Libertarian in NH's Gubernatorial Election 2010?

[AL the Inconspicuous]

By Thom S on the Free State Project forum -- Contemplating a run for Governor... --

Dear Fellow Liberty-lovers,
 
I am asking for your measured, sober thoughts on the 2010 election.  As you may have gathered, I am seriously considering a run for Governor as the Libertarian Party candidate in 2010.
 
I am an Economist and have been an Educator (at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield MA, and Keene State College in Keene, NH) since 1998.  As my blog ("Tully's Page," at http://www.tullyspage.blogspot.com) states, I am tired of liberal hands in my wallet and conservative noses in my bedroom.  While my background is that of a Republican campaign operative (having appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" on behalf of Ronald Reagan as long ago as 1980), I am as equally opposed to the theocratic right as to the collective left. We should not  be a footnoted brand of conservatism.  I believe in a Libertarian Party that is competitive, freedom-oriented, and above all, Pragmatic.  I *do* believe in incremental steps towards liberty, and believe in victories more than purity.  I will be very frank about that with you all.
 
The Democratic regime has attempted to portray itself as "Centrist," and yet, their version of 'centrist" is akin to having one hand in boiling water and the other frozen in ice:  it may be an 'average' of tepid, but damage is occurring at both ends.
 
The Democrats in Concord have reigned over the least fiscally responsible, and most anti-Self-defense administrations in decades.  At the same time, Gov. FLynch has sold out to conservatives on issues such as Medical Marijuana, and churned up weeks of unnecessary drama in a terrified effort to prevent the Marriage Equality bill from ever reaching his desk.
 
The Republican response has been to astutely emphasize fiscal issue, while burying their underlying fear and religious opposition to civil liberties.  Let there be no mistake: a Karen Testerman Corner Office would be a Statists' delight.
 
New Hampshire voters tend to prefer 'moderation,' but that 'moderation' tends to be expressed in terms of fiscal responsibility and social tolerance.  Neither the Democratic nor Republican parties in this state at this time can claim that mantle. We can.
 
On Fiscal Matters, I support a balanced budget; a rollback of meals & rooms taxes, the use of user fees in place of broad-based taxes, and easier methods for local voters to control property taxes that are destroying high-tax towns like Fitzwilliam.
 
On Civil Liberties, I am an ardent supporter of 2nd Amendment rights, home education (I home educated five of my six children), unrestricted free speech, Marriage Equality, Medical Marijuana, marijuana decriminalization, a Motorists Bill of Rights, and restrictions on local zoning power-grabs.
 
As an Educator, I am keenly aware of educational issues, and see too many students enter college as functional and cultural illiterates.  Realistic School Choice must be available to New Hampshire families, and public school teachers must be given freedom to implement core requirements at the local level in a way that is appropriate for their schools and students.
 
At the same time, "Special Education" must be rescued from the policies and procedures of the American Psychological Association.  Far too many students with learning inefficiencies endure hours of testing and produce reams of paperwork to prove what they, their teachers, and their parents already know.  IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) have become boilerplate excuses..and the result is that students are not helped, parents are frustrated, paperwork is legendary, and taxpayers are robbed...but the schools report that the 'requirements' have been kept.  This system is in serious need of deconstruction and reform.
 
As an Economist, I realize that "The Pledge" is not just a gimmick, but a critical aspect of what makes New Hampshire work.  Lynch might say he favors "The Pledge, but the Democrat's actions on taxes this last session, from pizza parlors to campsites to the current disastrous LLC tax proposal - reveals the opposite.  Small businesses are already operating on tiny profit margins (I know, I used to own a Restaurant in Westmoreland), and increased fees and taxes could spell the end to hundreds of mom-and-pops across the state.  Meanwhile, unaudited, unaccountable outside agencies with state contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services burn through tax money unabated. Business taxes must not only be stopped, they must be reversed if New Hampshire is to continue to experience the advantage it has had.
 
I seek your feedback and your support.  As a teacher, I have the summer off, and I am prepared to spend the summer campaigning and raising our party's visibility.  It would seem to me that in an off-year election, with an active campaign and rising voter disgust, we ought to reach the 4% threshold that will secure ballot access.  But I can't - and won't - do it myself.  I need to hear from you.
 
Thank you,
Thomas Simmons
Winchester NH

(Also on Nolan Chart.) (PLEASE DIGG)

[BonerJoe]

"> > A prominent FSP Member (what they were called at the time, now they
> > are "Participants") named Thom Simmons once threatened to cut off my
> > penis with garden shears if I neglected to wear clothes ON MY OWN
> > PROPERTY next door to his house."

[AL the Inconspicuous]

My answer to this on the FSP Forum thread:

If true, then that's a very significant and dangerous philosophical error on Thom's part, but politics is not about ivory-tower puritanism, which is what activism and other individual action is for.  Politics is about inching toward a lesser evil, and Thom very well might be that, presuming that he's the only serious libertarian running...  Even a Jesse Ventura type governor would be a major step in the right direction, and a clear-cut sign that New Hampshire is different from other states and is actively moving toward greater liberty!

I would like to see Thom apologize for this incident though.