Christine Smith for President Blog

I invite you to read a new interview with me (published today) over at Steve Newton's The Delaware Libertarian. Mr. Newton asked excellent questions regarding Iran, our economy, health care, education, and the loss of civil liberties verus security from terrorism.

I invite you to read his excellent interview with me:

http://delawarelibertarian.blogspot.com/2008/04/delaware-libertarian-exclusive.html

--Christine Smith,
Libertarian candidate for president


PAID FOR BY CHRISTINE SMITH FOR PRESIDENT

The acceptance of the welfare state in our nation never ceases to amaze me.

Just when I thought I'd heard it all, yesterday while listening to AM radio, an advertisement/announcement came on stating "Food stamps make America stronger." It was a message from the USDA.

I stopped, and repeated the absurdity in disbelief, "Food stamps make America stronger."

It's not enough that this nation is being economically destroyed by the welfare state (and warfare state), but now the federal government is equating welfare with patriotism. Actually, it should come as no surprise that the government would utilize this tactic, after all it's always used patriotism as a powerful emotional tool to persuade the people to accept and condone its empire building, but until now I'd never heard them using patriotism as a motivator for welfare. So now Americans can proudly get food stamps knowing they are helping make our country stronger. And those who pay for it can feel proud as well I suppose. After all who questions being part of making America stronger? Will such insanity ever end?

If you find the radio message I heard incredible, just visit:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/FactSheets/Food_Stamps.htm
and you'll read according to their website how "the 'Food Stamps Make America Stronger' is an FNS ongoing national educational campaign to reach key target populations – the working poor, seniors, and legal immigrants. The campaign includes radio advertising; National and State toll-free numbers; and posters, flyers, brochures and other materials. Resources are available in English and Spanish."

Read the justifications, as if such a program is good for America when in reality it, and other such socialist programs as Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security/public housing/public education, are part of the downfall of our nation.

So where is the righteous indignation and outrage over such blatant manipulation as "Food stamps make America stronger."? Why is not a slogan and theme from the USDA such as that ridiculed, laughed at, and rejected? Why doesn't everyone view this as yet another example of government doublespeak designed to deceive, mislead and corrupt one's thinking and interpretation so that weakness now becomes strength just as perpetual war is now accepted as "peace"? Why?

Because the government has done well with its propaganda for decades. Because we haven't a society where liberty is valued and espoused anymore...instead we have become a nation of many weaklings looking to government to step in and protect us from ourselves - for that "security," Americans have accepted being so much less than they can be, even capable of equating the food stamp program as a strength.

Sure helping those in need is compassionate. But true altruism, true compassion, exists only in freedom. Freedom to earn and keep what you've worked for - and freedom to voluntarily help one's family and give to one's preferred charitable causes.

Government handouts weaken this nation to its core economically, socially and morally. Government handouts are financed by force, by coercion; taxation strips you of money you deserve to keep and is then often wasted through bureaucracy and corruption. But even if such a program were administered efficiently (and government does little if anything efficiently), but even if it were so, it is fundamentally wrong to tax some people in order to provide assistance to others. You don't take freedom from one by eliminating their free will and taking the fruits of their labor to supposedly give freedom/help/assistance to another. Freedom exist without coercion of any kind. And only in freedom is compassion expressed.

It's not immoral to be in need, to be in a situation requiring the assistance of others - but it is immoral and disgusting when the pain and suffering of those in need is exploited by the government to justify its existence, its greed, its legalized stealing. Cloaked in the guise of compassion, from birth to death, the government intrudes into every area of American's lives making such important vital parts of life such as one's education, livelihood, health care, and retirement all tied to government control.

Socialism (and socialist programs such as welfare) are the antithesis of a free society, just as they are the antithesis of a compassionate society.

But rather than focus on self sufficiency, and people caring for their own families by providing them an unregulated market in which to work and a paycheck consisting of everything they earned, the government regulates/licenses heavily (thereby keeping many from productive employment/jobs, forcing employers to have to pay less to compensate for the costs of compliance, and forcing people to remain reliant upon government in the often never-ending cycle of low-income existence in a heavily regulated economy of debased currency, inflation, and price control and bail-outs that favor some over others.) The government thrives on the people's hardship - and that is why it uses the very crises it purports to seek to remedy to keep the people enslaved - touting itself as a benevolent savior when in reality it is the curse of the people - ironically creating the very crises the people look to the government to save them from.

Only in a true free country will the causes of poverty begin to be exposed and addressed, and every causation will point straight to the government itself ; but in a tyranny, poverty and its state of dependency are encouraged and nurtured for it is the mainstay of government's power over the people.

Government does not want the people of America to question the causes of economic struggle in this nation. To do so would threaten their powerful lucrative dominion. Instead they opt to glorify the welfare state, now going so far as to equating it with making American stronger.

A stronger America will emerge only when we abolish both the welfare and warfare state, ceasing our servitude and rejecting the malevolent monster the government has become, and taking control of not only our own money but every aspect of our lives. A stronger America will emerge when Americans become stronger - strong enough to say "No!" to government control of their lives - strong enough to take the responsibility of making decisions for their lives and living with the consequences - strong enough to again demonstrate the indomitable spirit of liberty which emboldened the founders of this nation with a courage to risk everything for the sake of truly living free.

I do believe the spirit of independence, self sufficiency, creativity, responsibility, and the desire to reap the benefits of being an individual (rather than succumbing to the collective) still resides in enough Americans..it just needs to be re-wakened. Re-wakened with the truth.

The truth that for only in a truly free society, where people can employ and be employed as they choose - where we all keep what we earn and give as we choose - will peaceful economic prosperity and its fruits of true charity be realized. And only then will the ills of a heavily regulated society, such as poverty, begin to be truly addressed and healed through free trade, free association, and free and generous giving from a people with much more to give to those they choose. Then there will be healthy food be on the tables of more Americans because a free society creates the greatest prosperity of all. A stronger America where liberty is again cherished is reachable...but that stronger America will be created only when Americans become strong enough to trust themselves.


-Christine Smith
Libertarian candidate for president
www.LibertarianForPresident.com
Paid for by Christine Smith for President

A recommendation for my blog readers:

Several days ago while reading the LRC blog, I came across the following posting with a link to a previous article by Lew Rockwell.

Now is the time for libertarians to adhere to genuine libertarian principles.

I recommend the LRC blog post & Rockwell's article found at:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/020449.html

Lew Rockwell's analysis of the LP is right on target!


--Christine Smith
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Paid for by Christine Smith for President

Pennsylvania/New Jersey/West Virginia LP Convention Photos

The photos are up, though most, but not all captions are added yet. This was an excellent LP convention!
Click Here for PA LP Convention Trip Photos
Endorsements:
I was happy to receive three more letters of support recently, beautifully written, and very meaningful to me for what was expressed.

(To read all endorsements in full--below are short excerpts of three, and/or to submit your letter of support, CLICK HERE.) Excerpts from recent letters in support of my campaign:

Charlotte Bailey - 3-26-2008 - ...She has the courage to take a stand on every issue and to let the world know what that stand is. She has the courage to speak up and tell her own party it needs to clean house so it can continue to call itself the Party of Principle. That makes her a Candidate of Principle in my book...

Joel Zingone - 3-22-2008 - ... For causes personal, humanitarian and political, she is a shining example of Libertarian principles ...

Martin K. Meade, Jr. - 2-23-2008 - ... a candidate who truly stands for the truly fundamental basis of our existence - freedom in its purest form...

Thank you!

--Christine Smith
Libertarian Candidate for President

http://www.LibertarianForPresident.com

Christine Smith for President
15400 W. 64th Ave., E9-105
Arvada, Colorado 80007

phone: (303) 217-8848

PAID FOR BY CHRISTINE SMITH FOR PRESIDENT