Why I’m Running

I am running for Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives in the 138th District to stop the Republocrats in Harrisburg from relentlessly taxing the people and mostly wasting the funds they extort.

To borrow from the Declaration of Independence, “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of [Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness], it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Harrisburg truly has “erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”

Here’s my stance on some issues:

1. Abolish property taxes. Governments should have no right to confiscate your home if you can’t pay ever-increasing taxes. In effect, Pennsylvanians are paying rent to the State for shelter – directly if they are a homeowner and indirectly through their landlord if they rent. You can never truly own your home if you have to pay rent on it. I support HB76 as tax-neutral step in the right direction towards abolition, learn more here.
   
2. Abolish the state personal income tax. Pennsylvanians must pay a >3% personal income tax on every dollar earned, whether salary, interest, capital gains on any property sold, etc. YOUR income from YOUR labor should belong to YOU and no one else, especially the government, has the right to steal it from you. [I wrote about income taxes here when I ran for US House in 2010.]
3. Universal charity or public use tax deduction. Rather than have your tax dollars legally plundered and used willy-nilly to finance the Republocrat elites’ salaries’ and pet programs, dollar-for-dollar you can at least specify a charity or other public use for all your tax dollars to go towards instead. Do you see good brought to your local area by United Way? A local road repair crew? Your child’s school? A charity to provide care to single mothers? Then at least direct the money the State plundered from you into something that enriches your life. *
4. End the state monopoly on education. Parents and their children should be free to choose the best way to learn whether it is a choice of government schools, private schools, parochial schools, cyber schools or online learning, homeschooling or unschooling. Privatization of government schools should be heavily considered locally, as the all-in per student cost is fast approaching $20,000 per student in Nazareth Area School District, and other school districts in the 138th district suffer from similar unbelievable costs.
5. End the “war” on drugs by decriminalizing non-violent drug use. Addiction is a medical problem, not a criminal issue. Pennsylvania could follow the path of Portugal, which has seen sharp drops in addiction and drug use by reforms consisting of drug decriminalization, medical care and empathy. The government does not own you or your body. I support cannabis and industrial hemp legalization. The drug war has ruined countless lives and cost exorbitant sums of money just like alcohol prohibition in the 1920s. Legalizing drugs will eradicate violent drug gangs and cartels along with wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars on enforcement costs by police, judges and prosecutors whose jobs depend on the drug war. Legalizing drugs destroys the profit incentive for gangs and cartels to use violence.  **
6. You have a natural right to freedom from tyranny by the use of force. I would follow the Pennsylvania Constitution, Article I, Section 21, which reads: “The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.” This is inline with the Second Amendment in the United States Constitution, read my further thoughts here.
7. Women cannot legitimately be forced into carrying and having a baby against their will. I am pro-choice. However, I will not support using state taxes to fund abortions since forcing taxpayers to contribute towards acts they so strongly disagree with is utterly immoral. History shows a black market will exist if abortions are banned. Further thoughts can be read here.

Pennsylvanians have a terrible choice between the Republican or Democratic Parties – what I call a two-headed, one-party system. The Republocrats are more like the Arsenic Party versus the Cyanide Party. Each party tries to convince you that their arsenic tastes great, but the other party’s cyanide will kill you. They seek to extort the incomes and control the lives of Pennsylvanians with their stranglehold on government and keep independents or any third party from having any influence in the political process with their harsh ballot access laws that practically forbid any competition to their elite ballot status, and usually make getting on the ballot a herculean task.

I will be on the ballot as a Libertarian. I have been an elected Libertarian for 5 years as Lower Nazareth Township auditor and Judge of Elections in Bethlehem Township. Libertarians believe in liberty for each individual, regardless of gender, religion, economic status or skin color. The party’s Statement of Principles which have remained unchanged since 1971 is available here. Fed up with the Republocrats? You can learn more and change your party registration to Libertarian for free here.

I am also running to honor the memory of Alexander Humanick, a friend and a great libertarian whose life was cut tragically short in April at the age of 25. Alex was wise and mature far beyond his years and a great friend to all who knew him. He was a Libertarian candidate for office multiple times and would have been on the 2018 ballot for state senate had he lived. In our last conversation, he reminded me of the chills he felt at Monticello as he saw Thomas Jefferson’s quote on the wall – “The last hope of human liberty in this world rests on us.”

* Of course, this may be far easier to enact on something like the state income tax and far more difficult to arrange on Pennsylvania’s wide array of taxes like the 6% sales tax, $0.58/gallon tax on gasoline, 14% tax on cell phone service, 2% real estate sales tax, liquor/beer tax, cannabis tax, cigarette/tobacco tax, 6% hotel tax, tolls, car registration tax, car rental tax, tire tax, gambling tax. (Oh, I forgot the State may get a 4.5-15% bite of your estate when you die of anything you managed to save from taxation while alive.)

** Learn about the economics of government-sponsored bans on anything by reading “The Plastic Straw Ban.” Read “What Would It Take to Win the Drug War?” for an article on the cycle the drug war creates and the futility of government violence.