the Votes of a Liberal

There are those that say voting is an act of giving consent to the state. Here, here and here. When it comes to picking between the so-called lesser of two evils, I agree. Voting for lesser evil is not acceptable. In this regard I shall refrain from voting for the US Senator, US Representative, State Senator, Member of the State Assembly and DA positions. If I am allowed to write in a candidate I will most likely write Ronald Paul, in the hopes that there are others that will do the same. However, I do have a chance at rocking the vote on ballot initiatives, and the presidential election. There are enough people sick of the two party system to send a message to the Republicrats. Below I will discuss who my messenger is and a brief description on why I am voting for or against each initiative. I shall not be writing a complete tractus here, but regular readers will know why I oppose what I do. If you are a visual/auditory learner please watch and listen to my friend Josh Friedman breakdown his votes.

POTUS:

Gary Johnson gets my vote. He is a cost-effective/consequentialist libertarian, while I am a moral/natural rights libertarian. This leads to him siding with the State too often for my tastes, but he is good enough for me to use as a message bearer against the two party system. Obama is marginally less aggressive on foreign policy than Romney, but I cannot vote for either in good conscious.

State Measures

30: Taxation is a euphemism for theft, and theft is wrong. 30 increases theft. Ipso facto, I shall vote no.

31: Gives more leeway for local governments to abuse funds. The status quo surprisingly increases the State less than this measure's approval would.  I shall vote no. (Special note: I felt I needed a lawyer to translate the wording of this measure, and I am no stranger to the law or shifty bureaucrats)

32: I abhor public sector unions, but this measure restricts their speech. I have read that this is not an accurate quote from Voltaire, but it rings true nonetheless. "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I shall vote no.

33: A yes vote here reduces the State's incursions in the auto insurance industry. I shall vote yes. 

34: The State does not have the right to execute humans. I shall vote yes to end the death penalty. Oh yeah schools get $100 million of the savings, for you consequentialists out there.

35: Increases the power of the State to act as a monopoly arbiter. I shall vote no.

36: Reduces 3 strikes to only violent crimes. There are no crimes that are not violent. I shall vote yes. This stands out as my sole disagreement with Josh Friedman, and our end goal remains the same.

37: Gives more power for the State to invade food production. I shall vote no.

38: See 30. I shall vote no.

39: See 30 & 38. I shall vote no.

40: If I were a consequentialist or pragmatist I would vote yes (if you are inclined to enjoy subjunctives read my friends Edgar & Nathan). More commissions on how to decide districts are both daunting and irrelevant to the real question. Does an agency that monopolizes the initiation of force, the State, have dominion over me, my property and you? The answer is no, and thus I shall not vote yes, because a yes vote would approve the district drawn by citizens. A no vote leads to more committees. I shall leave this measure as blank as my consent of the State's dominion.

County Measures of el Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles:

A: Whether appointed or directly elected the State is, as Bastiat says, "the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else". I shall not vote on this.

B: An incursion on adult film production. I shall vote no.

J: See 30, 38, & 39. I shall vote no.

District:

MM: See 30, 38, 39, & J. I shall vote no.

The underlying theme is Liberalism, the advocacy of liberty. I want to disintegrate the State, but I am content to compromise. I shall support any reduction of the State and anathematize any increase of the State. I purchased a t-shirt from the Ludwig von Mises Institute that sums up Liberalism in two words.

Privatize Everything.