Local Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is leaving office at the end of his current term.  As usual, a few candidates lined up for the chance to take his place.  At the moment, one of them in particular seems sure to win the primary race next week.  That would be… Fitzpatrick?!?  Yes… but not Mike.  His brother Brian Fitzpatrick is running to take the office. Now, to the part I find interesting, and perhaps even a touch devious.  Brian’s campaign signs are colored and stylized just like Mike’s signs were in previous elections.  They boldly proclaim the last name, “Fitzpatrick”, listing the first name in much smaller text.  Brian has also been keeping a very low profile.  He has had limited interactions with the press and is generally trying to stay out of the limelight.  This is by design. The strategy is clever – hope no one notices that you’re not actually your brother, and gain the advantage of being the incumbent, without actually, well, you know… being the incumbent.  Based on the little bit of poking around I did on Brian Fitzpatrick’s website, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between him and his brother.  So even though I find the […]

In my last post I mentioned that the site would be going in a slightly new direction.  Today, I’d like to expand upon that and outline what you can expect in the future. As time progresses and society moved forward I’ve been faced with some difficult philosophical questions and how we as a country can best address the pressing issues of our day.  After much anguish, I’ve come to a conclusion.  My previous posts were based on lack of emotion and faulty ideology.  They were wrong.  I was wrong.  It’s time to change direction. The constitution is dead.  It was a good attempt, but it failed.  The government does whatever it wants, and that old dusty paper isn’t going to stop it.  Rather than continue to hem and haw over this, I think it’s time we embrace it.  We elected these people after all, now we should place our unquestioning trust in them, and in the knowledge that they truly do know what is best for us all.  We need to set our differences aside, and work for a better future.  This means we need to stop being sticks in the mud, and welcome the necessary reforms needed to make […]

My post frequency is abysmal.  I don’t have a lot of free time, and when I do, depressing myself about politics isn’t high on the list of I want to spend it on.  And politics is depressing.  That said, I don’t want to abandon the site because I believe writing is important.  So I’ll be changing things up a bit.  While there will still be the occasional political post, there will be other random subjects as well.  Essentially whatever I feel like writing about and think someone might care to read or that I think someone might find helpful.  In the spirit of newness, the site has a new look.  I hope you like it. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at http://www.considerliberty.com.Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Nothing.  Absolutely nothing. Yesterday, for the first time since I’ve been old enough to vote, I didn’t.  The consequences?  Not a damn thing.  Not a single race was decided by a margin of 1 vote.  The Democrats still won the statewide races.  The Republicans still won most of the county races, and the Democrats won 2:1 all of the borough races.  My un-cast vote didn’t mean squat.  The same would have been true if I’d cast it. The difference?  Having not participated, I cannot be blamed for the actions of those elected.  I withheld my implied consent of their future plundering, infringing and coercing. Elections are theater.  They are a government sponsored farce designed to make people feel good about their government.  They are designed to make you feel like you have a say.  Your “say” means nothing.  In the vast majority of races an individual vote is meaningless.  On top of that, if your vote happens to go to the less popular candidate – the loser of the race – you’re still screwed.  No one cares that you don’t like the winner. No one cares that you didn’t vote for them.  They are still elected and they are still […]

Last night the top 10 GOP candidates for president faced off at the first official Republican primary debate.  More or less they all said exactly what you’d expect – universal condemnation of Obamacare, illegal immigration, Hilary Clinton, President Obama, and his lack of even more intervention in the Middle East.  Here is a brief rundown of the candidates and their notable moments: Donald Trump – “The Donald” is a pompous, arrogant, combed-over clown.  I do have to give him points for his entertainment value, and his non-PC remarks.  He has no filter, which is likely why so many like him.  The debate opened with a question to all candidates, requesting a show of hands.  Any candidate who would not commit to supporting the eventual nominee and who would not rule out a third-party run was asked to raise their hand.  Only one hand went up. It was Trump’s.  As a result, I’m not sure how his poll numbers will fair.  That was an unpopular move with typical Republicans. Jeb Bush – He doesn’t speak particularly well. He was the only candidate on the stage who supports Common Core education standards.  When questioned about it, he attempted to dodge the question […]

I stumbled upon this story earlier.  Apparently Chicago’s Department of Finance has a new scheme for raking in other people’s money.  They want to tax Netflix usage.  Yes, the City of Chicago is hoping to rob its residents of about $12 million a year with a new 9% tax it will begin levying on Netflix.  But wait! That’s not even the best part.  Here is their explanation for this insidious new theft, as quoted by DSLReports: “The amusement tax applies to charges paid for the privilege to witness, view or participate in an amusement,” states the city’s new ruling (pdf). “This includes not only charges paid for the privilege to witness, view or participate in amusements in person but also charges paid for the privilege to witness, view or participate in amusements that are delivered electronically.” So there you go, ladies and gentleman.  You may only partake in amusements when your great benevolent overlords allow it.  But of course it will cost you.  Such a desirable service – you know, having to get permission – has to come at a cost.  I guess you Chicagoans should just be thankful that you were granted this wonderful privilege for free for as […]

With privacy rights being trampled by the government daily, I’ve been on a bit of a mission to secure my digital existence as much as possible against those who would seek to violate my privacy.  As a result, I’ve implemented SSL on ConsiderLiberty.com.  What does this mean?  Basically when you visit the site using the secure URL – https://considerliberty.com your connection with the site will be encrypted; your interactions with the site will be obscured from prying eyes.  This is typically a measure reserved for sites that manage financial transactions, or other sensitive information.  Is it really necessary for a lowly blog?  Probably not.  But it’s one more measure against an overly intrusive government and will make your time here a little more secure.  Thanks for stopping by! P.S. Check back soon for a new piece investigating how Edward Snowden, Net Neutrality and ISIS may be connected. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at http://www.considerliberty.com.Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Violence is everywhere.  We see it in the news daily, it’s in our TV shows, our movies, our video games and sometimes a part of our lives.  Recently we’ve read multiple news stories about police violence against unarmed individuals.  In some of these stories the innocence of the alleged victim is dubious.  In others, video seems to prove beyond doubt that the police used unnecessary lethal force. As Issac Newton’s Third Law observed in physics, so we are seeing in society; an equal and opposite reaction to ever increasing levels of police violence and brutality.  Most recently, two members of the NYPD were shot to death while they sat in a patrol car.  Anti-police sentiments and protests are on the rise everywhere.  Some of the outcry is the result of perceived racism.  Some stems from a recognition that the police – once known as “peace officers”, have become something quite different. This isn’t Mayberry.  Today your average hometown police squad has a cache of automatic weapons, body armor, tear gas, grenade launchers, armored military vehicles and perhaps even a weaponized drone. I have yet to meet someone who expressed a feeling of comfort, safety or peace upon seeing one of […]

There, I said it.  Despite the hysterical masses who are just eating up this media hype that the human race is on the brink of Ebola-induced extinction, I hold – quite comfortably – that Ebola is not a serious threat to the US.  Talk of closing borders is sensationalist over-reaction.  Even IF we were in the midst of a true epidemic, my answer to the above posed question would remain a resolute ‘NO’.  Here is why… I recognize that everyone has a right to travel anywhere they wish so long as they are not trespassing on another persons property.  The government has no authority to curtail this basic natural right – even in the event of a catastrophe.  As it is, in the three cases of Ebola in the US, the government has messed up multiple times.  The government – as always – is an utterly worthless, blitheringly idiotic monstrosity that fails even the most basic of tasks with the possible exception of hurting and killing people. In the event of a serious Ebola outbreak, should travel restrictions exist?  Would they help to slow the spread of the disease?  Yes, I believe they should, and would slow the spread.  No […]

I like the tea party.  It’s probably the most active force for relative political good today.  They helped get some true liberty-minded individuals in Congress, like Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, Justin Amash and Ted Cruz among others.  They have been going toe-to-toe with the establishment and really taking the fight to DC.  A fairly large contingency within the tea party are libertarian, or at least libertarian-leaning.  However there is also a faction of traditional Republicans who are in it for little reason other than that the current president is a Democrat.  This group supports the typical Republican platform, pro-life, anti-gay marriage, anti-drug, low taxes, and pro-military.  The primary push of the tea party is “smaller” government.  Murray Rothbard once noted that “the ultimate goal of total liberty must always be upheld”, in other words that a clear goal must be in mind and our eyes must remain fixed upon it if we are to reach it.  The tea party’s greatest inherent fault is that it has no clear goal.  It is a group marching in the right general direction, but without a final destination plotted out!  Without a point around which to concentrate its effort the tea party will eventually […]