Following President Bush’s annual State of the Union Address, the Libertarian Party issued their response from National Chairman William Redpath:

Tonight’s State of the Union address went much as expected. Instead of calling for a more limited role of the federal government in American society, the President laid out plans that would only increase the government’s intervention into the realm of economics, health care, education and foreign policy. It is unfortunate to see that after seven years of increasing the size of government and increasing the government’s presence in the day to day lives of all Americans, the President refuses to limit the scope of the federal government, a once championed virtue of the President’s party. The President’s last State of the Union address encapsulated his legacy of an abandonment of the principles of limited government and individual freedom.

While the Libertarian Party applauds the President on taking a stand against wasteful government spending–though his administration has been a large contributor to this problem–and opening up more foreign markets to trade, we offer the following solutions to issues the President brought up in his address:

Economics: The President’s economic stimulus plan is based on a flawed and outdated economic premise. The best solution to an economic slowdown is increasing the ability for businesses to grow and reinvest in the economy. Instead of increasing the federal deficit by $150 billion dollars, the federal government should focus its energy on eliminating taxes that restrain economic growth. Eliminating taxes such as the death tax and capital gains taxes, and lowering income tax rates on private citizens, will free up vital capital that can be reinvested into the economy. Additionally, the federal government should remove all trade barriers that prevent free trade with other nations. This is a more sound economic policy that presents real solutions instead of the window-dressing that is the President’s stimulus package.

Education: The President’s ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ has failed from the very beginning, and its reauthorization would be a travesty to the American education system. Instead of unfunded, federal mandates with the intent of fixing our failing public schools, alternatives involving the private sector should be explored. Increased local control over public schools and the increased use of private alternatives will increase the quality of education for all American children. We call for abolishing the Department of Education and removing the federal government from educating our children.

Health care: Far too long have our politicians tried to find a government fix for the health care problem we have in America. Government interference in the health care system is the root of the problems we face. Only in eliminating government subsidies of health care will we find relief from increasing costs. The Libertarian Party calls for the elimination of all government entitlement programs related to health care.

Foreign Policy: America will spend more than $1 trillion dollars in foreign wars started during the Bush administration. Because of such, the economy is in jeopardy and America’s reputation abroad has suffered traumatic blows. On top of this, Americans have seen their civil liberties violated time after time. The Libertarian Party calls for a withdrawal from Iraq following the proper lines of withdrawal, executed by our commanders on the ground. We also call for an abandonment of the reckless policy of pre-emptive war, and a restoration of civil liberties lost under such laws as the Patriot Act and the amendments to FISA. The Libertarian Party reminds our leaders in power of the great words of Samuel Adams:

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”

In this perilous time, when our freedom is attacked from both inside our borders by corrupt politicians and from outside by foreign aggressors, we call for prudence, wisdom and above all, an adherence to the United States Constitution, which reigns sovereign over all individuals of American society.


Redpath is a resident of Leesburg, Virginia, where he lives with his wife Melinda. Redpath has served as the Chairman of the Libertarian Party since 2006. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.

...here are the main reasons that everyone needs to understand, as Ron does, that a third-party candidate is not going to be elected president. If he chooses to run anyway and you understand what he's trying to accomplish, you won't be disappointed when he loses.

1. The mainstream media blackout

There's no question in my mind that, based on what Ron has been able to accomplish in spite of the mainstream media blackout, if he had received as much coverage as the Establishment's anointed candidates, he would be far and away the front-runner now.

Here are the figures for last week from media tracking firm VMS. Bear in mind that these numbers reflect a time when Ron was a sitting Congressman running for a major-party nomination, that he raised significantly more money last quarter than any of his opponents – including setting an all-time one-day fundraising record, and had crushed former anointed front-runner Rudy Giuliani – whom the media still insists is a viable candidate – in nearly every state so far: Yet last week, the mainstream media:

* Gave John McCain 85 times more coverage than Ron Paul
* Gave Rudy Giuliani 69 times more coverage than Ron Paul
* Gave Mitt Romney 59 times more coverage than Ron Paul
* Gave Mike Huckabee 32 times more coverage than Ron Paul
* Gave Fred Thompson 25 times more coverage than Ron Paul
* Gave Barack Obama 207 times more coverage than Ron Paul
* Gave Hillary Clinton 202 times more coverage than Ron Paul

And Ron got more attention in the fourth quarter, after he raised $5 million in the third quarter, than he had previously – and the attention accelerated after his two huge fundraising days later in the fourth quarter. That means last week's figures, as bad as they are, represent an increase over the amount of coverage he received earlier last year.

And the extra coverage he's received in the past three months is probably more than every Libertarian Party candidate for president in history – combined (which isn't a knock on any of those candidates, because it wasn't their fault; it's just the way the system is).

But, as you can see from the numbers, even his increased coverage is still appallingly abysmal.

And, as a sitting Congressman, he has been in every debate and has had memorable exchanges with all of the Establishment front-runners – despite being the victim of mini-blackouts during the debates, being asked by far the fewest questions, being given by far the least amount of time to speak, and often being treated rudely and being subjected to deliberate, repeated attempts in each debate to make him look bad.

With bias like this, it's a miracle that Ron has even accomplished what he has. It's also a testament to him, and even more so to the power of the liberty message and to the power of the Internet to change the world.

These facts beg the following question about the idea of him winning the presidency as a third-party candidate: if those hurdles prove insurmountable for the GOP race, then what makes you think he can win the presidency as a third-party candidate? The media pays almost no attention to him now; they'll have every reason to pay even less attention to him as a third-party candidate. Most third-party candidates don't get much more than one obligatory interview per media outlet – even if they're minor celebrities.

Reading diet books won't make you thin.

Reading exercise books won't make you fit.

Reading libertarian books won't make you free.

If you want small government and freedom, you must act.

Not just once. Regularly, repeatedly, relentlessly.

In 1995, I gave speeches at a number of Libertarian Party state conventions. After one of these speeches, a man in his thirties asked me, "Why aren't there more women here?"

"How many women did you bring?" I asked.

"None," he said.

"How many women did you invite?" I asked.

"None," he said.

"How many women did you tell about this Libertarian convention?" I asked.

"None."

"So, what's your answer to your question? Why aren't more women here?"

"Because I didn't tell them, I didn't invite them, I didn't bring them..." he answered.

Why isn't the libertarian movement bigger?

How many people have you shared libertarian ideas with in the last seven days? How many people have you forwarded libertarian essays and articles to in the last seven days? How many times have you shared libertarian ideas, essays, and articles with each of them?

How many people have you invited to sign up for a free subscription to The Liberator Online? How many people have you invited to support the vital work of the Advocates for Self-Government?

What have you done to bring more people into the libertarian movement in the last seven days? What will you do to make the libertarian movement bigger in the next seven days?

Why isn't the libertarian movement more successful?

In the last seven days, what have you done to make it more successful?

Have you used Advocates tools -- like OPH and the Quiz -- to effectively reach new people and bring them into the liberty movement? Have you donated to Advocates -- so they can reach and teach more people? Why not do it now? https://www.fbs.net/advocates/donations.cfm

Have you done volunteer work for a libertarian political campaign? Have you
donated to the campaign -- so they can reach more people?

Have you done volunteer work for the END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative in Massachusetts? Have you donated to this Initiative -- so they can recruit, educate, and activate more taxpayers and voters? So they can END an income tax this November 4th? Why not get the facts?
http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/

Reading diet books won't make you thin.

Reading exercise books won't make you fit.

Reading libertarian books won't make you free.

If you want a bigger and more successful libertarian movement, you must act.

Not just once. Regularly, repeatedly, relentlessly.

What are *you* going to do?