Judge Jim Gray - It's A Gray Area

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #264 “BEST WISHES DR. JO!”

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 25 May 2020 21:25:00 +0000

Well, my life became much less complicated this past weekend because I did not receive the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President. Instead the nomination went to Dr. Jo Jorgensen, who is an instructor at Clemson University. My great team was sensational, and I believe my running mate, Larry Sharpe of New York, and I successfully got our message out. But that was not what the delegates wanted. Of course we believe they made a mistake, but they had every right to make it. (You can make up your own minds using this link for the video clip of my nominators’ and my presentations to the delegates in the virtual national convention: https://vimeo.com/421983993.) But now Onward: please join me in congratulating and supporting Dr. Jo as she carries the banner of Liberty forward – for all of us!

Among other things, for me “onward” means that we all should focus this Memorial Day weekend upon the fact that it is our government, and if it isn’t working we have no one to blame but ourselves. So in that spirit, here are the lyrics of the song You Are The We. This is the encore to my new musical Convention: the Birth of America. The song is first sung by George Washington and our moderator Benjamin Franklin and then, increasingly, the entire cast. What do you think? I wish you a Happy and Thoughtful Memorial Day Weekend!

They say you like to call us Founding Fathers,

Our portraits are still in your history books.

To that we’d like to say we’re deeply honored,

And glad to see the artists captured our good looks.

But if we’re your Fathers, you’re our sons and daughters,

With some greats and grands appended that’s for sure.

And though we never met you, we knew you’d be coming along some day,

So we wrote this Constitution to keep you safe and strong the American Way:

Keep it alive, see that it thrives, and pass it along again.

But open your eyes, you have to be wise,

You have to be strong and then:

Teach your children well, maybe even tell them

Of our Founding Fathers, how their sons and daughters

Carried it through a hundred or two perilous years to hand it to you:

For now you . . . you are the People

It’s you . . . you are the We.

It’s yours, your Constitution,

It belongs to you and me.

Yes you . . . you are the People,

It’s you . . . you are the We.

It’s yours, your Constitution,

For this Land of the Free.

Carry it forward, carry it on.

Protect and defend it, in keeping it strong.

And when there is weakness, amend if you must,

But harbor no meekness defending this Trust.

For you . . . you are the People,

It’s you . . . you are the We.

It’s yours, your Constitution

For this Land of the . . . Free!

Quote of the week: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear all past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com. Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with your friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #263 "A PLAN TO WIN"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 18 May 2020 21:19:00 +0000

As you know, I am currently seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. Yes, I know, no third-party candidate has any chance to win the presidency. But, actually, we do. First of all, there is no question that we will not have the tens of millions of dollars and the media attention to compete in large states like California and New York, which will go to Vice President Biden (or whomever the Democrats nominate), or in Texas, which will go to President Trump. Instead, we will spend our resources, time and energy in five small and independent states, as yet to be determined. Then we will engage the local media and speak directly with the voters, looking them in the eye and telling them that their votes will make history. Imagine if we win two or three small states – which could be done by receiving 38 to 40 percent of the vote! In addition, it would almost certainly become newsworthy for the entire country if the Libertarian candidates were beginning to poll stronger in these smaller states. So the national media would begin to explain why that was happening, which gain attention and would also likely result in increased votes for the libertarian down-ballot candidates in other states as well.

So what would happen if we won two or three small states? That could likely result in neither Trump nor Biden winning enough delegates to get a majority in the Electoral College and this, in turn, would place the outcome of the vote with the House of Representatives (as covered by the 12th Amendment). So if the election were to go to the House, it is virtually guaranteed that no Republican would vote for Biden, and no Democrat would vote for Trump. But the list would be restricted to the top three finishers in the election, which would very likely mean the Libertarian would win. (In case you are interested, the Vice President would be selected by the Senate choosing between the top two finishers.) In my view, this is exciting. But even if we only won one state, this would be a revolution for the Libertarian Party, and that alone would help our down-ballot Libertarian candidates for years to come. So life is certainly interesting, and I am excited to report to you about the possibilities. Our nominating convention will take place (remotely) over the next weekend, so I will update you again next week. So please stay tuned!

Song title of the week: “If I’d have shot you when I wanted to, I would be out by now.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear all past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with your friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #262 "TURN A CRUTCH INTO A LADDER"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 11 May 2020 21:15:00 +0000

What if we could implement a system that would vastly reduce the intrusions, expense, bureaucracy and fraud now present with the IRS? And what if at the same time we could pre-empt and abolish the welfare system except for those people with truly special needs? What if we could provide incentives for everyone to earn the extra dollar and to improve themselves, which are demonstrably lacking in today’s system? What if we could at the same time implement an institutional program to assist the homeless? Would you be interested? In other words, what if we could vastly simplify the tax system and also change the welfare system from a Crutch to a Ladder? Please review this proposal, because I believe it will accomplish these goals, thus making so many things better for virtually everyone (except for government bureaucrats and companies like H & R Block!) As you will see, it combines a graduated flat tax with Milton Friedman’s proposal of a Safety Net. So, with these figures used only for illustration, no one will pay any income taxes on their first $30,000 of income (which will be defined as net revenues from virtually any source, including wages, capital gains, interest, etc.) Then they will pay a flat fee of 10 cents for every dollar earned between $30,000 and $100,000, 15 cents for every dollar between $100,001 and $500,000 and 20 cents for every dollar over $500,000. No deductions, so the government won’t have any reason to pry into your private life to see how you spend your money! But what about people who earn no income? Well, regardless of whether they just lost their jobs to a robot, want to go back to school or are just plain lazy, if they are either citizens or hold a valid Green Card and are over 18 years old they will receive a stipend from the federal government for $15,000 per year, probably broken down into monthly payments of $1,250. And, importantly enough, they would lose 50 cents of that stipend for every dollar they earned up to $30,000 – so they would always have an incentive to earn the extra dollar! (Thus, as you can see, $30,000 is the cut-off point where people would pay no taxes but receive no stipend.) Of course this incentive to earn the extra dollar is almost entirely lacking in today’s system, which often provides more incentives not to work than to be productive! (BTW Milton Friedman called his system a “negative income tax,” but I don’t like the word negative so I call it a stipend.) In addition, importantly enough, all other welfare programs would be abolished, except those for people with truly special needs. Think of the benefits! People’s tax returns could be submitted on a postcard, and the savings from not having to keep records and prepare taxes would be staggering. And if the government tried to increase our taxes or – imagine this – reduce our taxes, it would be transparent! Furthermore, imagine the effect of getting rid of all of the bureaucracy, administration expenses, government intrusions and fraud both regarding the IRS and the welfare agencies! And a ladder would be extended where necessary to help people like single parents, veterans, people just released from prison and those going back to school to avoid or to climb up out of poverty.

But what about the homeless? To begin with, I want to make it clear that if I were bleeding on the street, no one would have a legal obligation to help me unless they caused my injuries. But I believe that we will because we want to – we are compassionate people. That would also mean the recipients would not be entitled to receive anything, so maybe they might even be grateful! But if homeless people were receiving $1,250 every month automatically in their ATM accounts, the private sector would quickly create some fairly inexpensive room and board facilities where people could have a roof over their heads and three meals per day for about $1,100 per month, which would still leave the recipients some money to purchase clothing and other personal items. In today’s world, politicians mostly on occasion throw lots of money at the homeless problems, like temporarily opening some shelters and soup kitchens or paying for the homeless to stay in various motel rooms for a while, etc. But these “fixes” don’t last. And, even worse, most of these governmental actions actually increase homelessness, because if people can receive free beds, televisions and meals at a motel, why should they go back to work? But Friedman’s institutional response would last because it contains incentives for everyone to become more productive.

I was in the Peace Corps – I care about people – and I believe that homelessness is a blight upon who we are as a country. Of course, many of the homeless people have additional problems, such as mental disabilities, drug addiction and more. But if people need a conservatorship or drug treatment, the local governments can and should address those problems. So this is a program I am advocating out on the Libertarian Campaign Trail. What do you think? If you have suggestions or criticisms, please let me know. But if you like the proposal, please help me by spreading the word.

Quote for the week: “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what is an empty desk a sign of? Albert Einstein

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #261: "GOVERNMENTS CAN'T CENTRALLY PLAN!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 04 May 2020 21:14:00 +0000

One of the most cogent Op-Ed pieces I have ever read was published by Texas Tech University Economics Professor Benjamin Powell in the May 3, 2020 edition of the Orange County Register. The article discusses the realities of the attempts by governments to be central planners and to decide when and how to “re-open” our economy. I strongly recommend that you find and read it, but in the meantime I will get you started by quoting liberally from it.

“(G)overnment officials can’t know how to plan that reopening for precisely the same reasons that they can’t know how to plan an economy that’s already open.

“Centrally planned economies have a 100-year history of stagnation, inefficiency, and shortages of basic consumer goods. It didn’t take a global health crisis to empty the shelves in Cuban or Venezuelan grocery stores. Mistakes made by central planners, who hold monopoly power over economic decisions, did that all on their own.

“The future is necessarily uncertain. So, anyone forecasting supply and demand for a given product is bound to make mistakes. But market economies decentralize decision-making. The mistakes of some entrepreneurs are usually made up for by the correct actions of others, while profit-and-loss signals guide mistaken entrepreneurs to adjust their behavior.

“Unfortunately, the health care sector is one of the most regulated sectors of the U.S. economy. Government planners limit the ability of entrepreneurs to discover better ways of providing health care – with predictable dismal results.”

Professor Powell goes on to say that the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration first used their monopoly powers to obstruct private efforts to produce testing, vaccines and bringing new products to market by prohibiting doctors, patients and entrepreneurial companies from exercising their “right to try.” And, yes, finally some progress was made when the CDC provided special “fast-track” approvals to the private sector, but the need for those special approvals simply highlights the problems in central planning. The better way was and always will be to employ a system where individuals and entrepreneurs are free to choose how to interact with other businesses and their customers and employees. No one wants to get sick, so employees and customers will be much less likely to work for or frequent businesses where the health risks are too high. But the best solutions will not be the same everywhere because one size clearly does not fit all! Instead the solutions come from the Invisible Hand of the pricing system, economic incentives to make the right decisions and everyone’s desire to be and remain healthy. Thus no government planner can know better than the private sector can regarding how to re-open and maintain the economy.

My own observations are that politicians naturally respond to problems by protecting themselves politically. So virtually every governor and mayor said things like “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you healthy.” Why did they do that? Because if you stay healthy: “See, it worked – I am a hero!” And if you did get sick: “Well, you can’t blame me because I did everything I could!” Of course this pandemic brought us serious health issues and of course no one wants to get sick. But government central planners have in the past brought global starvation to millions of people. In addition, the arbitrary closing of hundreds of thousands of “non-essential” businesses and putting literally tens of millions of people out of work also caused damages: think suicides, depression and even domestic violence, in addition to the enormous economic losses! Politicians with political courage, such as Libertarians, would have left the operations of businesses up to the business owners and their employees and customers. For example, let stores advertise that they have an effective air filtration system, require masks for and take the temperature of all who enter, practice social distancing, and only allow so many people into their stores at any one time, etc. Then their customers can decide whether or not to do business at that location. Churches can choose to provide spacing and other protections for people’s health fully as well as big box stores and other “essential” businesses! Let their worshipers decide. Crises are often used to erode our freedoms and liberties, but those freedoms and liberties are the soul of our country! We are right to protest. We are right to defy. We don’t have monarchs in our country, and there are many decisions that still must only be decided by “We the People!”

Quote for the week: “There can be no rainbows without sunshine – and rain.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #260 "CAMPAIGN SLOGANS"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 21:11:00 +0000

The GraySharpe2020 campaign for the Libertarian nomination for President and Vice President is in full swing, so I thought you might like to hear some of our campaign slogans and cites. Of course, regular readers of this 2 Paragraphs series and listeners of my weekly podcast “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” will recognize many of them. But I see these as effective ways to show people how logical and effective our Libertarian principles, values and approaches really are. So they are:

· “I don’t care if you worship one God, 20 gods or no god. It doesn’t pick my pocket and it doesn’t break my leg.” Thomas Jefferson – a prototypical Libertarian;

· “We should judge our programs by their results and not their good intentions.” Milton Friedman;

· “Anyone who believes they can thrive by relying upon the Government need only talk to the American Indian.” Henry Ford;

· “Think about it: Can you point out any instance where the involvement of Government in the marketplace did not result in the prices going up and the quality of the products and services didn’t go down?” Judge Jim Gray;

· “Ron Paul told us that our country has about 400 military reservations in other countries all around the world. A simple audit performed by the military considering today’s realities would probably result in us being able to close down three-quarters of them without much controversy – and this would probably actually make us safer.” Judge Jim Gray;

· “We as a country must decide what the purpose is of our educational system: To educate our children (What a concept!), or to protect below-average teachers. And guess which one we are mostly following today.” Judge Jim Gray;

· Do you know that the USA has 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its prisoners? When former US Senator Jim Webb of Virginia heard these statistics he responded: “Either we are the most criminally-oriented people in the world, or we are doing something wrong. Which do you think it is?”;

· “If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait ‘til it’s free.” P. J. O’Rourke;

· Our Founders bickered, debated and even fought at the 1787 Constitutional Convention about numbers of issues. But the one thing that each of the 55 delegates agreed upon was that the most important function of government is to protect our freedoms and liberties from the encroachment of government. The second most important was to keep us safe.

· “Our country will need a bloody revolution every generation to keep the vested interests at bay.” Thomas Jefferson. Fortunately, our Constitution allows the revolution not to be bloody, but how long has it been? Maybe since the Republicans took over from the Whigs? And don’t you agree that we Libertarians are the right ones for a new revolution?

· “We should reserve our prison space for people we are afraid of, not people we’re mad at.” Judge Jim Gray;

· “No society has ever raised itself up out of poverty except through a system of free enterprise and private property rights.” Milton Friedman; and,

· If you want your healthcare services to be controlled by the equivalent of the department of motor vehicles, we are well on our way.” Judge Jim Gray.

Please give me your feedback about how effective you think they are, and maybe some suggestions for others. In law school I was known as a “bearded outside agitator in disguise,” and, actually, I have never backed off from that definition. What do you think?

Quote for the week from a young surfer-type: “Dude! I just learned that there is no popcorn in popcorn shrimp. So I guess there’s no reason for me to eat pot roast.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #259 "WE ARE ANNOUNCING!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 23:32:00 +0000

Last Friday I filed my notice of running for the nomination by the Libertarian Party as it’s candidate for President of the United States. Today’s atmosphere of polarization, name-calling and tribalism is simply unacceptable to me, and I anticipate it is to you as well, so we simply must have another choice in addition to Donald Trump or Joe Biden. What follows below is the announcement I am sending to the voting delegates of the Libertarian Party. I would appreciate all of your comments, reactions and support during the coming months because, together, we can Unite America by representing all of the people! So here it is:

Hello, my name is Judge Jim Gray, and I am seeking the nomination as the Libertarian candidate for President, along with our friend and Libertarian stalwart Larry Sharpe from New York as my running mate for Vice President. I am proud of my background as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica, because I care about people; a Navy JAG officer, because I care about our military and our security; a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles , who knows that all prosecutors in the name of “We the People” should always do the right thing for the right reason; and a trial court judge for 25 years, where I put my professional future at risk by holding a press conference back in 1992 emphasizing the reality that our nation’s policy of Drug Prohibition simply was not working.

I’m sure you agree with me that Big Government is really good at one thing, and that is increasing the size, cost and power of Big Government. That must be reversed. I also expect that you agree that our federal government recently simply failed us by not being prepared for emergencies. Yes, they don’t know when or where disasters might strike, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or pandemics, but it is their obligation previously to have made plans and have them in place when those disasters strike. If the government hasn’t planned, then it is too late when the disasters occur. Instead the government’s response was to shut down the economy. But they did this without considering the additional disasters that will be inflicted upon us all by often unnecessarily closing probably hundreds of thousands of businesses, many which will never open again, and putting tens of millions of people out of work! And we all will feel those government-inflicted damages for many years to come!

To “remedy” these problems the government did something that it does best, which was to throw a great amount of money -- $2.2 Trillion – at some businesses and people, while often arbitrarily leaving others out in the cold. (For example, the Kennedy Center received about $15 million. Why? “Because it was hurt by being shut down!” But what about the other theaters all across the country that were hurt as well? Nothing for them! And, of course, these payments added greatly to our national deficit, which is the largest security threat to our country, as well as the economic future of our children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren who will have to pay it back! Libertarians are the only political party that speaks out consistently and forcibly on this critical issue.

Furthermore, we must follow our Constitution and our laws by requiring a Declaration of War from Congress before authorizing our troops to be in combat for more than 60 days. (At this point, what really are the goals our troops are fighting for in Afghanistan?), and let’s also bring competition back to our healthcare system, which will reduce costs and increase services, as well as our educational system, which will bring back excellence to many schools that today are failing our children!

Long ago Thomas Jefferson said that “We should have a bloody revolution every generation to keep the vested interests at bay.” Fortunately, our Constitution keeps the revolution from being bloody, but when was the last political revolution? Probably in the early 1860s when the Republicans took over from the Whigs. And look at how entrenched those vested interests have become since that time.

You can help! Please visit www.GraySharpe2020.

Join us! Support us! Together we will be that revolution!

We Pledge Allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America!

And all along the way, we will do you proud!

Thought for the week: My great wife, Dr. Grace Walker Gray, DPT, DOT, has just published a book in hard and soft cover as well as in audio entitled BYE-BYE BACK PAIN: 9 Holistic Solutions for Relief from Sciatica, Lumbago, Slipped Disc and Backache, which is available through Amazon and elsewhere. Other than the back pain inflicted by too many government excesses, it covers virtually everything we need to know about controlling the back pain that we all get as we grow older. Get a copy, and I feel confident that her advice will help you a great deal with this problem. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Bye-Bye-Back-Pain-Holistic-Solutions/dp/1734288418/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=bye+bye+back+pain&qid=1587232003&sr=8-2 . Leave her a 4 or 5 star review. I did!

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #258 "JUDGE JIM GRAY FOR PRESIDENT!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 23:30:00 +0000

Okay, this is breaking news. On Saturday afternoon, April 4, I was in a telephone conference call with Lincoln Chafee, as well as many of the members of his staff. As many of you know, he is a former mayor, US Senator and Governor in Rhode Island, and the Libertarian candidate for President that I was supporting. But he told us that, as of two hours hence, he was going to drop out of the race because he wasn’t getting the support and backing he needed to be viable. Even though I used my most persuasive and best efforts to dissuade him, he responded twice that “Judge, I have made up my mind.” And by the tone of his voice, I could tell that he meant it. So after he hung up the phone, his staff members asked if I would consider running in his place. My answer was no. But, since they were persistent, I told them that I would take two days to consider that possibility.

During those next two days I spoke to several high-ranking and well-respected Libertarians around the country, and they were all supportive and even enthusiastic. So, also considering the fact that I always thought I would be a good candidate, I called Larry Sharpe, who is a friend in New York who was a great Libertarian candidate for Governor in the 2018 election. During the discussion I told Larry that if he would be my running mate, I would throw my hat in the ring. On Friday April 10 he agreed. So that afternoon we had a Zoom meeting of Governor Chafee’s staff, along with the campaign manager of Riverside County Board of Supervisor Jeff Hewitt’s campaign where we introduced ourselves to each other and then started planning our campaign. We anticipate announcing our candidacy for the Libertarian nominations of President and Vice President within about a week, but you are my 2 Paragraphs Family, so I wanted to share the excitement with you right away. And this will not be the last time, because I plan to keep you informed. The Libertarian nominees are selected at a convention instead of at primary elections, and our national convention is scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas over the Memorial Day weekend. Of course, with the Coronavirus, all of that is up in the air. But one way or the other, our campaign team will make every effort to do you proud and put a stop to the polarization that our great country has been experiencing for so long. So stay tuned, and I hope you wish us well.

P.S. Two rather unnatural things that political candidates are required to do are to be able to talk about themselves and to ask for both monetary and personal support. The former is attached hereto, the latter will come soon!

Quote for the week: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” (Probably) Edmund Burke

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #257 "MAKIN' A LIST"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 23:26:00 +0000

One of my good friends has an amazing habit of making and keeping lists of various interesting things that he notices in our lives. But recently this habit got even more of my attention because he wrote what he calls “My List of Challenges to Non-Left and Libertarian Thinkers” which, as you will see, shows what many political progressives would have us believe in today’s Coronavirus world. (I intercepted his list at 47, but he probably has continued writing more.) Do you agree with these assertions? (I didn’t think so.) My friend varies below on what he agrees with, but the point is that the Coronavirus has become politically divisive. Wise decisions now will come only if we can control that divisiveness. So here is the list for your consideration, analysis and discussion:

1. Bigger government is a good thing and is welcome.

2. We should trust the government.

3. We should quietly accept the government limiting our freedom to engage in commerce and everyday activity.

4. The People cannot be trusted to make the correct decisions.

5. The government knows what it is doing.

6. The government these days is capable of acting non-politically.

7. In times of crisis, the government should not be questioned.

8. Scientists always know the correct policy.

9. Scientists should not be questioned.

10. We should not balance a human life against a cost, no matter what the cost is.

11. Government never engages in balancing a human life against a cost.

12. Politicians would not use this as a chance to enhance their political future.

13. Issues of commerce are evil, or of very diminished importance.

14. Business always has a surplus supply of money that can cover any expenses imposed on business.

15. Businesses forced into bankruptcy by government action probably shouldn’t have been operating anyway.

16. Some businesses are too big to fail and we must provide substantial public funding to avoid their bankruptcy.

17. It makes sense to respond to questions about MERS, SARS, H1N1, etc., by simply saying the Coronavirus is substantially different from the common flu.

18. Masks protect not the wearer, but the public, but when there is a shortage of masks, healthcare workers are threatened by not having a mask.

19. It is racist to describe a disease by its place of origin.

20. It is hilarious (on the John Oliver show) to say that the Coronavirus came from eating bats.

21. It is wrong to even consider that the economic shutdown will cause more deaths than the Corona virus under a more moderate response.

22. Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve both Liberty and Safety. (Contrary to what Benjamin Franklin warned us about)

23. It is not possible that in the next few weeks there will be a vaccination, cure, improved statistics supporting a different model, or a miracle, that would sufficiently reduce the risk of Coronavirus.

24. Concerning risks, overreaction is necessary to reduce the risk.

25. Concerning risks, overreaction might be needed to get the People’s attention.

26. Government would never use a crisis to expand its power permanently and achieve other goals.

27. Relying on government is better than promoting and relying on individual responsibility.

28. Increasing the national debt is not a problem.

29. Government can make complex supply decisions better than the market.

30. There is no anti-Trump element in the response to the Coronavirus.

31. When we are confronted with an unsafe situation, the Government is responsible for taking care of us, with “safe spaces” or whatever is needed.

32. Manufacturers taking great risks and incurring huge extra costs does not justify charging more, which is “gouging”.

33. Discovering a cure that saves society trillions of dollars does not justify the cure discoverer receiving substantial funds, even if patent protection is obtained.

34. Big Pharma, after incurring incredible risks and costs, must not be allowed to charge more for its invention, even if patent protection is obtained.

35. The Coronavirus justifies releasing prisoners who -- at great expense -- were captured, found guilty, and imprisoned under a very protective criminal procedure.

36. The Coronavirus justifies imprisoning a person for not wearing a mask (a hijab reverse).

37. The Coronavirus justifies imprisoning a person for holding a church service.

38. Buying a gun for protection is not an “essential” act.

39. It is appropriate to add to a Coronavirus relief bill funding for $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, $75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $88 million to the Peace Corps, $150 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, $1 billion to Amtrak, $30.8 billion for the Department of Education, $17 billion for Boeing, a $10 billion loan to the U.S. Postal Service, $48 million for sex education, $500,000 for a Central Utah water project, $3 million for the U.S. Forest Service, $99 million for the Department of Energy, and $7.5 million for the Smithsonian Institution.

40. The Coronavirus justifies stopping free trade with China.

41. The Coronavirus justifies a stronger immigration policy.

42. Trump should not be allowed to put on a speaker who has switched to making many masks and praises God and the Bible.

43. The Federal government is better at responding to a crisis than state government.

44. A uniform response across all states is better than a tailored response to different state conditions.

45. A large increase in risk aversion among Americans is good and should be encouraged.

46. It is wrong for Christians to pray for a miracle.

47. Those expressing concern about those hurt economically are really only interested in their own self-interest and the stock market (as in the cartoon below).

Thought for the week: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.) 2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

Again #44. Those expressing concern about those hurt economically are really only interested in their own self-interest and the stock market (as in the following cartoon).

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #256 "PLEASE! A BALANCE FOR LIBERTY!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 03:05:00 +0000

So have you seen the recent news? 3.3 million workers in the United States of America filed unemployment claims in the one week that ended on March 21! 3.3 million lost jobs lost in one week alone! As stated recently in this 2 Paragraphs series, yes, the Coronavirus presents us with serious situations. But governments ordering businesses to close and people to stay home is decimating our economy and probably destroying more lives than they are saving! Governments should not by fiat be able to decide which business is “essential” and which is not. For example, a mattress store owner was complaining that his business had been closed as “non-essential,” but Costco was still open, where people could still purchase mattresses. So government was arbitrarily assisting his competitor while running him out of business. Sounds like a legitimate beef to me! The Libertarian Way would be to “allow” the managers of stores to be able to establish precautions for the health of their employees and customers and advertise those precautions widely. Then, in turn, customers would be able, armed with that information, to make intelligent decisions about when and under what circumstances to do business with the various stores. The best results come from individual people making decisions based upon timely and accurate information, and this would result both in both safety and substantially fewer lost jobs. So, once again, Liberty does a better job. Yes, governments have a function, but one of them is an obligation to plan in advance for things like earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, pandemics and even the possible poisoning of our water systems – and boy did governments fail to be prepared for this pandemic! So why trust governments to make your safety decisions?

Similarly, we all should understand how the private sector is equipped to respond much more quickly to distribution problems with products like testing equipment, masks and ventilators when government regulations are lifted. So governments once again are the problem! The same thing is true regarding today’s shortage of nurses. Since many state governments do not recognize the certification of nurses from other states, this has artificially restricted the supply. And does anyone really think that a one-time gift of $1,200 to people who earned less than $75,000 in the year 2019 will go very far? (We should also understand that this gift came from the $2.2 Trillion fund voted virtually unanimously by Congress, which is money that we don’t have and which will contribute substantially to our National Debt – much to the financial detriment of our children and grandchildren!) Of course the health and safety of people are important. But health and safety are also adversely affected by people losing their jobs, not having money to pay for food and other essentials like rent, and companies going out of business. (Think homelessness and suicides, if nothing else.) A balance for Liberty would reduce the number and size of all of those adversities. And one more thing: today the homeowner’s association where we live closed the swings that children use at our private park. Why should a parent not be able to decide appropriate risks they would encounter when pushing their young child on a swing? What if no one else is around, what if they wipe the touchable areas of the swings with a disinfectant – would that present a danger to the child? Let the parents decide. What if another child was swinging 15 feet away? We need a balance because only individuals will have the added information necessary to make good decisions, instead of an associational government that only has a “one size fits all” edict! Liberty promotes the goal of people being responsible for the decisions they make which, in turn, promotes making good decisions. That is how our country was founded. I hope you agree with me, and continue to vote for Liberty!

Maybe you heard this one: “Our cleaning lady just called and told us that she would be working from home and will be sending us instructions on what to do.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty- Best Seller Publishing Amazon #1 Best Selling Author Award!

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 00:44:00 +0000

Today I received an Amazon #1 Best Selling Award from Best Selling Publishing! I am very excited to receive this award and present it to you! I want to also thank my supporters of 2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty!

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #255 "LIBERTY AND THE CORONA VIRUS"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 19:41:00 +0000

Yes, the coronavirus situation is serious. And, yes, steps should/must be taken to control it and also to “flatten the curve.” But we first must understand that we should not put people in charge of our lives and welfare who are not held responsible for bad decisions, including decisions on liberty and economic freedoms. And government officials are not, so there is no balance! The answer is for the government to help to put accurate and timely information out into the marketplace and then treat people as adults – and hold them accountable for the decisions they make. So, for example, if people know they are contagious, they should be held civilly as well as criminally responsible for the assault and battery they inflict if they do not take effective steps to keep themselves from passing on the virus to others. And it also means that people who are older or who otherwise have health problems will have more incentives to “shelter” and protect themselves from contact with the general population. And all of us will have the obligations to be careful, for obvious reasons.

But we all must understand that the standard for people in government, including elected officials, is not to make decisions based upon liberty and economic realities and conditions. Instead, their political incentives are almost completely regarding health: i.e. not to have anyone get sick “on my watch.” So “I am looking out for your health” is basically the only political criterion. If governmental officials overdue their mandated precautions, they still politically look like they were caring and successful. And if people get sick and even die, “at least we did everything we could” is their political defense. So government officials still will not be held to blame. That is the nature of politics. In the meantime, companies will be forced by governmental decree to close down, with many not being able to survive. Many workers will lose their jobs and go broke, and tenants will not be able to pay their rent, which will also adversely affect landlords. And there will be no help in sight. Of course, some companies and some people will receive some money from government, but those results will be random, “cronyized” and insufficient. Furthermore, that is not beginning to take into account the maybe permanent effects upon our liberty if we blindly allow the government to dictate how, when and where we can live our lives. Bottom line: Yes, government does have an important part to play in situations like this. Provide that honest and timely information to us, including information and recommendations about voluntary “social distancing,” home isolation, and household quarantine, so that “We the People” can make intelligent decisions. That would also allow customers, shopkeepers, employees and all of the rest of us to make intelligent economic decisions, which is not happening under today’s governmental edicts. Another is for governments to use their resources to help medically where they can, such as providing military MASH teams and naval hospital ships. But, otherwise, once again we must understand, Government is not our Mother. The only valid and effective response is Liberty! Yes, the results will be imperfect, but they will result in a balance that is conspicuously missing by following today’s governmental edicts.

Quote for the week: “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.” Winston Churchill

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #254 "HOW TO PROSPER? ASK GEORGE McGOVERN"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 19:28:00 +0000

George McGovern was quite a liberal US Senator from South Dakota and who was also the Democratic candidate for President in 1972 against Richard Nixon. During most of his life he felt people could do much better or even thrive by relying upon the government. However, after he purchased a hotel in Connecticut, he wrote a column that was published in the Wall Street Journal on October 21, 2012 entitled “A Politician’s Dream is a Businessman’s Nightmare” in which he showed he had been converted away from so much Government interference in the marketplace. His words should be heard and understood by all voters – and politicians. Particularly as the important elections in 2020 are fast approaching. Here are direct quotes of what Senator McGovern said:

“I … wish that during the years I was in public office, I had had this firsthand experience about the difficulties business people face every day. That knowledge would have made me a better U.S. senator and a more understanding presidential contender.

“Today we are much closer to a general acknowledgment that government must encourage business to expand and grow. We intuitively know that to create job opportunities we need entrepreneurs who will risk their capital against an expected payoff. Too often, however, public policy does not consider whether we are choking off those opportunities.

“My own business perspective has been limited to that small hotel and restaurant in Stratford, Conn., with an especially difficult lease and a severe recession. But my business associates and I also lived with federal, state and local rules that were all passed with the objective of helping employees, protecting the environment, raising tax dollars for schools, protecting our customers from fire hazards, etc.

“While I never have doubted the worthiness of any of these goals, the concept that most often eludes legislators is: ‘Can we make consumers pay the higher prices for the increased operating costs that accompany public regulation and government reporting requirements with reams of red tape?’

“It is a simple concern that is nonetheless often ignored by legislators. For example, the papers today are filled with stories about businesses dropping health coverage for employees. We provided a substantial package for our staff at the Stratford Inn. However, were we operating today, those costs would exceed $150,000 a year for health care on top of salaries and other benefits. There would have been no reasonable way for us to absorb or pass on these costs.”

To my knowledge, one of Senator McGovern’s last public quotes before he died in 2012 was “Far too often, public policy chokes off the opportunities businesses need to create jobs and grow.” That comment alone shows me that, at the end, he agreed with Dr. Milton Friedman’s comment that “We should judge government programs by their results, not their good intentions.” If someone like liberal Senator George McGovern could finally come to these realizations, maybe it’s not too late for that understanding to spread. I’m trying to spread it, please join me.

Recently heard from a friend: “Day 2 of no sports on tv, and I saw a lady sitting on my couch at home who said she was my wife. She seemed nice. . ”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #253 "ONE MAN'S LIBERTARIAN WHITEPAPER"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 19:13:00 +0000

We Libertarians have made a huge mistake in that we have allowed other people to label us. As a result, most of the times when people hear that word they automatically think of such things as “Survival of the Fittest,” “No Government at All,” “Free Use of Drugs,” “Greed is Good!” “Kooks” and “Totally Open Borders.” Although all political parties have their characters and absolutists, to a major degree these labels are simply not accurate. Yes, Libertarian writer Ayn Rand found it had some impact to write in her novels that “Greed is Good,” but by that she was only saying that people acting in their own economic self-interest (i.e. being greedy) resulted in enormous benefits in the providing of quality goods and services in the marketplace for us all. Nevertheless, for the most part, Libertarians are the only political party in the mainstream of American political thought today. Why? Because Libertarians believe in responsibility at ALL levels of society, including personal, group, corporate AND governmental. And even beyond that, Libertarians are virtually the only people who do not want to profit due to their involvement in government. Other political parties pay a great deal of our tax money to their various cronies, although they mostly choose different cronies. But the fact remains that only Libertarians would shrink the size of government, as well as its costs, and allow more people to spend their own money as they choose.

So what would a Libertarian government look like? Who are some well-known Libertarians from our past? Who would be the winners and the losers in a Libertarian system? I have drafted what I call “One Man’s Libertarian Whitepaper” which addresses all of these questions and more. A copy is attached (for your reading pleasure). Obviously, neither I nor anyone else “have all of the answers,” but this is my attempt to stimulate a discussion on these important issues. So please review the enclosed essay and share it with others. And, as always, feedback is strongly appreciated! I’ll bet you are more Libertarian than you thought

Thought for the week: “Cows have hooves because they lactose.” (Oh well!)

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

ONE MAN’S LIBERTARIAN WHITEPAPER

Although I understand that no one speaks for the Libertarian Party, it is fair to say that, unlike the Democrats and Republicans, Libertarians are not special-interest driven. It is a grass roots movement that relies upon individuals who believe in the principles of freedom and who expect no favors from government in return. As such, the Libertarian Party works for the people and their rights, property, safety and well-being which, as a result, benefits virtually everyone in the country and, in many cases, the world. Accordingly, the Libertarian Movement today furnishes a much-needed Beacon of Hope for America.

This approach also takes into account the not-famous-enough comment from economist writer Thomas Sowell, who said: “The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. (But) the first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” Of course, goods and services in the real world are not free, so someone must pay for them. That is why in a Libertarian government no programs, acquisitions or other spending would be authorized unless that same authorization also designates where the money would come from to pay for it. So those are at least partial reasons for the failure of many Libertarians to be elected: because they address the first lesson of economics, and most voters are enchanted by the first lesson of politics.

But this is not a system of “anything goes,” far from it! Why? Because a Libertarian society where contracts and warranties are enforced provides for accountability and personal responsibility at all levels of society -- individual, corporate and governmental. For example, the Libertarian agenda of transforming today's government-controlled health care industry back to one that is market-driven and market-regulated will result in an explosion in medical innovation, treatments and cures, as well as reduced costs. And since we all are at risk of potentially any human disease, these innovations will result in greater chances for longer and healthier lives for all of us. And the same results will be seen in almost all other aspects of our lives as well.

Accordingly, under a Libertarian approach, people in general would come out ahead, and special interests and bloated governments would lose much of their power and control. Of course, life is complicated and changes always affect lots of people in many ways. So we should always be thoughtful. But the following are statements of some Libertarian principles, as well as examples of who in general would be the winners and the losers in a Libertarian world:

Principles: Generally, Libertarians would categorize themselves as being financially responsible and socially accepting. Thus the statement: "You are free to live your life the way you choose as long as you don't wrongly hurt other people or take their stuff" is frequently used to explain our views. In addition, the following statements also elaborate upon the Libertarian Principles that guide us:

1. Thomas Jefferson (a prototypical Libertarian): “I don’t care if you worship one God, twenty Gods or no god: It doesn’t pick my pocket and it doesn’t break my leg.” In other words, “Live and let live.”

2. Milton Friedman: “Incentives Matter.” Liberty is to be stressed, but where government is involved it should strive for a world in which people are held responsible for their own behavior and are able to profit from their own industry. Why? Dr. Friedman taught us that “We get more of what we subsidize and less of what we tax.” So what are we subsidizing today in large part? Victimization, excuses and lack of productivity. And what are we taxing? Success. And what are we getting more of? That answer is obvious.

3. Although not my favorite person socially because he basically was Anti-Semitic, Henry Ford said: “Any people who feel they can prosper by relying on the government should talk to the American Indian.” That is self-explanatory.

4. And Milton Friedman again: “We should judge our programs by their results, not their good intentions.” This approach also would counteract the multiple times that, when something goes wrong in society, politicians have almost a universal tendency simply to pass another law to address it. It doesn’t particularly matter if the law works, but only that politicians are seen as “doing something.” If placed into effect, Dr. Friedman’s change in approach would cause a positive revolution in government.

5. Accountability at all levels of government: A Libertarian government would provide for regular public audits of all government agencies, as well as “Sunset Laws” which would require every government agency individually and publicly on a scheduled basis to get a vote from Congress to justify its budget and even its existence by demonstrating its past accomplishments, money spent in that process and future goals and the proposed budget therefor. At the very least, this would result in leaner and more cost-effective and transparent governments.

Winners under Libertarian Governments:

1. Students and good teachers. It is no secret that too many public schools today are failing our students, and most of them are in the lower economic areas which, regretfully, often involve people of color. This result is frequently not for lack of funding because many of them, such as those in the District of Columbia, are among the highest funded public schools in the nation. Instead the failures result from a lack of competition. And what is the solution? Empower parents to choose where and how the government money will be spent for the education of their children! So if a school is not teaching its students well, their parents will have the ability to transfer them to a school that would. And the result? Parents would choose excellence and, if Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they have had School Choice for about fifteen years is an example, excellence is what they will receive. This will result in students coming out ahead, as well as good teachers, because they will be in greater demand – and paid accordingly.

2. Young People. We of the older generation are mostly doing pretty well financially. Most of our houses are paid for, we have investments, often good 401Ks or other retirement plans, and our Medicare and Social Security are paid for – mostly by younger workers. But the way things are financially today, Medicare and Social Security will simply not be available when younger workers are anywhere close to our ages. In addition, with the situation surrounding retirement pensions for federal, state and local government workers, almost all of our governments literally will be bankrupt by the time our children are even close to middle age! But guess who will be forced to shoulder the burden of bailing our country out from this financial irresponsibility? Our children and grandchildren! What a legacy! The financial responsibility provided by Libertarians is the only hope in sight to protect the future solvency of our young people!

3. People on a fixed income. Many elderly and many baby boomers who are poor or live on a meager fixed income will be financially stronger because the dollar will not continue to be devalued in a Libertarian government. The totally irresponsible almost trillion-dollar budget deficits per year overseen by both Republicans and Democrats that will inevitably result in ruinous inflation will be addressed and controlled only by Libertarians. And this will avoid the massive poverty that would otherwise result.

4. Healthcare Professionals and their patients. As we have traveled more deeply into socialized medicine, we see that it is the administrators instead of the healthcare professionals who have received greater financial benefits. If we want our healthcare to be run by the equivalent of the departments of motor vehicles instead of a coalition between us and our healthcare professionals, we are well on our way toward that end. For example, in the United Kingdom, where the government runs the healthcare system, some officials are now proposing that, since obesity is a health problem, the government should start restricting the number of calories that people would be allowed to ingest each day. Imagine the costs and intrusions into our lives of monitoring and enforcing such a scheme. But this, of course, would be a logical result, because when governments have a financial interest in our health, they have an economic incentive to micromanage our lives. In addition, if we were to implement programs of “Medicare for All,” which would “guarantee” health insurance as a “right” for all, Libertarians understand that private health insurance would soon vanish and taxes would soon be severely increased. Furthermore, what people really want and need is not medical insurance, it is medical coverage! What good is medical insurance if no competent healthcare professionals will accept it because their compensation is being continually reduced? In addition, with a healthcare system based upon government control instead of competition, medical care would become more restricted in the form of delayed testing and treatment – which is the result of the present Canadian system. Why is that? Because if there is no economic incentive for healthcare professionals to profit from providing increased services, not only will they cut back on those services, fewer people will want to go through all of the schooling and training required to enter the profession. Accordingly, under the Libertarian system of competition, which could include government vouchers issued on a sliding scale that could be used to pay for healthcare insurance and co-pays, both healthcare professionals and their patients will come out much farther ahead. And, overriding all of this, it simply is the right thing to do.

5. The lower economic classes, including the homeless. Milton Friedman proposed a system in which our nation would convert away from an income tax and over to a graduated flat tax along with, on a sliding scale, a government stipend for every citizen or green card holder who is 18 years of age or older. With these numbers only being used for illustrative purposes, no one would pay any income taxes on their first $30,000, but would pay 10 cents in federal taxes for every dollar earned between $30,001 and $100,000, 18 cents for every dollar earned between $100,001 and $500,000, and 23 cents for every dollar earned above $500,000. But what about the poor? Regardless of whether they just lost their jobs to a robot, want to go back to school, or are just plain lazy, all citizens and people here on valid Green Cards who are 18 years of age or older who earn no money would be paid a stipend of $15,000 per year by the federal government, probably broken down into 12 monthly payments of $1,250. But for every dollar they earned, the recipients would lose 50 cents of their stipend. Accordingly, everyone would have an incentive to earn the extra dollar, with the cutoff being $30,000, at which people would neither pay any taxes nor receive any stipend. However, all other welfare would be abolished, except for people with truly special needs. (Imagine the reductions of bureaucratic expenses, as well as the present gamesmanship and unfairness!) And what about the homeless? Well, if homeless people had the equivalent of an ATM card with $1,250 in it each month, the private sector would quickly establish a competitive program to provide them with a modest room and board system for about $1,000 per month, which would also leave them additional funds for personal needs. Of course if they were mentally ill, drug addicts, etc. they would need a conservatorship. But that is a separate problem.

6. Members of the Armed Forces, and their families. When the heroes in our armed forces receive orders, they salute and follow them without question. Of course, as we have seen, this all too often results in death or serious injuries, both physical and mental, to those who serve. As a result, they have – or should have – an absolute right to know that the risks they are being ordered to undertake arise from true threats either to our national security or to our national interests. That means that before our military men and women are sent off into battle zones, there will have been a specific Declaration of War voted upon by Congress – as set forth in Article I Section 8 of our Constitution. If this were done, Congress would be forced publicly to analyze the threats, specify and debate who the enemy was, and state how we would know when we had reached our objectives before sending our military men and women into battle. Transparently, this would decrease the occasions in which we are militarily engaged, and also keep them shorter and more manageable. But if we publicly decided to send our troops into battle, the public would be much more supportive to that cause, because much of the unrest has come from people feeling, in large part accurately, that they have been deceived. To a major degree, Libertarians are the only political party that would require all of this to be done. So, at least in this important matter, Libertarians are the only ones who speak for and protect the members of our armed forces, and their families.

7. Immigrants pursuing the American Dream. Immigrants who wish to come to this country and pursue better lives for themselves and their families would be welcome to do so. That means that, after a background check for such things as criminality, medical and mental health problems and possible terrorist sympathies, if immigrants could support themselves, they could come to this country and work. And if they could support their families, they could bring them as well. But no welfare would be involved, except for K through 12 educational opportunities for their children and truly emergency medical care. These workers would be issued a special card that could not be counterfeited which could then be used to get a job and go back and forth across the border. And, since they would be here legally, they could also get drivers licenses, obtain car insurance, pay their taxes and live normal lives. But any employer who hired someone who was not a citizen or in possession of either a Green Card or this worker’s card would be subject to prosecution. This would also mean that, since no welfare would be provided, if people could not support themselves they would probably be forced to move elsewhere. In addition, proper procedures should be established for worthy people, after being here for an appropriate amount of time, to apply for and receive citizenship in this great country.

8. People who are incarcerated or otherwise led astray by our laws of Drug Prohibition, a vast percentage of whom are teenagers or people of color, or both. If marijuana would be strictly regulated and controlled the same way we treat wine, and other presently illicit drugs were to be placed under the care of healthcare professionals, we would strongly reduce the incentives for people to sell these drugs on the illegal market. Presently many juvenile street gangs use the sale of illicit drugs as a recruiting tool to lure other young people into that practice. And who do juveniles sell illicit drugs to? Other juveniles, thus recruiting more young people into a lifestyle of drug usage and drug selling! This is an unnecessary tragedy. Think of it this way: today it is easier for our young people to obtain marijuana, or any other illicit drugs, if they want to, than it is alcohol. Why is that? Because illicit drug dealers don’t ask for ID.

9. The emerging working class. In the 1950s, just 5 percent of American workers were required to obtain a government permit to pursue their occupations. Today it is closer to 20 percent. And a growing amount of research shows that occupational licensing does not particularly result in a better quality of service. But it always raises prices by restricting the numbers of competitors that can work in those occupations. In addition, frequently those people who have a criminal record almost automatically are disqualified from even applying for these licenses. But does someone really need a government license to cut or braid hair? Or trim trees? Or be a plumber or even open child care facilities in their homes? Require these workers to be bonded, and the private bonding company will make sure they are qualified and act safely. And then let their customers decide if the workers are providing reasonable services for a reasonable cost. Cutting back these licensing requirements will spur more competition, fuller employment, better service and lower prices all around.

10. The Individual States. Libertarians believe in the concept of Federalism. That means many of the areas that have been pre-empted by the federal government over the years would be returned to the jurisdiction of the states (or even more local governments). Thus we could use these “50 crucibles of democracy” to learn from each other to see what works and what does not. As an example, each state would be able to address the issue of Drug Prohibition in its own way, and the role of the federal government would be reduced to assisting each state in enforcing its chosen laws. Thus if one state continued to make a particular drug illegal, and someone transported that drug into that state against its laws, this could be a federal crime. In addition, some of the land in many states presently owned by the federal government would be returned to the states. Not the land in military reservations, national parks or even national forests, but that which is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Presently, for example, the federal government owns more than 80 percent of all of the land in the State of Nevada, and there is no good reason for it! This land would be returned to those states in a Libertarian world, with the encouragement that much of it be auctioned off to the private sector. In that regard, ask yourself the question: who takes better care of a house, an owner or a renter/lessee? Ask the same question about grazing land. If you understand that the answer is an owner, you are on your way to being a Libertarian.

11. Taxpayers. With smaller, more cost-effective governments, taxes would be reduced and people would retain more of their money to spend and invest – all of which would further spur the economy for everybody.

Losers under Libertarian Governments:

1. Teachers who can’t teach. They will probably be forced into other occupations, because competition in education would put them out of the teaching business – to which all of us should say: Good!

2. Recipients of Corporate Welfare. Companies and individuals that have the time and resources to cater and donate to politicians often reap huge returns for their efforts from subsidies, tax preferences, regulatory privileges and protectionism. Subsidies include directly receiving government (i.e. our) money for such things as growing – or not growing – certain crops like corn and wheat, building athletic stadiums or subsidizing certain filmmakers. “Targeted tax cuts” are tax preferences that are provided to favored industries and firms so that they will locate in the donator’s city and supposedly “create jobs.” Regulatory privileges restrict competition to the benefit of some favored existing businesses, and often even require a “certificate of need” before other companies are even allowed to enter the field. Protectionism in the form of international trade barriers like tariffs and quotas shields some favored businesses from competition, which keeps prices high for consumers and profits high for those favored businesses. These anti-competitive actions, except where they are helpful to further our national interests, would be materially reduced under Libertarian governments.

3. Tax attorneys and other tax preparers. It is clear that many tax accountants and attorneys and companies like H & R Block would not be interested in a graduated flat tax, and neither would a large number of employees of the IRS. Another powerful interest group that would lose would be members of Congress. Why is that? Because, under the present system, almost all of them use their ability to vote for tax breaks for their wealthy constituents, which directly result in the politicians receiving large contributions to and other support for their re-election campaigns.

4. Prison guards unions. Today the United States of America, with about 5 percent of the world’s population, has 25 percent of its prisoners! And, to an unacceptably high degree, this is caused by radical laws like Drug Prohibition and mandatory minimum and “three strikes and you’re out” sentences that are often sponsored by groups that gain due to greater incarceration.

5. People who favor polarization. Libertarians would form a coalition government that would focus upon merit. This means that Republicans, Democrats, Independents and others would also be invited to participate in government along with Libertarians, as long as they acted within the Libertarian principles of more limited and financially responsible government and general social acceptance. This would seriously decrease our present epidemic of polarization.

6. Many government bureaucrats, inefficient workers and public employees unions. Many government bureaucrats today are shielded from being fired for poor performance or even malfeasance by numbers of regulations that are jealously enforced by their public employees unions, as are many people who now provide services that virtually no one wants. This practice would be seriously reduced. More specifically, those unions would continue to exist, but just for those government employees who freely chose to join them. In addition, since the unions are anti-competitive, they would not have the right to bargain for at all for wages or other benefits. This union bargaining would be replaced by something similar to the federal Civil Service System.

Conclusion: Thomas Jefferson also famously made the comment that we should have a bloody revolution every generation to keep the vested interests at bay. Fortunately, our Constitution has given us the ability for the revolution not to be bloody. But how long has it been? Maybe since the 1860s when the Republican Party took over from the Whigs? And how strong have the vested interests become since that time? Ancient Rome paid homage to Liberty for the common man and, for a short time, for republicanism. But in reality what they had was a constant struggle between the privileged classes and the lower classes, and the vested privileged classes almost always won. And we are seeing the same thing now in our country as well. Similarly, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg to protest the excess power of the Catholic Church. It is time that we do

the same thing as Martin Luther with a Libertarian Whitepaper, and bring to life Jefferson’s revolution. The time is now, and the Libertarian Party is ready. And it is the only hope in sight!

Judge James P. Gray (Ret.) Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica (1966-68), Criminal Defense Attorney with U. S. Navy JAG (1972-75), Federal Prosecutor in Los Angeles (1975-78), Trial Court Judge in Orange County, California (1983-2008), and 2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President.

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com. Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #252 "TIMELESS TRUTHS"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 20:12:00 +0000

Issues and ideas come and go, but many “Timeless Truths” always remain. What are some of these? Here is a short Libertarian list:

· The Law of Unintended Consequences: Life is complicated, and almost every time a law or regulation is passed it results in some or even many negative consequences that were not intended. An example? The minimum wage laws directly put many people they were intended to help out of work. Why? Because the reality is that some people are not (yet) worth $15 per hour.

· The Law of Diminishing Returns: If a little is good, a lot is better? Well, most of the time it is not. Ask any managers or owners of companies. Sometimes there are slight imperfections or flaws in products that could be addressed and fixed. But after a while it is simply not cost effective to spend an extra $100,000 to fix a problem that ultimately will only cost a customer or the company combined only a much smaller total amount in delays or problems.

· The answer to most questions is: It Depends! Once again, life is complicated. So, for example, in answering the question “Should cheating at cards be a crime?” The answer is “It depends.” Why? If a person is playing for money and cheats, that would be a fraud and could, depending upon the circumstances, appropriately result in criminal prosecutions. But if people were playing solitaire at home, they might be cheating themselves but, otherwise, they should be left alone. So unless one is talking about a situation involving core values, (Should we sponsor another Holocaust? The answer is not “It depends!) the realistic answer is as stated above.

· The Law of Supply and Demand: The First Rule of Economics is that there are never enough goods and services to meet the demand, and the First Rule of Politics is to ignore the First Rule of Economics. Thus Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand” of economics is always a part of every commercial transaction, and always will be. This means that people acting in their own economic self-interest – both as producers and buyers – will always be a part of the equation.

· Murphy’s Law: “If anything can go wrong, it will.” O’Rourke’s Corollary to Murphy’s Law: “Murphy was an Optimist.”

· Incentives Matter: If people are able personally to profit in some meaningful way from their work and other actions, they are much more likely to pursue them. Of course, this rule applies equally to negative sanctions like punishments.

· Dr. Milton Friedman: “We should judge our programs by their results, not their good intentions.” Following that advice would bring a positive revolution to governmental programs.

· Dr. Milton Friedman again: “There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.” When I buy my contact lenses solution the box includes a plastic lens holder “at no extra charge.” But, since this “gift” holds about three times as much solution as the one I normally use, and probably costs the manufacturer a maximum of two cents, if only one person in ten uses it, the result will be the purchase of more solution and, thus more profit for the manufacturer sponsoring the “gift.” So, yet again, TANSTAAFL applies.

As my US History Professor Dr. Keith Berwick at UCLA once told us in his lecture, “There is a definite limitation to the profitable elaboration of the obvious.” So, with that, I will stop.

Lament of the Week: “Dear Algebra, Please don’t continue to insist that I find your X because she’s not coming back. And don’t ask Y.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #251 "TREATMENT COURTS WORK!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:09:00 +0000

As I often say on my radio podcast All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray, we all know that many things are going wrong today all around the world, but we do not particularly focus upon the fact that lots of things are actually going right as well. And one of them is Treatment Courts, otherwise known as Collaborative Courts. So what are those courts and what do they do? Here in Orange County and, increasingly, all around our country we have Homeless Courts, Veterans Courts, Drug Courts, Mental Disability Courts and others. And these courts do gratifyingly good jobs in treating the underlying problems that give rise to crimes in the first place. They are called collaborative because the teams are composed of judges, social workers, counselors, medical doctors, prosecutors, defense attorneys and probation officers. Yes, there is coercion that “encourages” the subjects/defendants to be involved, but those people quickly see that, if they take the programs seriously, not only will the criminal charges be dismissed but their lives will be much better. So the programs are successful.

When I was first appointed to the Bench at the end of 1983, it quickly became apparent to me that alcohol-related offenses were the largest unmet problems facing our courts. So, I am proud to say, within six months of my appointment we had up and running what was probably the first Drug Court in the country. Knowing full well that if the offenders were alcoholics they would continue to drink, and then almost certainly drive and pose unacceptably large risks to hurt themselves or others, we put them on a special program that demanded total abstinence. In fact, I would tell them if they even ate rum cake and I found out about it, I would put them in jail. But we did give them support with the Probation Department to oversee the program and the Orange County Health Care Agency to provide treatment. And we were successful in keeping alcoholics, or what we called “high-risk problem drinkers,” off alcohol for six months, which was as long as I was able to keep statistics. Happily now there are similar programs for the mentally ill, homeless and veterans. For example, many people who are mentally ill self-medicate with mostly illicit substances in order to “keep their demons away.” Thus it does no good whatsoever to put them in jail. And, since jail is both the most expensive option as well as the purveyor of additional harm to these mentally fragile people, today’s approaches serve everyone’s interests. So I just thought that you would like to know about these developments, because the best way to “get tough on crime” is to reduce it.

Quote of the Week: “I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: ‘No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.’” Eleanor Roosevelt

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #250 "NO ONE PROTECTS THE TAXPAYERS!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 20:04:00 +0000

While I was still on the bench I heard from several members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that they were set up financially for life because of the Sheriff’s Union. How did that come about? Because who cares more about which candidates are elected to the County Board of Supervisors than their union? So they find candidates who are sympathetic to their cause, rally around them “for safety purposes,” and make sizeable donations to their elections. Then, of course, when those candidates win, they pay the union back by providing them frequent raises in their salaries and also with lush benefits. And, if the newly-elected supervisors don’t do enough for the union’s bidding after they take office, they know full well that the union will support a different candidate in the next election. And the same situation is present for other public employees’ unions as well, like the state’s prison guards’ union.

What kind of benefits do they get? (You’ll love this.) Most public employees through their unions have a provision that when they retire they will get let’s say three percent of their last year’s salary for every year they were employed. So if they worked for 20 years, they would receive 60 percent of their last year’s salary. (Conceptually I don’t think that is unreasonable, up to a point.) But how is their last year’s salary computed? Here is the huge problem. They take all of the overtime in their last year that they can possibly take, and since their supervisors are a part of the game, that is a lot. Then that is counted throughout their retirement as their last year’s salary. But there’s more, because they also don’t take any of their vacation during that last year, which they sell back – and that counts as well! So by the time the last year’s salary is computed, it often is more than 100 percent of what their base salary was – for the rest of their lives! And with the so-called “California Rule,” it is prohibited to change that equation after they first are hired. So throughout this process, no one is there to protect the taxpayers. And that is mostly and precisely why most cities and counties have so much un-funded debt today. And guess who will be saddled with paying those deficits? Mostly our children and our grandchildren! Does that make you as upset as it makes me? In fact, you might remember that even pro-union FDR actually was against public employee unions. So if you are opposed to what is happening so rampantly today, vote Libertarian every time you can! We are basically the only salvation in sight.

Irony of the week: Probably the most misspelled word in our language is the word “misspell.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #249 "EVEN MORE BUREAUCRACY!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 20:02:00 +0000

As any reasonable assessment will show, the California government is top-heavy in bureaucracy, which directly hinders successful ventures and adds greatly to the burden on taxpayers. And now, as if more governmental agencies were needed, California’s governor is proposing to add to that bureaucracy. How? By creating a new Department of Early Childhood Development, an Office of Health Care Affordability, and a Department of Better Jobs and Higher Wages. Likely the only positive result of these will be for the governor to be able to argue to his constituents that he is doing something for their benefit. Just the Department of Early Childhood Development alone will add $8.5 million to the budget. And the Office of Health Care Affordability, which would be tasked with “cracking down on any part of the health care industry that isn’t doing enough to reduce costs,” will simply be heaping more compliance and legal costs on to our medical bills, etc. and etc.

Does the governor actually believe that the government can mandate better early childhood development? Perhaps by “teaching for the test,” which was the self-defeating result of the federal government’s intrusion into the national education system. The fact is that if California were actually serious about wanting to create more high-paying jobs it would stop taxing and hindering successful companies so much that it chases those good jobs away to places like Texas. And that is not even considering how this result would be compounded if the new state Proposition 13 passes, because this would further materially increase the costs of companies doing business in California. So what we have here, as stated in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, is a “failure to communicate.” And who better to communicate reality to the governor than the taxpayers and voters? Let’s get busy!

Thought for the week: “Ban pre-shredded cheese. Make America grate again!”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #248 "RESPECT THE PROCESS!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 06:36:00 +0000

Many people have complained that President Trump has wrongly set aside some of President Obama’s “good works” regarding things like DACA, which has kept people who were brought into our country as small children without complying with our immigration laws from being deported. But the problem does not lie with Trump, it actually lies with Obama and Congress. Why? Because Mr. Obama issued Executive Orders for our laws not to be enforced for those young people. So, that being the case, no one has a legitimate complaint when Trump similarly issues Executive Orders counteracting them. However, if President Obama had respected the process and successfully attempted to have the immigration laws changed, President Trump would have been forced to follow suit. (What’s good for goose also good for gander. . .)

In other words, the process is critically important. We don’t have dictators in our country who can rule by fiat. The DACA issue to me is clear: we should keep those young people who have adapted well into our society here – and I believe most Americans would agree with that result. So if I were in Congress, I would vote for the modification of our immigration laws to enact that result. But this is yet another example of Congress abrogating its lawmaking responsibilities to a president. Another huge example is Congress’ having passed the so-called War Powers Acts that have allowed presidents, in effect, to declare war on other nations or peoples. No, Constitutionally only Congress can declare war! Of course our laws still allow a president to respond to an immediate threat. But otherwise it is meaningless for a country to be based upon the Rule of Law if its elected officials don’t respect the process– and these failings are laid at the feet of Congress!

Quote for the week: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #247 "GROUPS LIKE TECHNOSERVE DO IT BETTER!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 06:32:00 +0000

Are you aware of the charitable group called TechnoServe? It (correctly) bills itself as providing “Business Solutions to Poverty” in 29 mostly poverty-stricken countries around the world. For example, in Uganda it is using data captured by drones and satellites to help farmers determine where to allocate their limited resources to maximize their crops’ yields; in Mozambique it is using smart phones to facilitate more effective business decisions for cashew growers, buyers and manufacturers; and in Ethiopia it is making available solar-powered water pumps for irrigation systems to help family farmers cope with increasingly drier weather. Furthermore TechnoServe also provides mobile banking services for direct payments to be made by the farmers. And, importantly enough, it also provides all of its services equally to women and men!

So this is yet another example of how private individuals, companies and foundations simply do a better job in philanthropic work than do (any) governments. Governments are, by definition, bureaucracies that must cater to political demands. But the private sector can function directly to address the needs of those in poverty. In addition, how much money that our government donates to a poverty-stricken countries actually gets to the people it is meant to help, as opposed to resulting in the local government officials driving around in expensive cars and opening up Swiss bank accounts? This is not a total indictment of governments – they certainly fulfill some important functions. But when it comes to things like aid to the poor and emergency relief, I suggest that governments much more often should contract with private foundations to address the problems. (In that regard, maybe a good place to start would be for the US Government to abolish FEMA and simply contract with groups like the Red Cross for emergency relief? Something to think about.)

Seen on one side of a sign in front of a bar: “I have mixed drinks about feelings,” and on the other: “Great Minds Drink Alike.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #246 "A PROPOSAL FOR SOLVING OUR HOMELESS PROBLEM"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 04:55:00 +0000

On Sunday, November 24, 2019 I published an op-ed column in the Orange County Register about my proposal for an institutional approach to the homeless crisis. Instead of our normal “2 Paragraphs” edition, this week I am substituting that column. As always, feedback would be appreciated.

Here is the Register column for your thoughts.

Our great country seems to be vexed by the Homeless issue. All of us should take affront that people living in the United States and within its laws are being reduced to “living on the streets.” So how is this situation being perpetuated, and how should it be addressed?

As we have seen, the various governments’ responses around the country to the homeless issue have been sporadic if not spasmodic. Every once in a while a state or the federal government will set aside fairly large amounts of money in one-time payments, or temporarily open an armory, either to make themselves feel better or to reduce some political heat. But then the cold hard facts are that the problems continue on virtually as before.

So what we need instead is an institutional response that should greatly reduce this national and even moral problem. My approach is modeled after Dr. Milton Friedman’s “negative income tax” proposal, and is as follows, with the amounts of money used only for illustrative purposes:

1. No one in our country will pay any income taxes on their first $30,000 of earnings from whatever source – not you, me, Bill Gates or anyone else. (This could evolve into a national graduated flat tax, but that is a different issue.)

2. For those people who earn no money, regardless of the reason, anyone who is at least 18 years of age, a citizen of our country or here legally with a green card will receive a stipend from the federal government in the amount of $15,000 per year – probably broken down into monthly payments of $1,250. However, for every dollar they earn they will lose 50 cents of the stipend. (Accordingly, everyone will have an incentive to earn the extra dollar.) And, importantly enough, ALL other welfare payments could be abolished, except those for people with truly special needs.

3. So what about the homeless? The answer is that if each of those people had the equivalent of an ATM account with $1,250 automatically deposited into it each month the private sector would quickly start providing low-cost room and board-style living for each of them, probably at a competitive rate of about $1,000 per month, which would leave the recipients an additional $250 to pay for personal items, clothing, etc.

That would be the program. Of course, the opposing argument is that many of these people would simply throw their money away on alcohol and other drugs, gambling or otherwise be irresponsible. So what about them? The answer is that basically the homeless issue is and should be a local problem overseen by city and county governments. The federal government could and should participate as stated above, and then leave the issue to local control. And then at the local level there should be a triage system to address different groups of the homeless people, as follows:

1. Some people are temporarily down on their luck, but they both can and want again to function successfully in our society. For those people a temporary financial boost in their ATM accounts would probably be all they would need to get back on their feet.

2. Another much larger group would need to be screened for mental health, drug and alcohol and other debilitating conditions. Then they would, if necessary, be given access to appropriate assistance, to the degree that if they needed a conservatorship or a program of drug rehabilitation, that would be mandated.

3. The final group would be comprised of those who simply want to continue living that type of life – or at least think they do. Those people would be provided places to live such as at one of these room and board facilities, or at various government developmental centers, or even some of the presently lightly used reserve military facilities or the like. As we all agree, no one in our society should be arrested for “camping” or trespassing on public property unless they have a place to live with a roof over their heads. But this system would provide those places. Then, once that system is in place, the police could resume their enforcement of local ordinances that prohibit things like littering and illegal camping, urinating or defecating in public, etc. And a day or three in jail would help convince some of them to change habits.

Of course, there are always complications involved in any system like this, such as extra provisions being made for children and the differences in the costs of living in different parts of our country. But those issues can be addressed locally without making the approach too complicated.

Accordingly, with the publication of this column, I am reaching out to all people of good will in our society, including the legal, medical, religious and social communities, as well as caring groups like the ACLU, NAACP, MALDEF, various rescue missions, places of worship and others. In that regard, I openly say that I don’t purport to have all of the answers, but please join me in actively trying to find some by sending these ideas to your elected representatives. Because, as it now exists, the homeless problem is untenable and is an insult to who we are a people. And it calls for an institutional response to resolve it.

Question for the week: What is the difference between a raven and a crow? Mostly unknown to people, a raven has five pinion feathers in its tail and a crow, which is smaller, has only four pinion feathers. So the difference between a raven and a crow is a matter of a pinion. . . .

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

James P. Gray is a retired judge of the Superior Court in Orange County, California, a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica, criminal defense attorney in the Navy JAG Corps, federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, and the 2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President.

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com. Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #245 "INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 01:44:00 +0000

My great friend Judge Andy Guilford recently called my attention to an insight that I will pass along to you: the Judiciary is probably the most important of our three branches of government. Why? Because the Executive is dependent upon the majority to stay in office, and so is the Legislature. So it is only the Judiciary that truly upholds and enforces minority rights. And that is what makes America what it is. In other words, the very soul of our great country is our freedoms and our liberties. And that soul is continually under attack, if only in the name of “keeping us safe.” Wiretapping, surveillance cameras, unnecessary pre-trial confinement, license plate and facial recognition cameras, reduced rights under our search and seizure laws cloaked under the guise of the so-called War on Drugs, and on and on. And it is really only the Judicial Branch of Government that stands in the way of even more erosion of our precious liberties. I have said it many times in these columns, and it bears repeating: the Delegates at our Constitutional Convention in 1787 fought, debated and bickered over numbers of things, but literally each delegate agreed that the most important function of government is to protect our Liberties from the encroachment of government. (The second most important was our security.)

So what can we do to protect our Judicial Branch of Government? Primarily we must protect its independence! In the past few years we as a society have allowed our judiciary to become more politicized, even to the extent that several states have allowed judicial candidates to be endorsed by political parties. In addition, many judicial branches, including California, have been intentionally underfunded by the legislatures in response to judicial decisions that the legislatures did not agree with. These are dangerous precedents, because all of us are in the minority in some regards and, “There but for the Grace of God,” each of us could in fact be overly or even wrongly prosecuted by the government for just about anything. We simply must have an independent judicial system to protect us from all of these potential abuses. So everyone please be aware of this continuing threat, and lend a hand to protect us all against it. We simply must keep our Judicial branch of government independent!

Story for the week: A Doctor gave a man six months to live. But the man couldn’t pay his bills, so the Doctor gave him another six months.

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com. Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #244 "YOU WILL BRUSH YOUR TEETH!"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 01:40:00 +0000

It has clinically been shown numerous times that brushing our teeth after every meal enhances our health. Thus society would benefit if all of us would consistently do that, not to mention the cost savings to governmental programs like Social Security, Medicare and MediCal. So how about Congress passing a law mandating this “Good Health Measure” for all of us! Of course, we cannot have an effective law unless some sanctions are attached for non-compliance, so Congress should also create an enforcement agency. Naturally, of course, the enforcement police would also need to have surveillance capability, because voluntary reporting would truly be suspect and ineffective. Nevertheless, due to the substantial “benefits” that would accrue, the costs and intrusions would be justified – and, as long as we are law-abiding and brush our teeth regularly, what do we have to fear?

Is this a good idea? No! But do you understand that this is the literal basis for many of our laws in today’s Nanny State? If so, where are the protests? Naturally the above proposal would have many nuances and complications. For example, must we use toothpaste with fluoride? What type of toothbrush is “acceptable?” Does simply eating a banana at lunchtime constitute a “meal” that would require brushing? etc., etc. and etc.! But since the intentions are good, we will simply have to abide with the problems. And think of the other possibilities: Eat your Greens! Purchase Healthcare Insurance! Be an “educated” voter (i.e. vote for the candidates and issues favored by the current government then in power)! Of course, all of these things are important, but they can best be accomplished by private programs of education and taking responsibility for one’s own actions and health – i.e. employing Libertarian Values! And, just like our great country’s Founders were, we should always be hugely cautious of allowing governmental encroachments into our Liberties! To them that was the most important function of government! (The second was keeping us safe!) So, yes, we should brush our teeth, but we should also keep the government out of our bathrooms!

Lexophile for the Week: “Our mountains aren’t just funny, they’re Hill Areas!” (Oh well. . .)

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #243 "LET'S LEARN TO EMBRACE EACH OTHER"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 01:36:00 +0000

My great friend Dean Tom Campbell recently published in the Orange County Register the following quote that I pass along to you: “Most offenses taken are not intended.” This hit me hard because I have always somehow inferred this, but had never seen it put into words. And what a thought that will help us to live our lives more fully. Then the next day, Christmas, the Register also published the following in an editorial: “The truly valuable things of this life are not found in power and riches but in our relationships – in our capacity to cherish our families, love our neighbors, stretch out a helping hand to those less fortunate and seek reconciliation with those who would be our enemies.”

Following up on both of those quotes, with the fall of the former Soviet Union, it was fully documented that the great composer Peter Tchaikovsky actually committed suicide at the age of 53 to avoid publicizing that he was gay. And this act wasn’t done to protect his good name, it was instead to protect the “good name” of his former university. Can you simply imagine how deprived the world has been by not embracing him even for his perceived frailties (that all of us share in some form)? Look at what society lost not only in unnecessarily shortening his life, but also in the additional brilliant compositions that he would have created for us! Pope Francis preached this past Christmas Day that “God does not love you because you think and act the right way. You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you.” Just like with the commonalities of the world’s religions and philosophies that are highlighted at www.Pro-JectUnderstanding.com, we human beings have so much in common that we should embrace each other more. So as we are now beginning a New Year, let us all strive to exercise our Liberty and learn both not to take offense so quickly at things that other people say and do, but also to embrace each other more fully. That is – or should be – what life is about. Happy New Year!

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #242 "THE LARGEST 'COMPANY' IN THE WORLD"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 01:33:00 +0000

Question: What is the largest and most expensive “company” in the world? Answer: Our federal government. It is virtually mindboggling to see how large this government is! If you want to get an idea, Google either “The Plum Book 2019“ or “Political Appointments by Donald Trump” in Wikepedia. These will show you that there are 7,000 civil service “leadership and support” positions in the Executive and Legislative branches of government, and that the President actually appoints 4,000 of them, of which about 1212 must be confirmed by the Senate. (A partial list is enclosed herein.) Our federal government alone has 15 separate departments, as well as two more independent intelligence agencies and another 9 separate agencies, plus additional agencies, banks, commissions, councils and offices – and these do not include any of the judicial branch of government. And virtually all of these positions pay well more than $100,000 per year!

Unfortunately, the government of the Government of the State of California is just as bad. Google “List of California State Agencies” in Wikipedia and see that there are 231 separate state government agencies alone! Maybe there are some that have outlived their usefulness and should be abolished? Or at least there might be some jurisdictions that are duplicated that could be combined. In that regard, how about agency numbers 225, the California Water Commission, 226, the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, 227 the Department of Water Resources, and 228, the State Water Resources Control Board? Is anyone looking into these issues? Does anyone else join me in thinking that the public sector workers are becoming the privileged class in our society today, with good pay, benefits and job security, all at taxpayer expense? Does anyone else agree with me that “the bigger the government, the less important the citizens and their liberties?” You know the saying: “Fish swim, birds fly, and regulators regulate,” even though none of them are elected by “We the People.” And you wonder why taxes and government spending are so high, and our liberties are being reduced . . Our Founders would truly be shocked!

Quote for the week: No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions. He had money as well.” Margaret Thatcher

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #241 "AN ANTIDOTE TO POLARIZATION"

noreply@blogger.com (Judge Jim Gray) — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 04:22:00 +0000

Our society is now more polarized than at any time of my life. Why has that happened? Two reasons come to mind. Originally, when cable television news stations began to multiply I thought that it would be great because, with so many choices, all of us would be exposed to many more viewpoints – which would be healthy. And boy was I wrong! Instead, each station deciphered what the political leanings were of its target audience, and then expressly catered to what that audience wanted to hear. So we are the good guys, and people who do not have our beliefs are scoundrels or worse. A second reason is the gerrymandering of the congressional voting districts. “I don’t care if you of the opposite party get a politically safe seat as long as I can get one too” has become the position of those drawing up voting districts. And this has allowed many members of Congress to take some radical positions without being held accountable to the views of more moderate voters. Both of these situations have allowed polarization to flourish.*

And there is also a third reason as well. Thomas Jefferson famously said that our country should have a bloody revolution each generation in an attempt to keep the vested interests at bay. Fortunately our Constitution keeps the revolution from having to be bloody, but how long has it been? Probably since the 1860s when the Republicans took over from the Whigs. And how strong have the vested interests become in that time? Strong enough for many people to believe that our institutions are no longer working. “The Presidency doesn’t even try to represent all of the people,” “Congress is working against us,” and even “The Courts are only providing ‘justice’ to the wealthy” are conclusions that many people have reached. And this situation has resulted in us being so polarized. So what is the antidote? Voting Libertarian! It is not an exaggeration to say that Libertarians are the only mainstream political party in our country today. We believe in financial and other responsibility at all levels of society, including personal, group, corporate and governmental. And we are socially accepting with a “Live and Let Live” philosophy. In addition, Libertarians are the only political party that does not seek to gain by being involved in government. Thus we would strongly reduce the crony capitalism or corporate welfare that is rampant in our governments today. So do you want an antidote for polarization, and to be proud of your votes at the same time? Consider voting Libertarian.

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*As an anecdote, in my research in composing a musical about our nation’s 1787 Constitutional Convention entitled “Convention: the Birth of America,” I learned that one of the delegates was named Elbridge Gerry, who later became the Governor of Massachusetts and was also the Vice President under James Madison. But he also was so well known for his politics in drawing the boundaries of voting districts for political purposes that the practice soon took up his name, and it still does to this day.

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Quote for the week: “We should judge our programs by their results, not their good intentions.”

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.” You can also hear past shows on demand as well. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book entitled “2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty: Solutions that are Practical, Effective, Responsible, Libertarian, is now available at Amazon.com. Please read and discuss it with friends, and send in a review.