Archive → January, 2012
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Todd Platts to Retire
Congressman Platts announced on Tuesday, January 17th, that he does not intend to run again for the seat. I applaud his decision to practice what he preached. He submitted a bill for the last several terms that would term limit members of Congress. While he will receive a federal pension, as would any member reaching the term limit in the bills he submitted, he is stepping down and will not be running. Speculation over who might run in the Republican Primary is running wild. I was asked as well by a reporter on who I have heard rumors of running. It does not matter to me who will be running in the Primary Election. The Republican and Democratic Parties have made it difficult for any other party to run candidates, and third party/independents do not participate in the primary election. I look forward to facing whomever passes the primary in the general election in the Fall of 2012!
A volunteer list will soon be compiled for those of you wishing to help me gather signatures. I can begin in February and am looking for more volunteers. If you would like to help, please email me (mike@mikeforpa.com) or my campaign manager Karl Spangler (Karl@Eatatcentral.com) and we will be in touch with you.
For Liberty,
Mike Koffenberger
Platts Report Week 18 (Jan 8 to Jan 15)
This is the eighteenth of many weekly analysis pieces detailing what Congressman Platts has voted on, or bills that he has sponsored/co-sponsored. I will briefly describe his action, the bill, and then detail how I would handle the same. Since it is not my full time job to read the entire bill (yet – with your help), I will read the summaries and base my decisions on those. I will also try and describe how libertarian principles apply in my decisions. During weeks that Congressman Platts is not in session or co-sponsoring bills, I will re-visit some of his older votes on legislation that has a had detrimental effect on our liberties.
Another week passes without Congress in session. This week I will discuss earmarks, and why certain earmarks need to be banned from all legislation. What is an earmark? An earmark goes by different names, but it is a legislative provision that directs funds to be spent on a specific project. Sometimes bills have earmarks for expenditures in legislation such as a certain amount of money in a defense budget going to a particular item for purchase. Other times, they are seen as “pork barrel” projects. It is these pork barrel projects that can be considered one piece in the corruption in politics.
A good example of a pork barrel project would be the Congressmen and women that were reported to have been “bought off” to pass the health care legislation. Special money was set aside for particular districts in order to buy that Representative’s vote. These types of earmarks should be considered criminal.
Can earmarks be banned? It is my opinion that it would be unlikely, since they would just be called something else. If Congress needs to set aside a certain amount of money in a budget bill, it is technically an earmark. When a bill contains an earmark for an expenditure on a pet project in a particular congressional district, it should be exposed for what it is and this practice must be banned. If one district gets $5 million earmarked to it, then all congressional districts should get $5 million earmarked to them. Anything else is unconstitutional.
Each and every taxpayer dollar must be accounted for. Sometimes the excuse for earmarks is that the money will be spent anyway, why not earmark it for their district to give the taxpayers their money back because any money not earmarked by Congress will be spent by the President on his/her pet projects. If that is the case, then the entire budget making process needs reform. It is my opinion that any taxpayer money not spent in the budget should go to paying off our national debt. Once the debt is paid off, then less money should be collected by the government. Of course this takes into account needed major reform on the size and scope of government and our current tax policy.
Will Congressman Todd Platts propose legislation to do that? Since he has not done so in over ten years in office, the answer is no. Sometimes I am asked what I hope to accomplish since major change will be met with resistance in Congress. Someone must stand up for what is right and must take a chance that the people in his district will back him. This candidate must be willing to take a national spotlight, take criticism, and weather political attacks to take the message to the people. Once the people hear the message, they will demand the changes and demand that their representatives vote for those changes.
Follow my campaign at mikeforpa.com, Facebook and on Twitter.
You can also follow my campaign and the events of the York County Libertarian Party at yorklp.org and the York LP Facebook page.
For Liberty,
Mike Koffenberger
Libertarian Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives
Keep Platts Out of Your School (Platts Report Week 17)
This is the seventeenth of many weekly analysis pieces detailing what Congressman Platts has voted on, or bills that he has sponsored/co-sponsored. I will briefly describe his action, the bill, and then detail how I would handle the same. Since it is not my full time job to read the entire bill (yet – with your help), I will read the summaries and base my decisions on those. I will also try and describe how libertarian principles apply in my decisions. During weeks that Congressman Platts is not in session or co-sponsoring bills, I will re-visit some of his older votes on legislation that has a had detrimental effect on our liberties.
The House of Representatives is not back in session until January 17th, and the Senate not until January 23rd. A nice break for the people. We cannot lose any more of our liberties while they are away! One of my inspirations into becoming more informed and active in politics died a few days before Christmas. Ron Smith of WBAL in Baltimore was a true independent and was the most well informed, well read, principled radio talk show host that I have ever heard. Rest in peace “The Voice of Reason.” He always felt that the best we could hope for in the U.S. Congress was gridlock. One party being the “stupid party,” and the other, the “evil party.” Bipartisanship was considered both stupid and evil. A cynical view certainly, but until things change, and we vote for someone outside the two party dichotomy, perhaps gridlock is the best we can hope for.
Since the House is not in session, I will review a bill that Congressman Platts is currently listed as a co-sponsor. H.R. 998, the “Student Non-discrimination Act of 2011.” Congressman Platts is one of two Republicans sponsoring this bill with 148 Democrat members. Currently the bill is still before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Here is the summary from The Library of Congress:
“Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates.
Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination.
Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act.
Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them.
Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney’s fees should they prevail.
Deems a state’s receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.”
Discriminating against anyone for their beliefs, religion, race, sexual orientation is of course morally wrong. When Congress creates distinct “protected” groups with extremely vague legislation like this, it is destroying the integrity of the legal system and the base belief that all everyone is created equal. Legislation like this is government protected discrimination in and of itself! The key to this legislation however is that it is for pubic schools. Since the federal Department of Education exists, and all public schools are dependent on government funding, Congress feels that it has the right to write these types of laws. My belief is that we should eliminate the Department of Education all together, but let’s take a look at a few pieces of this legislation, and show why that should be done.
“Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act.” A school administrator can therefore decide their own set of rules on what is discrimination in their school. For example, think of having a child in second grade in a school under this law. Playground nonsense occurs, and your child says to another child, “You’re gay!” The vast majority of kids in second grade have no idea what that means, yet your child is expelled according to an overzealous school administrator that takes this legislation to heart. Months of hearings go by before a school board. Perhaps your child is then found to be “not guilty” and is readmitted. What if that process took a year and you attempted to sue the school administrator? Sorry – this legislation “prohibits retaliation.” Perhaps the school board will seek to terminate this administrator after several nonsensical expulsions/suspensions? Sorry – “prohibits retaliation.”
“Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them.” This is the catch all piece in a vast amount of legislation that allows the federal government to bully states and municipalities into doing its bidding. Be it discrimination laws in public schools like this, or speed limits on highways, or disgusting pictures on cigarette packaging, if the federal government can coerce by threatening to withhold money, then it is “legal” blackmail.
“Deems a state’s receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.” I did not realize that the federal government could make the states waive the 10th Amendment at will? We know that it pays no mind to the Amendment at all, however this legislation spells it out in black and white. Again, the government is advising that if you take its education money, you waive your rights to oppose what it wishes to legislate. That is tyranny, not a constitutional republic.
Follow my campaign at mikeforpa.com, Facebook and on Twitter.
You can also follow my campaign and the events of the York County Libertarian Party at yorklp.org and the York LP Facebook page.
For Liberty,
Mike Koffenberger
Libertarian Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives
Platts Report Week 16 (Dec. 25 to Dec. 31)
This is the sixteenth of many weekly analysis pieces detailing what Congressman Platts has voted on, or bills that he has sponsored/co-sponsored. I will briefly describe his action, the bill, and then detail how I would handle the same. Since it is not my full time job to read the entire bill (yet – with your help), I will read the summaries and base my decisions on those. I will also try and describe how libertarian principles apply in my decisions. During weeks that Congressman Platts is not in session or co-sponsoring bills, I will re-visit some of his older votes on legislation that has a had detrimental effect on our liberties.
The fight for the 19th Congressional District has now become the fight for the 4th! Governor Corbett signed the bill into law from the Pennsylvania legislature just days before Christmas. The new District still includes all of Adams and York Counties and loses parts of Cumberland County, but it now also adds all of Harrisburg City.
Congressman Platts most likely did not want the new district to include Harrisburg (due to its overwhelmingly Democratic registered voters), however I welcome our State’s capital city. With the addition of a 2nd financially cash-strapped city into the district, I would relish the opportunity to speak with York and Harrisburg leaders about free market/Austrian economics. In York and Harrisburg City politics, it is all about one political party. Ideas, and other issues, take over conversation from partisan politics. As a Libertarian, conversations about issues can take place, as opposed to them being Republican or Democrat in nature. Perhaps real solutions to the problems we face can be found working together instead of divided by party.
The biggest concern Congressman Platts seems to have with the new district is the realignment in Cumberland County which removes the Army War College, Army Heritage Education Center and Carlisle from the district. I do not think that the lost area will be misrepresented by Congressman Lou Barletta, however one has to remember, these new districts are made by the PA legislature. The election in 2010 brought a Republican Governor and Republican majority legislature, and gerrymandering this time, fell to the Republicans. It will certainly be a breath of fresh air when Libertarians (and other 3rd parties/Independents) start winning seats. Gone will be the days of the senseless “two party system” and blatant pandering.
Finally this week, I believe that it is time for the one district office in Washington, D.C. to work with one district office in the new 4th District. Currently, Congressman Platts has a district office in York, one in Adams County and one in Cumberland County. With the availability of telephone and email, it does not seem that an office in each district best serves the citizens. I would propose having only one full time office, somewhere in the center of the District. This cuts down on staff and office costs on all levels (rent, personnel, gas/electric, telephone, internet, etc.) I believe that a true Representative of the people of the 4th District should be in that district as often as possible. Town hall style meetings can be held in a different area of the district once a week. This would ensure that everyone has an opportunity to address their concerns with their Congressman. Currently, Congressman Platts seems to hold two sets of town hall meetings a year. This plan would result in better communication and ensure that your Congressman addresses your concerns.
Until next week, I wish you and your families a safe and happy new year!
Follow my campaign at mikeforpa.com, Facebook and on Twitter.
You can also follow my campaign and the events of the York County Libertarian Party at yorklp.org and the York LP Facebook page.