Jon Fetherston for State Rep

As I’ve written previously, we shouldn’t lose sight of our State Legislatures amid the turmoil of Presidential politics. In addition to their impact on the quality of life in our states, our Legislatures draw Congressional districts and ratify Constitutional amendments.

Recently I attended a Meet & Greet with Jon Fetherston, who is stepping down as chairman of the Ashland Board of Selectmen to run for State Representative in the Massachusetts 7th Middlesex District (Ashland & Framingham).



The author with State Rep candidate Jon Fetherston (left) and former Congressman Peter Blute (right). I should have dressed nicer.

Former Congressman Peter Blute kicked things off with a story about his own days in the State Legislature. After his initial excitement at being on Beacon Hill, checking out the House chamber and so on, he got his first phone call from an actual constituent. A ruptured municipal pipe was pouring sewage into the caller’s yard. Rep. Blute said he would be glad to help, but asked how come the caller had not called his local sewer commissioner instead. “Well,” the caller replied, “I didn’t want to start that high up.”

Jon spoke next. Between his speech and the discussion I had with him afterwards, I got a pretty clear idea of what he would be like as State Rep. It would be a full time gig for him, so he could give the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the same tireless effort he has been giving the Town of Ashland (among his other accomplishments, Jon says he was responsible for getting the potholes filled in front of the Market Basket. Since I drive by there every day, I’m grateful for that!) Cleaning up corruption on Beacon Hill is a priority for Jon. Last year the third House Speaker in a row was convicted of a crime; clearly corruption is a problem in the Bay State. Jon believes that just getting more Republicans into the House would help. Not that Republicans are necessarily better people, but they are only 20% of the legislature. One-party rule offers temptation to any political party.

You can find out more about Jon at www.jonfetherston.net. If you like what you see, please be generous with your time and financial support.

Check Out the Full Asylum Book Cover

Finished up with the artist, Darko Tomic, today. Here's the Full Asylum Book Cover:

Definition of "conservative": a libertarian's view

Yesterday I started a Facebook thread challenging my liberal friends to define conservatism. The responses are a good read (check them out), but I thought it only fair to provide a definition of my own:

Photo source: Addicting Information

Conservatism is a political philosophy based on skepticism of both the abilities and motives of human beings. Conservatives therefore oppose institutions that have been designed by (fallible) human reason, in favor of institutions that evolved gradually over hundreds and thousands of years.

Most conservatives are inimical to government solutions to society's problems because these solutions rely on the ability of bureaucrats to make decisions for millions of strangers. Even if a bureaucrat had the vast knowledge and superior reasoning necessary to make those decisions, which he doesn't, he could not be trusted with the power that would be necessary to implement them. Being human, he would be naturally susceptible to abuse and corruption. Far better to leave things to the traditional and more-or-less decentralized institutions of church, family, and marketplace, and to the individual.

(There is a strain of conservative that, in contrast, is fine with using the power of the state to strengthen the authority of traditional institutions: it’s just a matter of having the right people in charge of the state. They are backbenchers, outside both the leadership and the mainstream of the conservative movement, but they do exist.)

Some activities, by their nature, must be carried out by government, so we have to have one. But since humans cannot be trusted with power, governmental authority should be limited to enumerated powers and subject to checks and balances. Federalism is the ideal form of government because solutions evolve via trial, error, and competition between the states, rather than being designed and imposed from above.

These ideas were prominent in the thinking of the Founding Fathers, hence the reverence for those worthy gentlemen. Madison put it best in The Federalist #51, where he wrote, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

The modern conservative agenda, to reign in the Federal Government where it has usurped powers rightfully belonging to states, churches, families, markets, and individuals, flows logically from this philosophy.

Obama's War on Women

I’ve seen a great deal in my Facebook news feed about a Republican “War on Women” that consists of minor GOP politicians sponsoring crackpot legislation with no chance of passing. I thought it was time to call attention to the real War on Women -- the one with actual consequences:

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Unemployment Situation, January 2009
Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Unemployment Situation, February 2012
Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update
US Treasury, The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It
US Census Bureau, Monthly Population Estimates for the United States: April 1, 2010 to February 1, 2012
US Census Bureau, Monthly Population Estimates for the United States: April 1, 2000 to December 1, 2010
FederalRegister.gov, Pages Published 1936-2011

Rally for Religious Freedom

As I wrote previously (Liberty and the Pill, March 3, 2012), it is a violation of religious freedom to require someone who objects to contraception on religious grounds to pay for other people to use it. To protest the Obama Administration’s attempt to do just that, on Friday I attended the Rally for Religious Freedom on the Boston Common.

Here’s a gallery:

A beautiful day in Boston...

Great turnout...

The Santorum people tried to trick me into making an anti-Romney video, but I caught on...

Edward Wagner, Carolyn Crilly, & Christine Morabito. Carolyn told me, “This contraception mandate is actually anti-woman because it is saying that our fertility is like a blob of malignant cells that needs to be taken care of.” Edward thinks the Democrats are overreaching on this issue. “The Democrats are going to cease to be a viable party,” he said. “In the long run, the Democrats are digging their own grave.”...

Father Jeremy Paulin OMV from the Oblates at St. Clement's Eucharistic shrine on Boylston Street in Boston...

Hey, Obama: Which part don't you understand?...

What it’s all about…

Thank a Speculator

Yes, Massachusetts, there really are Republicans

As Presidential politics dominate the headlines, we shouldn’t lose sight of the many state elections coming up in November. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “It is not by the consolidation or concentration of powers, but by their distribution that good government is effected. Were not this great country already divided into States, that division must be made that each might do for itself what concerns itself directly and what it can so much better do than a distant authority.”

Photo Source: Desiree Awiszio

Last night I attended the kickoff for Republican Marty Lamb’s campaign to be State Representative from the Massachusetts 8th Middlesex District (Holliston, Hopkinton, Southborough, and part of Westborough). I first met Marty in 2010 during his campaign to unseat Congressman Jim McGovern. Marty did not win the contest, but as the first credible challenger to McGovern in many years, he caused the Democrat Party to expend time and resources in Massachusetts that otherwise could have gone elsewhere. If Marco Rubio and Rand Paul were the Allied Armies invading the beaches at Normandy, Marty was the French Underground, sabotaging and harassing the enemy behind his own lines. I was impressed that Marty not only carried a copy of the U.S. Constitution at all times, but could explain it at length.

This video I recorded in 2010 is still timely and demonstrates Marty’s ability to inspire loyalty in the people around him.

If elected to the State Legislature, Marty promises to build on his work with New Jobs for Massachusetts to remove the obstacles to job creation that the state government puts in the path of Bay State businesses. You can read more about Marty on his Facebook page.

Several other GOP candidates for state office came last night to show Marty their support.

Sarah Schultz (www.ElectSarahSchultz.com) is running for State Senator from the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District (Holliston, Hopkinton, Ashland, Medway, Framingham, Natick and Franklin). Her platform is the Three Es – Economy, Education, and Ethics.

Attorney Steven Glovsky says, “I am eager to apply my understanding of both people and the law to the work of the Governor's Council” in approving nominations for state judgeships. Steven is running in the 2nd District, which runs south from Wayland to the Rhode Island border (Here's Steven's Facebook Page).

Consultant Dean Cavaretta (www.DeanCavaretta.com), candidate for State Senator in the Middlesex and Worcester district (Shirley through Westborough) says, “I 'm running because my opponent rarely says ‘no’ to the Beacon Hill Machine…I will be an independent voice to close tax loopholes. I'll support ending corporate welfare for connected CEOs, and crony stimulus for big banks or wasteful programs. All of it has made this Great Recession longer and more painful.”

These candidates are worth a closer look. Check out their websites and Facebook pages and, if you like what you see, please be generous with your time and financial support.