LibertarianViewpoint.com

Our author April recently did an interview of John Wayne Smith – Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Florida in 2010

April: What do you see are Florida’s major strengths in the executive and legislative branches? Either people or structure.

JWS: There are a few strengths; chief among them is term limits on elected and some appointed officials. Unfortunately for us, there are very few of the elected officials who have consistent values. The diversity of our officials is able to keep most bad actions in check and the term limits get most of them out before they can create any permanent damage. For many items there is also a fairly good amount of constitutional guidance. These guidelines keep legislation in check and force our government officials to act within strict bounds of the authority granted by our citizens.

April: And the weaknesses?

JWS: Weaknesses occur when many legislators on both sides of the isle continually try to go beyond the constructional limits set forth by our citizens. If our citizens do not keep our government in check, it will run amok hungry with power to control our lives. Constitutional guidance is fairly strong in most areas. They are designed to eliminate many of the areas where such weaknesses can develop.

April: What keeps you true to the Libertarian party’s principles and philosophies?

JWS: Principles and philosophies are what we use to live our lives. Without them one’s life is devoid of meaning. They are the founding stepping stones which develop our moral being. As such, I make every attempt to live by the Libertarian principles and philosophies in everything I do. I am only human after all and may falter from time to time.  The ability and willingness of my friends, associates and enemies to inform me of any inconsistency, either real or perceived, allows me to evaluate and adjust my actions accordingly.

April: What will citizens find so compelling?

JWS: My Personal political sound bit is: Freedom is the goal, Responsibility is the Price, and Tolerance is the Hallmark of all honest people and governments. Freedom is for everyone, not just a select few.

Of course, finding honest people in government is a trick unto itself now, isn’t it? Sort of reminds me of Orwell’s book Animal Farm. Where everyone is equal, except that some are more equal than others. People, including our government officials, need to take the lessons from Orwell’s writings and put them to use. The novel addressed the corruption of the revolution’s leaders and how cruelty, indifference, ignorance and greed destroyed any hope for a semblance of Utopia.

We see the same in today’s society. Talk about life imitating art. Our government officials really live up to the ideal that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Look around you and witness it all. You see it everywhere, in the laws, in the bureaucracy, all the way down to punishments for minute things like crossing the street at the wrong place. The more laws you have in a society the less freedom your people have. Laws should be limited to protecting people against force or fraud. Beyond that, any other law is reducing the freedoms of the citizens. If you like the tyranny of government, simply create more laws. Government should not be involved in your personal choices or the way you desire to run your life. The more they are, the less freedom you have.

With that freedom also comes responsibility. People have to act responsible in every case. They should try to know something about the people and companies whom they deal with. They aught not knowingly transact with anyone or any company that they believe institute corrupt practices. Responsibility is a matter of judgment. If they doubt their own judgment, they should ask for guidance from their friends and associates.  

Finally comes tolerance. People should try to be tolerant in a responsible manner. There are some things that one does not tolerate, but as long as it does not harm another unnecessarily, as a general rule, one should be very tolerant of said behavior.  Freedom is for everyone, not just the chosen few.

April: I finished reading Murray’s “What it means to be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation” and John Stossel’s “Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity”. I found them to be very easy to read, understand and agree with. I got a good understanding of what Libertarianism looks like in the real world. Are there any books you’d recommend so voters can get a clear idea of what Florida would be like with you as their Libertarian governor?

JWS: I would recommend “Cutting Back City Hall” by Robert Poole as a partial answer. One could also read things like “Libertarianism in One Lesson” by David Bergland. There is any number of other books and articles to choose from. The “real” book has yet to be written! 
                                                              Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I have read several thousands of books that could apply. There are so many, trying to list them all here would be a waste time – I would still be listing them two days from now.

As governor, my wishes would be to combine the many items that appear over and over in these books. Freedom, responsibility and tolerance, without these as guidelines any future government will remain the same shady entities we have today.

April: Which of our Founding Fathers do you try most to emulate or consider when you’re making decisions that require deeper thought?

JWS: Ben Franklin – as one of the founding fathers, he was the consummate answer man for the middle-class. I see him as one of the people that rooted our American Values and characters of thrift, hard work, education,. He used a combination of practical idealism with Puritan heart to speak of self-governing institutions and an opposition to authoritarianism. He was perhaps the most influential person of his time shaping the society that America would become

Another great man of very powerful persuasive speeches was Patrick Henry. He is most remembered for his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech that mobilized a military against the British. As a radical yet influential person among our founding fathers, he advocated the revolution and was very outspoken in his denunciation of the corruption of government officials.

April: Why should small business owners vote for you?

JWS: I have lived the life of a small business owner. I have owned a fair number of small businesses over the years. Some were successes; some were failures, all with government interferences in one form or another. It is time that government steps back and stops trampling on the small businesses of our great state.

These businesses are the life blood of our community. Without them everyone will end up a slave of big business or government somewhere. Personal freedom will be out the window as people will no longer have any incentive to better themselves. The quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will cease to have any meaning.

I would strive to decrease government interference, bureaucracy and intrusive tax basis that are stifling our small business. This, by nature, will increase competition and quality, bring back the ideas that people are responsible for their own future and break the dependence on government as the cure all too every problem.

April: What’s in it for citrus growers and cattle ranchers if you’re governor?

JWS: That is a loaded question if I ever heard one.

I would not pretend to know everything that makes such a life work. These growers are in business to produce food for our survival. As such, they are still businesses. I think that government should remain out of the production business. It should allow those who know how to make such businesses work actually handle that occupation. Stop with the regulations, decrease taxes and allow the business to prosper as it was meant to be.

For homeowners, I would like to see a Florida that does not tax real estate or capital. Many other things aught to be done and time / personal devoted to developing a comprehensive understanding on how to operate property in a manner that maximizes a home owner’s freedom.

April: For parents who want their children to excel in school and not be held back by “No Child Left Behind“, what changes in education policy can they expect you to pursue?

JWS: Education is a wonderful thing. Everyone should have a fair opportunity to acquire the education they desire. That doesn’t mean that the government should force their form of education on everyone. Nor should it control what is being taught by what methods.

As with everything else, competition increases quality and decreases prices. When you get away from competition and increase government control you have a dumbing down effect as the people who would have excelled are stuck with other who cannot or refuse to move at their full potential. These “government indoctrination centers” need to be revamped or removed completely and educational centers be instituted across the state.

The educational centers would be designed for one thing and one thing only – to teach. Each person would have a choice in what they wanted to learn beyond the three R’s (basic reading, writing and arithmetic). In so far as the government must run some schools I would allow freedom to change schools within a system.

There is no reason why someone must be forced to go to a substandard school. That school should be allowed to perish if it isn’t doing its job properly. A new or replacement school / faculty should be created to properly educate our children.

April: Many parents fear Libertarians will legalize – and therefore legitimize – illicit drug use. Would you clarify the Libertarian platform on drugs so parents can understand Little Johnny won’t end up a crack head?

JWS: Alcohol is the most dangerous drug on the market.

April: Please clarify what you mean by that and how it would put to rest parents’ fears.

JWS: We have gone through a Prohibition period, on alcohol, once already. During that period, a black market sprung up around the use of alcohol. Rival gangs arose, government spent millions trying to shut down stills and eradicate alcohol from our society. Across the years the cost mounted, police crackdowns increased, people dies from the violence etc. Eventually the government figured out that it wasn’t worth the trouble any more and realized that they could actually make a profit by ending the war on alcohol and taking a tax on what was sold.

Now we have the war on drugs. What do we see happening? We are back to the black markets but this time on drugs. We are back to the gangs, police crackdowns and violence and the government spending billions trying to stop it all. People are dying, robbed or hurt in other fashions. We are back to the same thing we had when the war against alcohol was raging across this country. People should learn from history, otherwise they are doomed to repeat it. Here we are, repeating it again.

The war on drugs should be ended just like it was on alcohol. We have the medical profession which currently regulates drugs. The system is already in place to handle this issue. No new changes need to be made. Once we end the war on drugs, have the medical system working for us. They can issue prescriptions etc., for the drugs instead of arresting someone for using them. The government can tax it as it does other sin taxes like the ones on alcohol and cigarettes.

A lot of people do things strictly because it is illegal. When the prohibition was in place for alcohol, people drank simply because they were told not to. Once it become legal again less people drank alcohol. The same will be true with the currently illicit drugs. That doesn’t mean you won’t have people abusing the use of the drug, just like you have people abusing alcohol right now. However, you will still have far less people using the drugs if the excitement of having something that you aren’t supposed to have disappears.

April: Are there any laws that you find inexcusable and will stop enforcing? Why? What will be the consequences?

JWS: Laws should be limited in scope and nature to protect citizens from the use of force or fraud. Anything beyond that is government using force against its own citizens to achieve a means it was not designed for.

No action should be considered a crime unless it involves some form of force or fraud against another person. 

No person should be prosecuted except for an action taken without the permission of all other parties involved. 

No person under 13 years of age should be considered competent to give permission in most cases. 

No law enforcement agency should be allowed to conduct any type of stings when dealing with victimless actions.

No person’s assets should be subject to forfeiture unless and until a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that force or fraud gained those assets. All assets should be returned to the victims.

No government can be a victim. A victim would have to be an individual, or properly chartered private group. 

No government should receive any proceeds from any such laws (i.e. the government should not profit because of a law that was broken (like the seat belt laws)).

There is no adverse consequence to the work of government in these cases. The only adverse reaction would be to the power of governments. If these were in place governments would be not be able to wantonly take from its citizens as it does today. Repealing of any and all laws that are disrespectful of these guidelines would increase citizen’s freedoms and decrease government intrusion in our lives.

April: What are the Libertarian elements in Florida’s Constitution?

JWS: In Florida’s Constitution there is an entire portion dedicated solely to the rights of our citizens. Take a look at ARTICLE I. In there, there are 24 sections spelling out our DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. Almost every one of these rights is Libertarian in nature.

A few exceptions exist. Like in SECTION 2 where it claims “except that the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship may be regulated or prohibited by law”. As Libertarians we believe that if the right is mine it is everyone else’s as well. As such, setting up a separate class of people to make different rights would be wrong.

In SECTION 8, there are some parts that talk about limits to guns like a three day waiting period. How would you like it if you bought some bread today but you were forced to wait three days before you can pick it up? That just doesn’t make any sense. Also in the same section, it makes it a felony if you don’t  follow this rule. So anyone refusing to wait 3 days is a felon? How does that make any sense?

The balance of the Florida constitution may also contain some libertarian leanings. But these stand out right off the bat. It is up to the people to know their constitution and the rights which it protects from government intrusion.

It is not by pure chance that the constitution is written the way it is. Everyone is Libertarian in nature when it comes to protecting themselves. When the constitution was being written it was originally written to protect the citizen from the government overstepping its bounds. Thus the Libertarian leanings; people only need to look into themselves to see the true value of our constitution as it stands.   

April: Why does Florida have the record on Constitutional amendments?

JWS: The citizens of Florida, for the most part, are fairly smart. When they see the government doing something they don’t like or they want to force the government to follow their wishes they make constitutional changes.  Adding amendments that the legislature will not pass and deleting some things the legislature does pass.

While not everything works out the way it is planned, most Floridians know that there are two ways to control their government, the ballot box or the constitution. When the ballot box method does not work they resort to the constitutional approach. Unfortunately this sometimes makes for a confusing and lengthy constitution but under the current legal system and processes in place there are no other alternatives.

April: Any guesses on why Florida has never had a Libertarian governor yet?

JWS: Libertarians believe that everyone has the right to live their lives the way they see fit so long as they do not use force or fraud against another to achieve it. Anyone that lives by this principle, whether they know it or not, whether they admit it or not, IS a Libertarian. The libertarian philosophy has been embodied for over 3000 years and the term Libertarian as applied to certain people and actions has been in use since at least 1588.

It is true that the “Libertarian Party” has not elected a governor but then, the party is only 38 years old. To my knowledge the group known as the Libertarian Party is the only political party specifically founded to express Libertarian principles in a political setting in history.  However many people practiced the theory of libertarian governance before the founding of the Libertarian Party. 

I am sure if we look at the history of all he governors of Florida we will find some of them along the way that practiced Libertarian philosophies, in one form or another, while in office. So my guess as to why a labeled Libertarian has not been in office yet is simply that the party is young compared to the other two majority parties.

People are seeing that the Democrats and Republicans are no longer right for them. Third party registrations are on the increase. Individuals are beginning to understand that there is little difference between the two parties and are searching for a champion to represent them in government.

The Libertarian Party is fast becoming that champion as the message of freedom and liberty is once again sounding the alarms of government tyranny on the march. People are not stupid, they see what is happening and recognizing that the government is not the answer any longer will begin to take matters into their own hands to regain their freedoms.

If it does not happen this year it will happen soon. The people are speaking out and making their views known. If government is to survive it will need to change and the people will make that transformation come about.

April: Is Florida ready to make history by electing you as the state’s first Libertarian governor?

JWS: I would hope so. If not me, someone else. From 1845 until 1987 Florida has mostly had Democrats as governors. In 1987 the people had enough and decided for change thus voting into office their first republican governor.

Of course, after 20 years, we see what that change has bought us now don’t we? In all those years, the government has ballooned out of control, the budget has become unsustainable and the taxpayers are the ones shouldering the burden of irresponsible people in power.  Both major parties have failed the general populace and none of the smaller parties have platforms that provide the range of freedoms and opportunity that the Libertarian Party does.

As governor it is my fervent desire to restore the control of their finances and lives back to the people. People should be free to live their lives without government encroachments upon their rights to pursue their dreams. The government is supposed to answer to the people not the other way around. People need to know they are the ones in power and not government. Government should be held accountable to the people for its actions, decisions and incompetence.

YES, the time is right. Florida is more then ready to make history.

April: Is there anything else you’d like to add so voters know why you’re running and why you should enter the Florida executive office?

JWS: It would be hard to present a complete list of all the things causing this to happen until I understand the mood of the people. There are many specific things that will be addressed as the campaign go on. To list too many things would only serve to confuse people and muddy the waters.

Suffice it to say, most voters are quickly becoming fed up with both the democrat and republican parties. I often ask myself why, after so many years of these parties being in power, are people just now coming to realize they don’t like what is going on. The answer, believe it or not, is because their Libertarian leanings are surfacing.

You see, most people, by nature, are Libertarians. Everyone wants to be free. While this entire time people were willing to tolerate the intrusions because they were minor, the government impositions are no longer trivial. They are affecting the very ability for people to survive. Maslow’s theory is working full force here and is forcing the suppressed Libertarianism to surface.

As a member of the Libertarian party, I present the only viable option in a political party that will answer the needs and solve the conundrum currently facing the people. Anything other than a Libertarian in the executive office will only end up as more of the same. The people are tired of business as usual and want change, change in their favor, and I am the only candidate in a political party that can provide the desired change.   

Thank you to John Wayne Smith for taking time out of his busy work and campaigning schedule to address my questions on behalf of Florida’s citizens.

 (Persons interested in studying the great state of Florida’s constitution can do so by visiting http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/searchdoc.aspx?DocumentType=Constitution  online)