LPN

Reposted from Andrew Davis' article found on the LP Blog.

WASHINGTON, DC -- A text message arrived at my phone this morning announced that Democratic Senator Barack Obama had selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. I looked at it, said, "No surprise there," and went back to sleep.

After all, there isn't much to Biden that the public doesn't already know. He's a career Senator with more than 30-year history of being a "Congress critter." Biden is not only a part of the political establishment, he's a senior member of it!

In fact, Biden has only spent four years working in the private sector after graduating from college.

As our acting Executive Director said, Biden's pick was "predictable and typical."

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After examining recent failings of government in the economic and social sphere Murray Rothbard examines the shift away from the interventionist foreign policy of the early 20th century as well as the desanctifying of the office of president. In doing so he displays the rise in Libertarianism present in America and why America has the best chance of being truly free first.

The following video is taken From Chapter 15 of Murray Rothbard's 1978 book For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto as read by Jeff Riggenbach.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- “My party has already held its convention without a single taxpayer dollar in its support,” notes Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee. But the Republican and Democratic conventions live on federal subsidies. Each party is receiving $16 million for operating expenses and another $50 million for security. But even this might not be enough in the view of some people. Colorado officials are talking about trying to pry some additional money from the feds.

“It probably doesn’t surprise a lot of people that Sen. Barack Obama’s party is trying to pry more money out of government. After all, Democrats have perfected the art of using a political crowbar to bust open the Treasury’s doors. But why is Sen. John McCain, supposed maverick and reformer, going along with the raid? How is he any different than any of the other people who fill Washington clamoring for a bailout?” Barr asks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "It is time for Iraq to take responsibility for the costs and burdens of rebuilding their country," says Libertarian Party National Chairman William Redpath, following a new report from the Government Accountability Office stating that Iraq may have a budget surplus of up to $79 billion dollars.

"Using US taxpayer money to pay for the rebuilding of the infrastructure of another nation is bad enough," says Redpath, "but it is reprehensible and unforgivable when that nation is running a budget surplus while we have a substantial and growing federal budget deficit and a crumbling infrastructure."

The Libertarian Party has been opposed to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq from the beginning. The Party, which stands adamantly opposed to the use of taxpayer money to support functions of the government not defined in the Constitution, has taken special exception to the use of tax revenues to pay for rebuilding foreign nations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis called House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-OH) comments about wasted votes "a symptom of the same delusion that cost Republicans control in 2006."

Answering a question from Reason's Dave Weigel about Bob Barr at a recent lunch hosted by The American Spectator and Americans for Tax Reform, Boehner stated, "A vote for Bob Barr—you might as well vote for Barack Obama," adding, "if you want to throw your vote away, that's fine, but that's what it would be."

Davis said that Boehner's comments "reflect the same fallacy of thought that has put America in its current situation, with neither Republicans or Democrats offering the solutions voters want to hear."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - "Let them fail," says Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis, referring to the mortgage institutions Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, who the Bush administration has said it plans to rescue from financial collapse.

"Let them fail, and let them learn from their mistakes on their own dime," says Davis. "Bailing out these two institutions will only delay the inevitable outcome of any financial firm insulated from the market by government backing. The long run damage of continuing a policy of bailouts far exceeds any short term woes in letting the market consume failing institutions."

The Libertarian Party is calling for an end to government bailouts, which it equates to nothing more than welfare for businessmen. The Party believes that government support of these institutions decreases the incentive to make responsible decisions, and unfairly socializes the risk--putting taxpayers on the line for costly mistakes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Libertarian Party says that Republicans and Democrats have failed the American people by allowing telecommunication companies complicit in the Bush administration's illegal wiretap program to go without punishment.

"Civil liberties were violated, and only 28 senators cared to see justice served," says Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis, "and Barack Obama was not one of them."

The Libertarian Party has repeatedly called for the rejection of any amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that empowered the government to spy on American citizens and granted immunity to companies complicit in illegal surveillance operations.