Austrian free market economist Ludwig von Mises argued that political and economic liberty are inextricably linked. “Government is a guarantor of liberty and is compatible with liberty only if its range is adequately restricted to the preservation of what is called economic freedom. Where there is no market economy, the best-intentioned provisions of constitutions and laws remain a dead letter.” Like von Mises, Milton Friedman argued for many years that economic and political liberty were interlinked, and that to destroy one would eventually harm the other.

Consent of the Governed

To me, it seems intellectually inconsistent to complain about expansion of the statist society that thrives on the system of legal plunder called “socialism”, and yet by not voting, to consent to the inevitable result of re-electing a president whose agenda is more expansive and  more coercive government, redistribution of wealth, and insurmountable debt. As Thomas Jefferson said “Most bad government has grown out of too much government.”

 Self- Defeating Strategies by Political Parties

This recent Presidential election brought to mind the famous redundant quote by New York Yankee baseball great Yogi Berra “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” This election reminded me of the 1996 election when the Republican establishment ran Bob Dole as the “designated loser” against incumbent Bill Clinton. Four years ago it was RINO John McCain, and this time another RINO, Mitt Romney did not garner the enthusiastic support of true conservatives and proponents of limited government. The Republican party’s disgraceful sabotage of Ron Paul delegation at the Republican convention in Tampa was a self-defeating strategy that unfortunately assured a “Groundhog Day” result on November 6. As long as the GOP continues to nominate “moderate” candidates, it is destined to keep handing the election to the “progressives” on a silver platter.

While I heartily support the Libertarian principles of Austrian free market economics and not initiating force, I have a bone to pick with what I consider a contradictory and self-defeating strategy. I think it is disingenuous to decry voting a as sham and immoral, and then use that same electoral platform to siphon away vital votes from Republican candidates, whose philosophical platform advocates more limited government, and thus ensuring victory for the party of legal plunder.

As it should be clear from this election, moderate Republicans can’t win elections without capturing the independent vote. And Independents can’t win elections on their own. If the goal of a Libertarian campaigning for office, without realistic chance of victory, is to convince the Republicans that they can’t win without Independents and that  they need to adopt more Libertarian positions, I think that goal was achieved in spades this election. However, the ultimate result is throwing the election to the socialist candidate, whose agenda is antithetical to Libertarian philosophy of freedom. Does using the elective process as a platform to espouse Libertarian views, without any realistic regard for winning elections… does that strategy really advance the cause of liberty, if the ultimate result is a victory for the party of bigger, more coercive government? I’m not convinced that it does.

A Wake Up Call for Conservative Christians

Maybe the deeply disappointing re-election of our socialist President is the wake up call Conservatives need to hear, to swing the pendulum the other direction…if our country can only survive the next four years of crippling deficits, high unemployment, more job losses, and suffocation of the free market. I never thought we would survive the second term of Bill Clinton, and yet, somehow we did. But with a $16 trillion debt and a projection of $20 trillion in the next 4 years, there is little cause for optimism. As author Dinesh D’Souza says in his book, “Obama’s America, Unmaking the American Dream”  this President is the architect of American decline. In order to remake America, he must first unmake America. Elections have consequences.

The voting statistics of evangelical Christians this election is deserving of analysis in an autopsy for America in the wake of our “electoral suicide”. More than 6 million self-described “evangelicals” voted for Obama. It is stunning to think that they voted for a President who supports abortion on demand, same-sex marriage and other social values contrary to Biblical principles. Many Christians would not vote for Romney, simply because he is a Mormon, regardless of his business skills and track record of success in the free market.. For an interesting and disturbing statistical analysis of how Christians voted this election, see the article on Joel C. Rosenberg’s Blog. http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/more-than-6-million-self-described-evangelicals-voted-for-obama-why-what-else-do-the-exit-polls-tell-us-about-how-christians-voted/ A number of journalists have commented that the re-election of Obama shows a national slide away from God.

Shining a White Light on Black Box Voting

Don McAlvany’s Intelligence Advisor, referenced above, mentions massive voter fraud and “rigging computerized voting machines” (election fraud). Don says “Reports of voter fraud are now coming in from all over the country. In One Ohio county, Obama got 108% of the votes for all registered voters in the county. In Broward County, Florida, Obama got 99% of the votes in some precincts-which is statistically impossible. In 21 of Cleveland’s precincts, Obama won 100% of the vote- statistically impossible! In St. Lucie, Florida, 141.1% of the registered voters voted.(i.e. out of 175,554 registered voters in the county, 247,713 votes were cast). Surprise- Obama won the county.”

In light of Don’s statistics, I say thank God for election integrity activists like Bev Harris and her election watchdog group Black Box Voting. It is activists like Bev, and Tucson’s John Brakey and Jim March  http://www.audit-az.blogspot.com/ who shine a white light of scrutiny on the clandestine process of “Black Box Voting”. Their selfless dedication should encourage voting pessimists that we still have citizens who are committed to devoting their time and talents toward the goal of election integrity and transparency. As I stated in my last article, “activism changes things”. I was as surprised as Bev on election night that the results were declared so soon, before any real vote counting took place. Bev can be heard on the archive shows of “Coast to Coast” with George Norry  http://www.coasttocoastam.com and on the Alex Jones Show and http://www.infowars.com. 

As Bev says, “the real problem that we have to wrap our heads around, educate others, and solve is public right to see and authenticate the count”…We have to help the public understand that public controls over our own elections are the very essence of self-government, and self-government is the basis for all democratic systems. The four things the public must be able to see and authenticate are: 1) Who can vote (voter list) 2) Who did vote (poll list) 3) Counting of the vote 4) Chain of custody. See Bev’s informative website at http://www.bbv.forums.org/forums/messages/8/82339.html?1353423240

Where Do We Go From Here?

Congressman Ron Paul’s farewell address to Congress on November 14, 2012 was a  comprehensive overview of how our country has developed from the time of the Founding Fathers, and a roadmap for the rough road ahead. What follows are selected excerpts from Dr. Paul’s speech. “The Founders were convinced that a free society could not exist without a moral people.” “The ultimate solution is not in the hands of government.” The solution falls on each and every individual, with guidance from family, friends, and community.”

“The #1 responsibility for each of us is to change ourselves with hope that others will follow. This is of greater importance than working on changing the government; that is secondary to promoting a virtuous society. If we can achieve this, then government will change. It doesn’t mean that political action or holding office has no value. Political action, to be truly beneficial, must be directed toward changing the hearts and minds of the people, recognizing that it’s the virtue and morality the people that allow liberty to flourish.”    

“To achieve liberty and peace, two powerful human emotions have to be overcome. Number one is “envy” which leads to hate and class warfare. Number two is “intolerance” which leads to bigoted and judgmental policies. These emotions must be replaced with a much better understanding of love, compassion, tolerance and free market economies.”

It’s unfortunate that a greater majority of American public, those who did take the time to vote this past Presidential election, have either not heard the wisdom Dr. Paul’s message, or have willfully turned a deaf ear to the message of Liberty and responsibility for themselves. They do not understand that “productivity and creativity are the true source of personal satisfaction. Freedom, and not dependency, provides the environment to achieve these goals. Government cannot do this for us; it only gets in the way.”

Instead, they have voted to re-elect a President who endorses “envy” and class warfare, as well as an agenda to dismantle our free market economy. As dismal as the near future appears, with the looming “financial cliff” ahead, Obamacare, and the myriad of other problems our country now faces, conservatives and proponents of limited government and moral values should not abandon hope or principle. Rather, we must double down our efforts to preserve our republic. We are at the critical tipping point of being changed permanently into a cradle-to-grave entitlement society, and maybe losing the country we grew up in, which placed value on individual liberty and responsibility. Maybe by the time the midterm elections arrive in 2014, more Conservative Christians will get off the couch, and shake off their apathy and cynicism, because they will then understand a plain, fundamental truth in politics. Elections have consequences…for all of us.

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(Dan Gutenkauf is a graduate of Drake University, with a B.A. in psychology and political science studies. He is a legal researcher and an election integrity activist since 1996. In 2006 he co-authored S.B. 1557, now A.R.S. 16-602, requiring random ballot hand counts to check computer results. He has written articles for votefraud.org and he has been a speaker for “Citizens for a Fair Vote Count” in Cincinnati in 2000, for the Eagle Forum in St. Louis in 2001, and he has appeared as a guest on radio talk shows with Erskine Overnight, the Terry Gilberg show, Liberty Works Radio with Dr. Stan Monteith, “Sharpe in the Morning” with Jim Sharpe, and Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock. Dan is a professional musician and songwriter, and a member of the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his twin brother Dennis)