeah, that’s right. I thought it was supposed to spread the health around, but as you say, it’s going to be spreading the wealth around. I mean, I think this is right, that this is, that the concept behind this bill is actually an income redistribution bill. If you look at the additional taxes that will be imposed on small businesses, and when people say the very wealthy, by the way, they’re talking…people think you mean Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. It’s not. It’s going to be a lot of small businesses, and a lot of guys doing various kinds of jobs where they employ three or four people who are going to have additional regulation, and additional taxes, and additional costs in pursuit of this grubby deal. And by the way, I don’t want to be told by a Senator that I’m too wealthy, because Senators in this country are a disgrace to republican government and the concept of citizen legislatures. They prance around with these vast retinues of the size of an average Gulf emir. Max Baucus hardly ever has to do anything in his life that requires him to reach in his pocket and get out a $20 dollar bill, or write a personal check. I don’t want to be told by Senators, I don’t want to be told by Senators that I’m too wealthy, and that’s why they need to over-regulate me, and overtax me to give it to their preferred constituency groups.
Hugh Hewitt: And it’s not going to go to…you know, the older people on Medicare Advantage, who are going to get their Medicare Advantage chopped off, and their $500 billion dollars of benefits deleted, so that the unions can keep their Cadillac plans…
Mark Steyn: Right, right.
Hugh Hewitt: They’re not, this isn’t wealth distribution for them. It’s for preferred constituents.
Mark Steyn: Yes, and that’s what this bill…this is why, as I said last week, Hugh, this is why it’s actually worse than the sort of equality of mediocrity that, the equality of awfulness, in fact, that characterizes a lot of socialized health care systems around the world, because this is worse than that. You’ve got all the smoke-filled room horse trading by which certain preferred interest groups have got opt outs from the most punitive aspects of this legislation, depending on how plugged you are to the Democratic Party. And this is the lie, by the way, to go back to this idiot, Baucus. The really wealthy guys have got the workarounds. They know how to pick up the phone and call someone in Washington who can make the problem go away. It’s the guys holding up this country, it’s the small businessmen holding up this country who haven’t got the workarounds, who can’t afford the expensive lawyers and lobby groups, that can call someone like Max Baucus and make the problem go away. So if you think…anybody who’s stupid enough to think this is a way of sticking it to the mega-wealthy, to the Wall Street plutocrat, to the guy from the Monopoly board, this isn’t going to affect them. They’ve got the workarounds. You don’t.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
James Quigley on the Healthcare Bill
Nicole and I did something unusual and dropped in on an Organization for America meeting last night. We thought it would be a good opportunity for us to hear the talking points for the supporters of the healthcare bill since they are pushing once more for its passage. The current Democratic incumbent for Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District showed to speak and said the following:
1.) That if the public option was not included in the bill they would soon attempt to vote for, that it would be introduced later in another bill.
2.) That the public option was to be put into place in order to break the power that the insurance industries currently possess, in order to bring down costs.
3.) That the public option would not be a government takeover of healthcare since it would instead allow a mechanism called the Exchange where several picked insurance companies would sell cheaper healthcare in a government-regulated market.
4.) That everyone will be put under healthcare. If an insurance company is too expensive, an American can opt to instead fall under a cheaper system provided by the Exchange.
5.) That the Democrats would not support allowing insurance companies to sell insurance policies across state borders because the Democrats say there would not be a cost reduction for coverage by doing so.
The audience applauded the speaker at the end of his speech. It was amazing to hear so many of my fellow Americans give praise to a proposal that would further place them into bondage. This bill is intended to strengthen the hold of a select few well-connected health insurance companies at the expense of the American citizen and smaller insurance companies that cannot afford lobbyists or large campaign contributions. Those in the government will have strengthened control over our lives while the insurance companies that are part of the cartel will profit from the destruction of the competition.
Let me break down what is really going on:
1.) The bill is not perfect because it has exploitable loopholes and also graft to buy support, but the supporters in Congress will try to pass it now and fix it later. This reminds me of the Federal Reserve Act which was supposedly written to regulate our financial banking industry, but which was ‘fixed’ later in order to strengthen a shared monopoly, also known as a cartel, against its competitors.
2.) The cartel of insurance companies will be strengthened and subsidized, which will destroy their competition. Any insurance company not able to buy their way into this program will be made an example.
3.) This government sanctioned cartel will work under a system named the Exchange. This will be a private corporation working alongside the government in a similar fashion of the Federal Reserve System.
4.) The citizens will be coerced or mandated to be placed under the Exchange. The Exchange will use its relationship with the government to undersell its competitors.
5.) Only the Exchange will be able to sell policies across borders because of its relationship with the government. All other insurance companies not part of the government-sponsored system will be denied access to do the same. Vive le Exchange! Vive le Roi!
Our government has decided to sell the American citizens to the corporate interests for greater power over our lives, bribes through campaign donations, and behind the scene benefits.
When elected to Congress I will vote down such proposals. When elected to Congress after this passes, I will undo as much of the damage as I am able in order to restore the LIBERTY of our citizens. Our issues of healthcare stem from the rationing and shared monopoly of a few special interest groups. Costs are high because demand is high while we maintain a low supply of necessary goods and services. We need to find ways to increase the amount of pharmaceuticals, doctors, and medical equipment to support our demand via a more competitive market. If the proposed healthcare bill is passed into law, or if our current broken medical system is allowed to continue without reform; then the government and politically connected profit and the American citizen loses. AGAIN.
James Quigley, Libertarian, Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District
JamesQuigley4Congress@gmail.com
JamesQuigley4Congress.com
1.) That if the public option was not included in the bill they would soon attempt to vote for, that it would be introduced later in another bill.
2.) That the public option was to be put into place in order to break the power that the insurance industries currently possess, in order to bring down costs.
3.) That the public option would not be a government takeover of healthcare since it would instead allow a mechanism called the Exchange where several picked insurance companies would sell cheaper healthcare in a government-regulated market.
4.) That everyone will be put under healthcare. If an insurance company is too expensive, an American can opt to instead fall under a cheaper system provided by the Exchange.
5.) That the Democrats would not support allowing insurance companies to sell insurance policies across state borders because the Democrats say there would not be a cost reduction for coverage by doing so.
The audience applauded the speaker at the end of his speech. It was amazing to hear so many of my fellow Americans give praise to a proposal that would further place them into bondage. This bill is intended to strengthen the hold of a select few well-connected health insurance companies at the expense of the American citizen and smaller insurance companies that cannot afford lobbyists or large campaign contributions. Those in the government will have strengthened control over our lives while the insurance companies that are part of the cartel will profit from the destruction of the competition.
Let me break down what is really going on:
1.) The bill is not perfect because it has exploitable loopholes and also graft to buy support, but the supporters in Congress will try to pass it now and fix it later. This reminds me of the Federal Reserve Act which was supposedly written to regulate our financial banking industry, but which was ‘fixed’ later in order to strengthen a shared monopoly, also known as a cartel, against its competitors.
2.) The cartel of insurance companies will be strengthened and subsidized, which will destroy their competition. Any insurance company not able to buy their way into this program will be made an example.
3.) This government sanctioned cartel will work under a system named the Exchange. This will be a private corporation working alongside the government in a similar fashion of the Federal Reserve System.
4.) The citizens will be coerced or mandated to be placed under the Exchange. The Exchange will use its relationship with the government to undersell its competitors.
5.) Only the Exchange will be able to sell policies across borders because of its relationship with the government. All other insurance companies not part of the government-sponsored system will be denied access to do the same. Vive le Exchange! Vive le Roi!
Our government has decided to sell the American citizens to the corporate interests for greater power over our lives, bribes through campaign donations, and behind the scene benefits.
When elected to Congress I will vote down such proposals. When elected to Congress after this passes, I will undo as much of the damage as I am able in order to restore the LIBERTY of our citizens. Our issues of healthcare stem from the rationing and shared monopoly of a few special interest groups. Costs are high because demand is high while we maintain a low supply of necessary goods and services. We need to find ways to increase the amount of pharmaceuticals, doctors, and medical equipment to support our demand via a more competitive market. If the proposed healthcare bill is passed into law, or if our current broken medical system is allowed to continue without reform; then the government and politically connected profit and the American citizen loses. AGAIN.
James Quigley, Libertarian, Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District
JamesQuigley4Congress@gmail.com
JamesQuigley4Congress.com
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Libertarian Defense of Delegate Bob Marshall
Lately, there has been a dangerous trend in this country to limit free speech, with calls for representatives to resign and administrative officials to be removed from office. The latest example of this is occurring in Virginia after Republican Delegate Bob Marshall made a statement against the state funding of Planned Parenthood. The transcript of his discussion had religious connotations that some have called ‘hate speech’ and there are calls for his resignation.
Mr. Bob Marshall was quoted as saying that the “number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion who have handicaps has increased dramatically…Because when you abort the first-born of any, Nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first-born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest, and with the knowledge they have from faith has been verified by a study by the Virginia Commonwealth University. First abortions of the first pregnancy are much more damaging to the woman than latter abortions.”
Mr. Marshall is now under fire from his own political party, with Virginia’s Republican Governor Bob McDonnell taking a shot at the delegate, calling the delegate’s words offensive and wrong. For a political party that beats its chest about supporting the Constitution, there seems to be a sudden lack of consideration for the 1st Amendment and Mr. Marshall’s right to free speech. The delegate identifies himself as a devout Catholic, and so his faith is going to shape his thoughts and beliefs. There are plenty of analogies in the bible of God punishing individuals and civilizations for not following the bible’s guidelines. In addition to his religious views, Mr. Marshall also cites scientific data from Virginia Commonwealth University which has influenced his opinion. For Delegate Marshall to change his belief and thoughts on abortion when it comes to his personal studies and experiences is akin to asking him to toss away a portion of his own self-identity. This is why freedom of speech is so important, because it is connected to individualism as well as healthy political dialogue. Instead of lampooning free speech, Governor McDonnell would have done us a better service by quoting Voltaire as I would have done, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
If Delegate Bob Marshall attempts to force his morality onto the population through legislation then it would be time for us to speak out against him. However, his fight against the state funding of Planned Parenthood should be supported. The government forces taxpayers to participate in government-sponsored population control. Taxpayers can decide to help change the laws that use their money to fund programs they are morally against, accept this state of affairs, or stop paying taxes and go to jail. Legislative change is the only logical recourse to those who wish to object the usage of their taxpaying dollars.
Finally, I’m more concerned with a politician’s legislative record than his recorded transcripts. Recently, Delegate Bob Marshall pushed a bill to support states rights in regards to a takeover of health care by the Federal government. This bill is called HB-10, the Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act (VHFA), and it states that "No law shall restrict an individual’s natural right and power of contract liberty to choose private health care systems or private plans."
Instead of taking his time to lampoon supporters of my natural rights, I’d rather see Governor McDonnell support Delegate Bob Marshall's right to free speech and HB-10 legislation. While he is at it, the governor could also push his party hard to pass Democratic delegate Ward Armstrong's HB-651 and HB-652, which gives the individual greater protection from eminent domain. Our representatives must aggressively restore individual rights, rather than actively denying them.
James Quigley
- Chair of the Peninsula Libertarian Party (vplp.org)
- Libertarian collecting petitions to appear on the ballot for the 3rd Congressional District
of Virginia (jamesquigley4congress.com; jamesquigley4congress@gmail.com)
Mr. Bob Marshall was quoted as saying that the “number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion who have handicaps has increased dramatically…Because when you abort the first-born of any, Nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first-born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest, and with the knowledge they have from faith has been verified by a study by the Virginia Commonwealth University. First abortions of the first pregnancy are much more damaging to the woman than latter abortions.”
Mr. Marshall is now under fire from his own political party, with Virginia’s Republican Governor Bob McDonnell taking a shot at the delegate, calling the delegate’s words offensive and wrong. For a political party that beats its chest about supporting the Constitution, there seems to be a sudden lack of consideration for the 1st Amendment and Mr. Marshall’s right to free speech. The delegate identifies himself as a devout Catholic, and so his faith is going to shape his thoughts and beliefs. There are plenty of analogies in the bible of God punishing individuals and civilizations for not following the bible’s guidelines. In addition to his religious views, Mr. Marshall also cites scientific data from Virginia Commonwealth University which has influenced his opinion. For Delegate Marshall to change his belief and thoughts on abortion when it comes to his personal studies and experiences is akin to asking him to toss away a portion of his own self-identity. This is why freedom of speech is so important, because it is connected to individualism as well as healthy political dialogue. Instead of lampooning free speech, Governor McDonnell would have done us a better service by quoting Voltaire as I would have done, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
If Delegate Bob Marshall attempts to force his morality onto the population through legislation then it would be time for us to speak out against him. However, his fight against the state funding of Planned Parenthood should be supported. The government forces taxpayers to participate in government-sponsored population control. Taxpayers can decide to help change the laws that use their money to fund programs they are morally against, accept this state of affairs, or stop paying taxes and go to jail. Legislative change is the only logical recourse to those who wish to object the usage of their taxpaying dollars.
Finally, I’m more concerned with a politician’s legislative record than his recorded transcripts. Recently, Delegate Bob Marshall pushed a bill to support states rights in regards to a takeover of health care by the Federal government. This bill is called HB-10, the Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act (VHFA), and it states that "No law shall restrict an individual’s natural right and power of contract liberty to choose private health care systems or private plans."
Instead of taking his time to lampoon supporters of my natural rights, I’d rather see Governor McDonnell support Delegate Bob Marshall's right to free speech and HB-10 legislation. While he is at it, the governor could also push his party hard to pass Democratic delegate Ward Armstrong's HB-651 and HB-652, which gives the individual greater protection from eminent domain. Our representatives must aggressively restore individual rights, rather than actively denying them.
James Quigley
- Chair of the Peninsula Libertarian Party (vplp.org)
- Libertarian collecting petitions to appear on the ballot for the 3rd Congressional District
of Virginia (jamesquigley4congress.com; jamesquigley4congress@gmail.com)
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