Local party avoids collapse as a new chairman emerges

From Daily Planet Staff Reports

Michael Munger

Michael Munger, the North Carolina gubernatorial nominee for the Libertarian Party, reviewed his campaign themes — including a moratorium on capital punishment, control of municipal aggression against property, a broad-based education vouchers system and ending corporate welfare — during an Aug. 4 address in Asheville.

Munger’s comments were made during a brief speech and lengthy question-and-answer session as the keynote speaker at the Libertarian Party of Buncombe County’s annual convention at El Chapala Restaurant on Merrimon Avenue.

During his speech, Munger spoke about himself, his background and the most important reason he is politically active and running for governor — liberty and responsibility. He said the LP-B is composed of lovers of liberty, in that its members have not allowed government to usurp their inalienable liberties, or to conduct governance with no regard to responsibility or accountability for its actions.

He noted that his stances on education and capital punishment have resulted in his highest support coming from the state’s African-Americans — by a two-to-one-margin over whites.

Munger noted that he had spent a busy day campaigning in Asheville, earlier fielding questions for three hours on the “Take a Stand With Matt Mattin” afternoon talk show on WWNC-AM.

About 35 people attended the LP-B convention, including a number of supporters of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign and members of The Revolution, a local political discussion group.

Also in attendance was state LP Chair Barbara Howe, who ran unsuccessfully as her party’s nominee for governor in the previous race, capturing about 1.5 percent of the vote.

The local LP’s survival, which was in doubt prior to the meeting because Chair Bernard Carman had announced that he was stepping down and he had no successor in the wings, was ensured as Robert Parker stepped up and agreed to succeed Carman.

Parker was elected by acclamation, contingent on his registering as a Libertarian. The former Republican currently said he is registered as “unaffiliated” instead of a Libertarian — as he had intended — because of a mixup by the elections board.

Also newly elected was Tony Oneka, treasurer; while Will Baumeister was re-elected as secretary. Ron Leonard agreed to continue as the local party’s jester. None of the officer’s seats were contested.
Carman agreed to serve as a state officer on behalf of the local LP, so that he could continue his political efforts.

On a separate matter, the LP-B agreed to change its bylaws to require that the annual local party convention be held at least 30 days before the state LP convention.

Howe introduced Munger as a full professor of economics at Duke University and chair of the political science department. His research has focused on presidential-congressional conflict, campaign finance and regulation of markets.

Bernard Carman

She urged the party faithful to vote for Munger because, Howe said, he is the best candidate — and to avoid the state LP having to spend nearly a quarter-million dollars before the next gubernatorial election, so that the party does not have to raise — and spend — another quarter-million dollars on a petition drive to achieve ballot access.

Specifically, Howe said, “It took a bucket-load of money to get Mike Munger and Bob Barr” on the ballots in North Carolina and they each need “to get at least 2 percent of the vote” to avoid ballot access issues for the future.

Howe, who reportedly received 1.5 percent of the vote in the last gubernatorial election, said that, while “2 percent is a victory for us, we hope Mike gets 2 percent, if not 10 percent, of the gubernatorial vote.”
A man asked the candidate if he would decriminalize nonviolent crime if elected.

Upon election, Munger said he would set up two commitees — one to study and make recommendations on the state’s highways, bridges and buildings infrastructure and one to review the charges against each inmate in jail. The latter committee would decided whether some nonviolent criminals should be sent to addiction recovery programs.

Carl Milsted, a former LP-B chair, asked Munger how he would treat the perpetrators of property crimes, which technically would fall under Munger’s nonviolent crime category.

With a smile, Munger said, “I’ll work on rewording” his broad reference to nonviolent crime because he would not release property crime inmates.

A man asked about Munger’s ideas on a privatized highway system.

The candidate began by noting that he recently spent some time studying the highway sytem in Santiago, Chile, reiterating that “I’m an economist by training.”

“Chile’s doing something that’s purely private ... In Chile, there were parallel highways” — one private and one public. You could go on either one,” but the cost of using the private highway is higher.

In North Carolina, state-owned monopoly toll roads are being built around the state’s biggest cities, with no other option. “This situation, I think, is nuts.”

As governor, Munger said he would encourage allowing companies to build private highways at their own expense — “and if they fail, tough luck.”

In response to a related follow-up question, Munger said, “I think all we need to do is stop subsidizing the building of new roads,” which makes it ever-cheaper for suburban sprawl “that mainly benefits developers.”

In North Carolina, the aforementioned phenomenon is mainly applicable around Raleigh and Charlotte, he noted. “If we stop building roads for sprawl, public transit might just become profitable.”

Regarding gasoline prices, Munger noted that oil companies only are making 3 to 4 cents per gallon, while the government’s take averages — nationally — 18 cents per gallon.

However, in North Carolina, the state takes 33 cents to 34 cents per gallon — a disproportionately higher tax amount from gas sales. As a result gas prices average 30 percent higher in North Carolina than in neighboring South Carolina and Georgia.

A man asked why the government “isn’t doing something about mass transit,” citing the example of various European countries that have advanced, interconnected systems.

“They are — they’re letting gas prices go up,” Munger replied. As for mass transit options in the U.S., he said, to his knowledge, only Portland, Ore., “is trying some things” that rank as truly innovative.

He also asserted that in North Carolina, “We have the worst of both worlds,” since “we charge too much (in gas taxes) and then divert it (the tax proceeds) to a cookie jar and use it for pet projects” often not involving road building and improvements.

On another question, Munger said he would not favor Mexican matriculae cards being accepted as identification for the issuance of driver’s licenses by the state Department of Motor Vehicle because, he claimed, they are “easily manipulable.”

Moreover, Munger added, “I have problems with using driver’s licenses as IDs.”

As for his stance on illegal immigration, he said, “I don’t see how we can solve that problem in North Carolina — it’s a problem with enforcement at the border ... If you’re a working resident of North Carolina, then you’re a citizen, in my opinion.”

Further, he said the U.S. should not seek to stem the tide of immigration, but rather, streamline procedures to make it easier for people to enter the country legally.

Munger also said forcing employers to ensure that their workers are U.S. citizens is “awfully expensive for small businesses,” but “large corporations benefit from this.”

In response to a follow-up question on illegal immigration, he said, “If people are coming here for those reasons (free education, free health care and other benefits), “then get rid of the welfare program.”

A woman said Western North Carolina “seems disenfranchised,” asking Munger, “What would you do to bridge the gap?”

“There’s just not enough people here” to catch the state government’s attention,” he replied.

Regarding his stance on nuclear power, Munger said he has much expertise in the industry through his work and “it seems to me a lot of the opposition” to it is emotionally based.

Before any progress can be made on increasing nuclear power in the U.S., “We need a federal plan for (high-level) nuclear waste disposal.” With a grin, he said “low-level nuclear waste in 20 years is just dirt. However, high-level is another question.

“Unless we solve the problem of nuclear waste disposal on a national basis, there’s nothing to be said. Otherwise, I’m all for it,” Munger said.