Libertarians: 'Big' doesn't mean 'better'

Homepage

August 30, 2010

Mark Lastinger CNHI The Times Enterprise Mon Aug 30, 2010, 08:10 PM EDT

THOMASVILLE — The Libertarian Party of Georgia believes that big government does not translate to good government.

That will be the theme Libertarian candidates for statewide office intend to hammer home during a Sept. 7 citizens meeting at the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium. The 6:15 p.m. event is sponsored by the Times-Enterprise.

“We genuinely want to reduce the size of the federal government,” said Marietta’s David Chastain, a secretary of state hopeful. “We believe taxation is theft and, if we’re going to force you to steal from your neighbor for a government program, then we’d better have a good reason for doing it.”

The mission of the Libertarian Party is to move public policy in a libertarian direction by electing candidates of the Libertarian Party to public office. The Libertarian Party is committed to America's heritage of freedom: Individual liberty, personal responsibility and community.

“By putting Libertarians in office, you will see a different kind of government — one that sticks to the rules,” Chastain said. “One of the reasons we have a hard time raising money is because we aren’t selling favors to big corporations and special interests. We just want limited government.”

Chastain, a University of Georgia graduate and a senior logistics management analyst in the defense industry, is concerned about how Democrats and Republicans consistently strive to increase their power at the expense of citizens.

“I want to be an umpire, not build an empire,” he said. “When you have a secretary of state who is affiliated with the same party as the governor, then politics can permeate all of the processes. It’s easy for the secretary of state to look the other way regarding some of these governing boards (in the state).

“There’s favoritism as to who might come before a board as opposed to someone else.”

Responsibilities of the secretary's office include licensing, monitoring and registering professionals and businesses. The office includes the divisions of archives, elections, corporations, securities and business regulation, professional licensing boards and the state capitol. Attached agencies are the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, State Ethics Commission, and the Georgia Real Estate Commission and Appraisers Board.

Chastain said, “The office is a big cash cow for the state because it handles all the licensing, but the money goes into the general fund and the secretary of state doesn’t have the resources to investigate cases. So why license at all?”

The secretary of state is also responsible for supervising and monitoring elections and providing campaign finance disclosure; managing and preserving public records; and providing educational programs about the capitol. Elections are a prime concern for Chastain.

“The average Georgia voter has no idea that roughly one percent of the ballots that are cast go through as blanks,” he said.

Chastain said Georgia’s faulty voting machines leave ample room to challenge the integrity of elections.

“In Cobb County, we had an $800 million sales tax (in 2005) that was decided by 114 votes out of almost 40,000 cast. There were 285 blank ballots, and the difference that could have stopped it might have been in those 285 ballots,” he said.

Chastain has told State Election Board on multiple occasions that Georgia needs verifiable ballots. His research has found cases of questionable election results throughout the state.

“The question is, why doesn’t somebody care?” he asked.

BRIEFLY: In addition to Chastain, Libertarian candidates John Monds (governor) and Kevin Cherry (agriculture commissioner) are set to speak at the citizens meeting. Others are likely to appear.

The lineup will also include Democrat and Republican candidates for Thomas County races.

Text Only

Women's Forum awards scholarships

Homepage

Search Results

Libertarians: 'Big' doesn't mean 'better'

Do you agree with President Obama, who approves of same-sex marriage?

Site Map

Contact Us