Limited government provides third option for Nov. 4 elections

The Republicans want to give tax credits to individuals and families who choose to purchase health-care coverage.

The Democrats want to force most business owners to provide health-care coverage to their employees.

So yes, there is a clear difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on this issue, just as there are clear differences on Iraq, the economy, and just about any other issue that weighs on American minds this election season.

However, we contend that voters have more than the two mainstream political party policies or candidates to select from Nov. 4: By voting libertarian, they will vote for freedom from government.

Nationally syndicated columnist Tibor Machan will be in Clovis and Portales on Monday to explain the concept of limited government, which is championed by libertarian politicians and their supporters.

Machan will speak at 11 a.m. at the Portales Public Library and at 6 p.m. at the Clovis-Carver Public Library. Both sessions are open to anyone interested in who’s running our country.

Machan’s columns appear frequently on the editorial pages of the Clovis News Journal and the Portales News-Tribune. A distinguished professor of business ethics at California’s Chapman University, he has written dozens of books and essays on limited government. He also advises editorial boards at Freedom Communications newspapers across the country on the ideals of a free society.

Machan believes, as did Ronald Reagan, that government is not the solution to most of today’s ills, government is the problem. Here’s a sample from his writings last month:

“Despite piles of government regulations imposed year after year, with bureaucrats being given immense powers to regiment the society — supported by both the Left and the Right, though focused on different ‘failures’ — the disasters keep coming.

“No sooner does some trouble arise, these (welfare state cheerleaders) chime in with the same mantra: We need more government! And they support these incantations with the blatant falsehood that America is in the grips of market fundamentalism!

“But what seems to be the real culprit for mounting troubles is not freedom, not free markets, but all the phony government support Congress and other political bodies keep erecting so as to pretend to be helping everyone.

“All the financial woes come from the easy credit that is mostly the policy of all the governments whose ‘public servants’ promise to solve all our problems by stealing from Peter to aid Paul — an endless daisy chain of the government’s version of Ponzi schemes.”

Machan’s appearances at the Clovis and Portales libraries will be informal and will last about an hour.  He will welcome audience questions.

We hope to see you there.x