So, what can one elected Libertarian do, anyway?

[shanek]

Just what can one elected Libertarian do among all of those Demopublicans? Surely, the "fact" that Libertarian ideas are so raidcal and undesirable means that he'll be pretty impotent, right? And he'll be so extremist and uncompromising that he'll never go along with anything the Demopublicans want, however necessary, right?

Erm.......no.

http://www.newstopic.net/articles/2004/05/05/news/40dowcruislegag.txt

The ban on cruising in downtown Lenoir has ended. The Lenoir City Council Tuesday voted to eliminate the cruising ban to encourage people to visit restaurants and shop in the downtown.

Councilman T.J. Rohr said he would make a motion that the cruising ban be eliminated in all of Lenoir.

Rohr is a Libertarian.

Council agreed to ask the Public Safety Committee to look into the possibility of completely eliminating the "no cruising'' ordinance. Rohr agreed, but said after the committee looks at the issue he plans to make a motion to eliminate the ordinance.

In other business, council by a 5-1 vote approved a Level One Economic Development Incentive grant of $14,625 over three years to help Cytosol Ophthalmics with a $1.3 million expansion. The grant represents 75 percent of the new investment after taxes are paid.

Rohr voted against the grant. He said he believes economic development grants take tax money away from citizens and benefit large corporations not small corporations. He said he recently read that 96 percent of businesses receiving incentives from North Carolina's William Lee Act would have came to North Carolina or expanded without the incentives.

Rohr said he would rather see a voluntary non-profit corporation or a small venture capital corporation give economic development incentives.

Council members would rather not give incentives, Barlow said. However, he said new businesses and expanding businesses "create jobs, which are desperately needed in Lenoir.''

"I agree that some business would come to Lenoir or expand without incentives, but I am not wise enough to know which ones would come without incentives,'' he said. "I wish there was a better alternative and you (Rohr) have mentioned a few that maybe we should look into. There is so much competition that I am afraid not to offer incentives. Although I have no vote (unless there is a tie), I urge this council to vote for this incentive.''

Rohr said "this is really not an incentive since the company already has expanded.''

And, of course, Libertarians are soooo uncompromising...

Adopted an ordinance directing the removal or demolition of a structure at 423 A Healean Place because it does not meet minimum housing standards. Lenoir Planning Director Chuck Beatty said the city has worked for two and a half years on the matter and had no response from property owners' heirs.

Rohr said he usually would oppose demolition, but that the condition of the house makes it unsafe to the general public.

He did state on the mailing list that he hated not being able to give the heirs just compensation for the demolition, though. But this had gone on for years and was becoming extremely dangerous.

Yes, Libertarians can get people on our side. Yes, Libertarians can get even those who vote against us to admit that we have some good ideas that are worth looking into. And yes, we can recognize that extreme situations do call for government action when the lives of others are endangered.

Not that I have any delusions that this will stop the myths being spread over this forum by the anti-Libertarians here, but at least the truth is where it needs to be and available for those who will listen. As they say, actions speak louder than words, and the actions of elected Libertarians so far have shown that we mean what we say, and that we are not unreasonable extremists.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Now all you have to do is get elected to a real office.

 

[Kodiak]

Good for him and his constituents.

I've always been more willing to support, volunteer for, and elect, local libertarians as the political dynamics allow for a better chance of success.