Who to vote for in November?
Who to vote for in Nov?
I have pondered this a lot more than any other election. Here is my conclusion.
There are three people on the ballot for US Senate.
In any other election without a Libertarian on the ballot, Allen would likely be my choice. He's ok on taxes. He's renounced his previous support of gun control. On most issues of smaller government he's about the best the Republicans can offer (true that's not saying much).
However this year sending a Republican to Congress, means you are also supporting all of the stupid things they have done. Everything from legalizing torture, suspending habeas corpus, repealing the Posse Comitatus Act, outlawing Internet gambling, and continuing the costly War in Iraq.
There is just no way I'm voting for a Republican this year.
The Democrats are running Ronald Regan's former Navy Secretary, Jim Webb. Being a former Republican, Webb is definitely in the "Conservative" Democrat category. On his website, he's published his answers to the NRA survey and appears to be very pro-gun. On other important issues, Webb is basically opposed to the War and will likely work to repeal the stupidity that the Republicans have done while in power. Sounds perfect right?
However there of course is a downside. Sending a Democrat to the Senate, means we are also helping to put people like Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, and Dianne Feinstein in power. Webb also shares a lot in common with these Statists. On TV, Webb has an ad which implies he supports a higher minimum wage and the usual Liberal healthcare "reforms." A vote for Webb obviously means putting more small businesses out of business, increasing unemployment, moving another step toward "socialized" medicine, and trading one group of Statists for another.
Sorry but there is no way I'm voting for a Democrat this time.
So who's left? Gail "For Rail" Parker. She is running as an Independent Green. Could she be the best choice?
The Independent Greens are not affiliated with the national Green Party. They are "more Conservative" than the national Greens. They claim to be "fiscally conservative, socially responsible." That's certainly a welcome change from the national Greens who seem to think "I'm for taxing and spending out of control" is a great campaign slogan.
Parker has also joined the Libertarian Party. This is a great step forward for any third party candidate since they are basically saying that they support individual liberty and personal responsibility. I have the honor of serving as LPVA Chair and Parker has personally contacted me to see how we can work together.
So far so good...but (There's always a but)...there are some other issues to consider.
First it appears that Parker has not only joined the Libertarian Party, but almost every other "third" party. Since most Libertarians are principled individuals, I'm sure many will wonder exactly how she can support all of these conflicting positions.
Second, Parker's main issue is bringing light rail to Virginia. Anyone who has done much research on the issue, knows that light rail is expensive and inefficient. Just search the Cato Institute's website for "light rail" "sprawl" or similar terms.
There is also the question of where all the money is going to come to pay for this new program. It appears that instead of decreasing government spending, the "fiscally conservative" action will be to just shift the money around. And lets face it, the likely outcome will be to not cut anything but to borrow more money or increase taxes for
this new program.
In spite of some good rhetoric, Parker turns out to be someone I don't really want to vote for.
Well None of the Above really sounds good to me. However if you write that in, the registrar will toss out your vote. So what's left...
The LPVA State Central Committee, at the last meeting, voted to recommend to members that they write in the name "Jim Lark." Anyone who has been around the Libertarian movement for very long, probably knows Jim Lark.
Lark is a former National LP Chairman. He currently serves on the LPVA's State Central Committee. He is the hardest working activist in the state and probably the whole US.
Lark is one of the brightest people I've ever met. He's an adjunct professor at UVa. He's the only person I know that has an algorithm named after him.
Lark unfortunately is not on the ballot. He is also not running nor is he the officially endorsed candidate of the Libertarian Party. However, he's about the only person I can think of that I'd be comfortable voting for. So I'll be writing in his name on Election Day.
-Leonard T. Harris