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September 15, Meet Up In Woodbridge - By Paulo Fabrizio

 

On Wednesday September 15 the Ontario Libertarian Party hosts a speech and munchies night.  The guest speaker, Gerry Nicholls of The National Citizens' Coalition (Canada's largest pro-free enterprise advocacy organization) speaks on "Why They Won't Cut our Taxes." You know who they are, but do you know why?

 

Gerry is dedicated to that group's promotion and defense of basic political and economic freedoms. Born in Windsor, Gerry earned an MA in journalism from the University of Western Ontario and an MA in History from the University of Windsor. His op-ed articles have appeared in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Montreal Gazette, the Vancouver Sun, the Calgary Herald, and numerous other publications. He is also a frequent guest on radio and television shows.

 

The event is at the Match Restaurant (tel. 905-850-5699), in Woodbridge at 177 Whitmore Rd. (runs south off Hwy 7, one street west of Weston Rd, 2 streets east of Pine Valley Dr.).  Pizza, soft drinks and munchies will be available from 6:30 PM. Speaker at 7:30.  Reservation is under the name of Paulo Fabrizio (call him if you need further directions – 905-851-7953). No fee but donations to the Ontario Libertarian Party are welcomed.

 

Sign Up. The Federal LP Needs You - By Jim McIntosh

 

Some of you may know that the Communist Party successfully challenged Elections Canada’s requirement that a political party run 50 candidates in a general election in order to maintain their registration. The court struck this down as unconstitutional.  Among other benefits, registration allows a political party to issue tax receipts for political contributions, to receive unspent election funds from candidates, and to have a candidate's political affiliation listed on the ballot. 

 

In response the Liberals, with support from the PCs and NDP, passed Bill C-3 just before the last election.  Now any political party that runs at least one candidate in a general election or by-election and complies with the legal requirements in the Act may be registered. One of the “legal requirements” is that the party provides the names, addresses and signatures of 250 electors and their declarations that they are members of the party and support the party's application for registration.  Every political party must do this by November 15, 2004 and every three years thereafter in order to maintain their registration!  

 

WE NEED YOU!  Please complete form EC 20036 (available at www.elections.ca or by phoning 1 800 463-6868) and send it to us in the return envelope or to Libertarian Party of Canada, 2052 Ste-Marie, Embrun Ontario K0A-1W0.  The Registrar of Political Parties at Elections Canada will send you a confirmation form. When you receive this form please fill it out and mail it back to Elections Canada, confirming that you are a party member, that you are qualified to vote, and that you signed the application.

 

Please make copies for friends and relatives who share your libertarian views and send them in as well.  Completing the form is all that is required to become a member of the Libertarian Party of Canada, but any donation will be welcomed, and a tax receipt will be issued.

 

We’re All Boiling Frogs - By Letitia Montana

 

Long before Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9-11 was making the rounds at the box office, a Toronto-based group by the name of Boiling Frog (www.boilingfrog.ca) ran a series of independently produced videos questioning the official 9-11 story. While mainstream media was singing to the choir of “Osama did it! Let’s get him!” concerned citizens-turned-filmmakers from all over the US and Canada were producing videos drawing some obvious exclamation marks around the events of that day.

 

In the wake of 9-11, many people had trouble buying into the official story. However, how many people would openly voice their doubts when, thanks to the media machine, anyone questioning the war on terrorism is labeled either unpatriotic or a hater of democracy! Being called a conspiracy nut is not much better either.

 

But what do you do when the questions keep popping up? When your mind sees through the propaganda? What you do is you turn off CNN, turn a blind eye to those ever-present headlines, and resolve to get some real news for a change.

 

And because going against mainstream media may feel like a lonely place, it’s always nice to connect with like-minded people at events such as the Boiling Frog screenings. The name Boiling Frog, by the way is a reference to the idea that “we’re all like frogs oblivious to the water starting to boil.”

 

Let us hope enough of us wake up and start reversing these trends, lest we all end up as boiling frogs.

Leader’s Report - By Sam Apelbaum

 

Humans are both naturally competitive and collabor­ative.  Members of the species without these characteristics long ago lost their primitive struggle for survival and became extinct.  The recently concluded summer Olympic games in Athens, Greece demonstrates in a microcosm the competi­tive trait.  As observers it was difficult not to identify with Canadian athletes competing in often-obscure sports.  We found ourselves living vicariously, affected by their competitive successes and failures.  At the same time our inherent collaborative nature manifested itself in our identifica­tion with our own national group contesting with other national groups. 

 

This atavistic desire to belong to a winning group is the only explanation I have for the infatuation of so many with political parties that have paraded over time under the conserva­tive banner in Canada.  Seemingly intelligent and rational people, who would be good prospects for our own party, join and support conservative parties because they believe they have some prospect of winning.  For them, the fact these parties differ in no fundamental respect from their non-conservative opponents is irrelevant or, at least, unrecognized.

 

The behavior of the newly named Conservative Party in the recently concluded federal election illustrates the futility of working within political parties calling themselves conservative. As time passes, it becomes clear all the Conservative Party will be conserving in its quest for power is a conservative form of socialism.  Socialist ideology is inconsistent with and scornful of human nature and there is no way that anyone can make it work in practice. Consequently, whenever conservatives happen to win elections, their compromise with the dominant ideology - in order to receive and retain political power - results in any of their actions inconsistent with socialist ideology being blamed for their failures. 

 

 

Lacking any firmly held and unwavering principles about the proper role for government, conservatives always end up allowing their opponents to claim the high road when it comes to such matters as healing the sick, banishing ignorance and assisting the poor.  Conservatives are reduced to arguing that fully traveling that shining path is impractical and too costly.  By conceding moral stature to the enemy, conservatives find themselves tailoring their views to make them more palatable and more like those of their opponents. 

 

Our party is the only political party in Canada, which unfailingly works to achieve broader acceptance of ideas promoting liberty. We unequivocally assert human progress requires socialism and all other variants of fraudulent collectivist ideology be resisted and defeated in their entirety without compromise. Those who agree with us should work with us, and not waste time, money or energy on conservative political parties.

 

 

Dalton McGuinty in Hell - By George Dance

 

Some time in the future, Dalton McGuinty dies and goes to Heaven.  At the Pearly Gates he meets St. Peter, who tells him: "Mr. McGuinty, you have been given a choice; you can either spend eternity in Heaven, or spend it in Hell."

"Gee, I don't know, " replies McGuinty.  "Without my pollsters and advisers, how am I supposed to decide?"

"You will spend one day in Hell, and one day in Heaven," the saint tells him, "and then decide which one you prefer."  McGuinty agrees, and the next day takes the elevator down to Hell.

 

Exiting the elevator, McGuinty finds himself in a lavish country club.  A huge party is in progress, both in the club and spilling outside into the perfect weather.  Countless demon-servants scurry among the guests, bearing trays of every kind of food and drink one could want.  Incubi and succubi also mingle with the crowd, promising unimaginable sexual pleasures.

 

 

McGuinty relaxes and joins the party.  He liberally helps himself to the food and drink (not to mention the succubi).  He runs into Trudeau, Chrétien, Martin - all his Liberal heroes - and they have a wonderful time reminiscing about and mutually praising their political careers.  They introduce him to the Devil, who also turns out to be an admirer. 

 

McGuinty has never enjoyed himself more.  It is only with great reluctance that he boards the elevator at midnight, to ride back up for his day in Heaven.

He is awakened at dawn for the all-day religious service.  It's an impressive enough service, with the celestial choir and God Himself preaching; but McGuinty is tired and hung-over, and after six hours or so is also bored out of his mind.

So, on the third day, he goes back to St. Peter.  "Have you made your decision?" the saint asks him.

"Yes," McGuinty replies.  "I didn't think I'd say this, but I enjoyed Hell a lot more.  I'd like to spend eternity there."

The saint asks, "Is that your final answer?" and McGuinty assures him that it is.  "So be it," St. Peter replies. 

So McGuinty gets back on the elevator, and rides back down to Hell for all eternity.  This time he emerges into a dank, foggy dungeon, with bodies chained to the walls, screaming in agony while demons torture them mercilessly. 

Suddenly the Devil himself appears, with two accompanying demons.  The demons grab McGuinty and begin to chain him to the wall.  By this time, McGuinty is himself screaming: "What's happening?  Hell wasn't like this two days ago."

The Devil replies: "Two days ago we were campaigning."

 

Jim McIntosh: My Libertarian Of The Year. - Paolo Fabrizio, Libertarian Party candidate for the riding of Vaughan in the June 30 election (388 votes) writes;

 

I ran in the federal election and every day for me was really tough. I would work my normal 10-hour nightshift and spend a few hours with my kids and wife then a few hours going door to door. Usually I would be alone or have my wife and kids come with me.

 

There were days when I wanted to give up.  I didn’t receive a call from any member of our party. It seemed like no one really cared, but then there was Jim who would call me and encourage me. He got me believing in the Libertarian cause time and time again.

 

Every time there was a meeting with the D.R.O Jim would be there. If I had a question Jim would be there to answer it. Anything to do with banking or paper work Jim was there.

 

The best of Jim came out after one of our All Candidates’ debates where I was stumbling with questions and answers. Jim had people listening to every word he spoke. He never stumbled once while talking and always had a precise answer for every question asked. By the end of the night even the Green Party candidate and his wife were agreeing with him.

 

If it wasn’t for Jim the Libertarian Party would have had one less candidate. It was Jim who got me registered and started on our campaign. I feel stronger than ever about being a Libertarian and its all thanks to Jim McIntosh.  I wish all of us would try as hard as Jim.  Maybe we could achieve something.

 

Thanks again Jim. You are my Libertarian of the year.

 

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Letter to the Editor, Reader’s Digest

 

Claudia Cornwall’s article, “Why is Canada Shutting Out Doctors?” in the August issue of Reader’s Digest does not seem to provide an answer to the question posed.  I suggest that the two groups most able to do something about the problem are motivated to restrict the number of doctors practicing medicine in Canada. 

 

Health Care is currently the largest single expenditure for most (if not all) provincial governments.  If we increase the number of doctors, it will mean an increase in the cost of Health Care and taxes, neither of which is desired by the party in power.

 

The College of Physicians and Surgeons has, by law, the authority to set the standards for medical schools, hospitals and doctors.  Before the introduction of tax-paid health care, they could use this power to ensure there was not too much competition for patients.  (The only thing doctors could advertise was their name, specialty, address, and phone number.) Now if more doctors are allowed to practice, they can expect to have a tough time getting any increase in the fee schedule from their only paying customer, the provincial government. So they are not motivated to fix the problem either. 

 

Jim McIntosh

 

 

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I've Been Robbed! Shall I call the police? - By Kathy Hamilton

 

Like thousands of other private property owners in Hastings County, Ontario, I've been robbed of my ownership rights to private property and due democratic process and there's apparently nothing I can do about it.

 

The Corporation of the County of Hastings' "no-smoking bylaw" fraudulently redefines my private property as a "public place" according to the occupants I allow to enter by voluntary mutual consent, rather than pertaining to its ownership/taxation and responsibility for liability and physical/financial maintenance. Furthermore, it fraudulent­ly redefines any volunteers or self-employed contractors as "employees" to enable classification of my property as their "workplace". Boy, those guys really know how to have their cake and eat it too. Don't they? Sure beats the deal they'd get by legally expropriating my privately owned property to “buy out” my property rights at their own expense, doesn't it?

 

They claim their right to make decisions regarding my so-called "public place" and "workplace", but I must still pay all dues of ownership?  So-called "employees" are to be stripped of their rightful and traditional status to enable the prosecution of anyone in my "workplace" but are not to be issued T-4 slips for taxation? I can be fined for the presence of an "ashtray" in my "public place" and "workplace" without a definitive definition of this inanimate object that they have proclaimed so dangerous to all occupants of my property?

 

My private property, like yours, is open to enforcement and its occupants open to prosecution. The privately owned nature of businesses, private clubs or residences matters not according to the wording of this piece of trash legislation.

 

Bickering over exemptions is a farce because the entire bylaw is a farce that relies on voluntary compliance for enforcement.  And it enables its proponents to publicly claim equally fraudulent proof of overwhelming public "support".  In reality, threat-based compliance by terrorized peaceful owners and occupants indicates something entirely to the contrary.  The previous and only ethical leveler of playing fields was Property Rights.  Now, creation of a "level playing field" for this bylaw's purposes, as with all initiatives based on communist principles, requires that no property owner retain full Property Rights.

 

How convenient that all citizens affected don't have direct political recourse against the unelected body that self-servingly defines itself as our "Municipality”. Equally convenient is that this unelected body can over-rule its individual members and directly elected municipal bodies "below" them that are truly representative of and accountable to every citizen affected by their decisions. As witnessed, appointed municipal representatives to County council can, at that “upper tier” level, vote in opposition to the decision of their co-elected “lower tier” municipal councilors and thus the citizens they are supposed to represent. No political recourse and no meaningful representation indicates theft of our democratic process, folks. I hope you didn’t believe that the County is just a benevolent, cost-efficient administrator of voluntary joint agreements between its member municipalities.  

 

My comments highlight but one current example of the many tyrannical legislations that can be utilized to rob Canadians of their Property Rights.

 

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Costa Rica: From Socialism to Libertarianism

The following was excerpted from a speech by Otto Guevara to the US Libertarian Party Convention on July 4, 2002.  Visit www.libertario.org/en/ for more information

 

Costa Rica is a little smaller than New Brunswick with a population of four million people. It is a socialist country where the State has monopolies on insurance, telecommuni­ca­tions, oil refining, access to the Internet, and even in the production of liquor. Further, 93% of students are subject to a total public school indoctrination glorifying the State, which also runs banks, trains and grocery stores, and forces all workers to pay for compulsory health care and pensions which are a fraud.  The State has created an average annual inflation of 18% for more than 25 years. Further, the tax burden on the average Costa Rican consumes about 50% of his salary. That means that two thirds of one's salary is stolen by the State.

 

The Movimiento Libertario was founded on May 25, 1994 by Otto Guevara, Rigoberto Stewart and former Florida Libertarian Party chair Raúl Costales.  At that time the word "libertarian" did not exist in the Costa Rican vocabulary. From the start they decided to emphasize not only the practicality of libertarianism, but also its morality. They believe they have won most of their successes on moral grounds. They undertook a large educational campaign to bring many, many people to the side of freedom with responsibility.  Today, the libertarian position is discussed in ALL political debates.

 

In February 1998, the Movimiento Libertario won one seat in the national Legislative Assembly (or Congress) thanks to proportional representation.  They won 20% of the votes in the province of San José, the most populous, which is assigned 20 of the 57 seats.   Although Otto Guevara introduced more law bills than anyone else, most either did not pass or are still tangled up in the legislative agenda. But they were able to play a major role by changing law bills introduced by others so as to mitigate individual rights violations, close the door on financing new public entities, reduce the tax load and bureaucracy, and avoid new, burdensome economic regulations.

 

 

Furthermore, news media soon learned that Movimiento Libertario could back up its statements and positions with objective proof. As a result, all their articles were published, and journalists welcomed their explanation of libertarian positions and solutions never before heard in Costa Rica.  This in turn helped to spread the libertarian philosophy to every corner of the nation, for free!  Libertarianism is now a topic of study for high school and college students. Otto Guevara was chosen best Congressman in all public opinion polls and also by the news media in each of his 4 years in office

 

In the 2002 election campaign Otto Guevara ran for President and participated in a nationally televised debate with the traditional party candidates.  While he did not win, his campaign helped the Movimiento Libertario win 9.5% of the national vote, giving them 6 seats in Congress. (Unfortunate­ly, one elected member decided he could not support the libertarian principles and resigned from the party.)  With Congress widely split among four parties, the Movimiento Libertario's negotiating power has increased significantly. A libertarian legislator is vice president of Congress, and another is the chair of the equivalent of the Ways and Means Committee, which reviews and votes on the annual government budget. This is the first time in history that such an important position has been in the hands of an opposition party.

 

In concluding his speech at the 2002 US Libertarian Party Convention Otto Guevara said ”The Movimiento Libertario is living proof that an uncompromising, principled, morally centered libertarianism can attract many people in a relatively short time, in countries that had never heard of our philosophy before. And that perhaps the strongest factor that motivates us is that we know that we can change sufficient minds in Costa Rica so that we will achieve liberty in our lifetime.”

 

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“MMM - MMM Bad” – Buyer’s Remorse - By Doug Burn

 

In the last 12 months voters in and around Toronto have stifled their distaste for the charisma-challenged Dalton McGuinty, tax-and-spend David Miller and Ad Scam complicit Paul Martin, only to discover that they have paid too high a price for their anybody-but votes and the goods delivered are not as advertised.

 

Today voters are grumbling to pollsters about the failure of MMM to create the promised nirvana of their lofty agendas. Apparently Prime Minister Martin lacks the cash to solve our health care woes “for a generation” and implement his Cities Agenda. Despite jacking up taxes with a health premium, Premier McGuinty claims he cannot soon fulfill his promises to teachers and health care workers. And poor Mayor Miller with his grandiose plans for billion dollar waterfront and government-transit projects is whining that soul brothers Martin and Miller have short changed Toronto.

 

While all this is very sad news for MMM and we the taxpayers it should at last lay to rest the notion that even when the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars, we won’t be seeing any dawning of the Age of Aquarius any time soon. This is especially grating for the “We want it and we want it now” crowds of protesting special interests that assumed that the eviction of Messrs Cretien, Harris, Eves, Lastman et al would deliver an instant free lunch in a smoke free environment.

 

So, when your co-workers grumble around the water cooler that changing the government didn’t change anything, you can quietly remark, “So, maybe we need less government.”

 

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More Quotations On Government

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. - Barry M. Goldwater

That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves. - Thomas Jefferson

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away. - Ronald Reagan

That government is best which governs least. - Thomas Paine

Democracy: The state of affairs in which you consent to having your pocket picked, and elect the best man to do it. - Benjamin Lichtenberg