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I’m reading some of the “debate” between Tom Tancredo & Gustavo Arellano in Westword.
Tom says he is against illegal immigration, in part, because illegal immigrants are “exploited” by American business.
(1) That’s disingenuous. Does anyone really think Tom is concerned about the poor, “exploited” Mexican labor?
(2) No one is exploited in a voluntary transaction. It’s called “capitalism,” Tom. Despite failing miserably to implement it, it’s something we used to pretend to like in the U.S.
Love it or leave it, Tom.
(In anticipation of angry responses: Neither of these criticisms means I’m in favor of open borders. I am not. I just do not believe anyone that voluntary takes a wage is “exploited.”)
I’m reading some of the “debate” between Tom Tancredo & Gustavo Arellano in Westword.
Tom says he is against illegal immigration, in part, because illegal immigrants are “exploited” by American business.
(1) That’s disingenuous. Does anyone really think Tom is concerned about the poor, “exploited” Mexican labor?
(2) No one is exploited in a voluntary transaction. It’s called “capitalism,” Tom. Despite failing miserably to implement it, it’s something we used to pretend to like in the U.S.
Love it or leave it, Tom.
(In anticipation of angry responses: Neither of these criticisms means I’m in favor of open borders. I am not. I just do not believe anyone that voluntary takes a wage is “exploited.”)
I thought competition was a GOP principle. Or does that only apply to school choice? If the current voting system makes Tancredo’s third party run problematic for the GOP, the GOP should champion a new voting system. I suggest Approval Voting. I recommend “Gaming the Vote” by William Poundstone as an excellent primer on the issue.
Don’t make the election rules then complain when others play by them.
Let freedom ring.
According to the Denver Post’s Christopher Osher, who wrote a feature on GOP candidate for Governor Dan Maes,
Maes must work to beat Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper on the Democratic side as Tom Tancredo steals votes that would normally go to the Republican…
I realize “stealing” votes is a metaphor, but it is a bad one.
“Stealing” is to take something that belongs to another without permission. The implication that Tancredo, or any third party, “steals” votes is blatantly incorrect.
People, as individuals, own their votes. Dan Maes does not “own” Republican votes. The state party does not “own” Republican votes. If Colorado Republicans choose to vote for someone else, they have not “stolen” a thing.
If party members think Tancredo is “stealing” their votes, the party believes they own those votes and someone is wrongfully taking them. The very concept is arrogant.
Voters can not “steal” something they own.
Competition is always good. Always.
The more competitors, the more choice and the better off we all are. This applies to goods and services. It applies to public schools. And, yes, it applies to political candidates. More choice is never a bad thing. Ever.
When choice becomes a bad thing, there is something wrong with the system that creates that result.
Tom Tancredo is not the problem. Third parties are not the problem. Our two party election process, including plurality voting, is the problem. A two party duopoly, controlling and limiting the choices of every American citizen, is the problem.
If we want a better America, criticizing competition is misplaced.
Colorado Republican state chair Dick Wadhams called Tancredo’s plan to run for governor as the American Constitution Party candidate “reprehensible.” It is not. What is “reprehensible” is a system that gives the people of Colorado two really bad choices for governor. Anyone trying to solve that problem is not “reprehensible.” People defending the status quo are not “reprehensible” either, but they are horribly misguided.
Most people, even die hard political activists, act as if the two party system and plurality voting are some immutable law of nature, like gravity. Our election process is not a law of physics. It is not even a law of our Constitution.
It is a process that has simply evolved without any particular design, intelligent or otherwise. We can change it if we are willing to recognize the problem. Pretending that Tancredo and third parties are the problem is a bad diagnosis.
Our system is broken. While there is no panacea, there are ways to fix it. Approval voting is one such fix.
I attended an R Block Party event this evening at the Old Mill Brewery in Littleton.
The highlight of the event was the fireworks provided by former U. S. Representative and Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. He railed against recent Republican presidential nominee John McCain as a big government, liberal Republican. But he did not stop there. He painted former Lt. Governor and current Colorado Republican candidate for U. S. Senate Jane Norton with the same can of paint. Tancredo professed his belief that McCain is doing his best to recruit big government Republican candidates throughout the country, including Norton, in an effort to continue his failed statist legacy. Tancredo said Norton fits the McCain mold, and that he could not support her candidacy. Tancredo made it clear he thinks neither McCain nor Norton believe in conservative principles.
Tancredo said he supports Weld County D.A. Ken Buck in the Republican race for the Senate nomination. Of his failed bid for the Presidencey, Tancredo told the crowd of about 60 activists that he never for a second thought he would win. He said his presidential campaign was a tool to educate the country on the problem of illegal immigration.
Nikki Mata and Lori Horn, as usual, did a tremendous job organizing the event, which was focused on educating activists on the caucus process. Several people had the opportunity to speak, including the candidates in attendance. Dan Maes, candidate for governor, Polly Lawrence, candidate for state House District 44, Derec Shuler, candidate for state Senate District 34, and Lora Thomas, candidate for Douglas County coroner, were among the candidates who addressed the audience. Nikki and Lori were even kind enough to give me, as the President of the public advocacy group the Gadsden Society, the opportunity to say a few words about the Colorado legislative process and how to keep advised on pending bills. I recommended everyone follow state Rep. Kent Lambert on Twitter for his updates on the state budget process.
P. J. O’Rourke offered a perfectly delightful address at the Independence Institute’s 25th Anniversary Banquet, held in Denver on November 19. He mostly blasted leftist policies but saved some of his best lines for Republicans. For example, he said that building a wall between us and Mexico would be a boon to the Mexican ladder industry.
I captured a number of interviews on camera:
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