All work and no play is boring! So, this month we’re breaking away from the same old routine and taking liberty to Simi Valley, at The Junkyard Cafe! We hope that this will be a bit of a fun departure from our usual business meeting and bring us together in a more social atmosphere. Liberty and libations…has a nice ring don’t you think? So, mark your calendars for Wed. June 19th, 7 pm – 9 pm. Arrive early and take advantage of Junkyard’s awesome Happy Hour from 2 pm to 6 pm! The more the merrier, so feel free to bring a friend. See ya there!

Check out their website for more info and directions:

http://www.thejunkyardcafe.com/we-moved-the-junkyard-cafe/

Those on the left and right (yes, both) who are crying for “student loan fairness,” “debt forgiveness” or some such “relief” for college students fail to understand the similarities between the crash of the housing market and the fate of the higher-education market.

Just as the Federal Government and Big Banks (read Federal Reserve) worked hand in hand to talk folks into buying houses they couldn’t afford by loading the banks  with freshly printed money, lowering mortgage interest rates, and repeating the emotional appeal that “every family should own a home,” they’re doing virtually the same thing to university-education.

Housing Bubble meet Education Bubble.

The Federal Government and Big Banks are now inflating the education market with loans to students (really loans to Universities), keeping interest rates low (though a bit higher than mortgage interest rates) and rendering the appeal that “every high school student should get a college degree.” This has built, over the last several  Administrations and Congresses:

1. Enormous student loan debts
2. Exorbitant and unrestrained college tuition and fees
3. Pressure on students to attain college degrees vs. other education/training that some would decide better suited their interests and future employability
4. Eventual demands for a Government Bailout to the universities

Who wins and who loses in this scenario? Again, it warrants comparison…

• The Popped Housing Bubble: Winners – loan agents, lucky sellers; Losers – homeowners, taxpayers, lenders, real estate agents, the economy
• The Popped Education Bubble: Winners – banks, universities; Losers – students, taxpayers, private sector employers, the economy

To those recommending student loan interest rates be lowered to the level of current mortgage interest rates, it must be pointed out that this will only perpetuate the demand for loans and do nothing to pressure universities to lower their costs and prices. To those recommending loan forgiveness, it must be shown that this will only transfer the enormous debts to taxpayers, for many years to come.

The libertarian solution is for Government to get out of the student loan business. Let the marketplace of consumers (students and parents), private lenders, and employers determine what a college education is worth. Then they’ll inform the universities—rather than the other way around.

The alternative is for Americans to stand by and wait for that bubble to burst, and take the economy down with it once again.

Prop 65 Enforcement

Every week we read about enforcement actions under Prop 65. This law requires businesses selling products to warn of chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects. The most recent targets of enforcement are Trader Joe’s, Target, Whole foods, 99 Ranch Market and others. They were sued by California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris for selling ginger and plum candy without posting a disclosure on the amount of lead in the products.

We are all familiar with the warnings Prop 65 requires. You read the warnings every time you pump gas, enter a hotel or parking lot or walk through any place of business. Toys, food, jewelry, furniture and everything that we touch, breathe and consume that exposes us to chemicals the State of California has identified that cause cancer and birth defects must have the warning.

Ironically, the vast majority of businesses being sued have not put the lead or other chemicals in the products. The industrial revolution was the cause of these chemicals in the  environment. Why has California placed the burden and cost of clean up on businesses?

Assemblyman Mike Gatto of  Silverlake introduced legislation to modify Prop 65. His bill would give businesses more time to remedy violations of Prop 65 and avoid penalties if they comply. The bill was watered down in committee. As changed, the bill only gives more time to restaurants, auto garages and bars. The change should apply to all businesses. Giving all businesses more time to correct deficiencies is good for the business, consumers and the environment. He points out that  looking for new suppliers, better ingredients and the testing takes time. The additional clean up time will in any event be less than the time spent in prosecuting and defending the lawsuit. Lawyers and environmental groups have been opposed to giving businesses more time to comply and avoid penalties and legal fees because they felt opposition would lead to more changes to Prop 65.

Many critics of  Prop 65 claim is it being abused by private bounty hunters. These groups have been created to enforce Prop 65 violations. The lawyers representing these private entities collected more than $9 million in legal fees and costs over the past 10 years. Prop 65 provides that the private enforcers are to receive only 25% of the fines and penalties, but that limit has been waived by the California Attorney General’s Office to encourage private settlements of the cases.

Prop 65 was a well intentioned law. Its goal of getting chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects identified and warning consumers how to avoid them is a good goal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that even low amounts of lead in the blood may affect children’s brains. However, placing the cost of testing, warning and clean up on Trader Joe’s and others businesses is not fair. And more important, every time a case is filed under Prop 65, the legal fees paid to both sides, the penalties imposed and clean up costs incurred are passed on to consumers in higher prices for products.  A better approach would be to give businesses more time to comply with notices of a violation. Waive all penalties for voluntary compliance with notices of violations. Apply uniform product and chemical testing standards for products on the State and Federal level so that California does not impose its standards on out-of-state businesses. And, let’s have government work with businesses to help clean up the chemicals that the industrial revolution placed in the  environment. That is a win-win for consumers, businesses and the environment.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The conference

Last Saturday, teachers, students and the public were invited to attend the 5^th Annual Conference for Social Justice in Education, held at and sponsored by California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). This year’s full-day event was themed “Organizing for Sustainable Change.” It featured 1) a keynote address by the executive director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) – “a community-based social movement organization serving the California central coast,” 2) ten presentations (breakout sessions) dealing with specific issues in public education and 3) a panel discussion with representatives from five community organizing groups in Ventura County.

Before revealing what is meant by the term “social justice” and exposing the designs by which advocates in the “movement” hope to achieve it, one thing must be said: Those in the Social Justice movement are, no doubt, well-meaning, caring and passionate people who want to see other good people treated fairly, achieve their potentials, have financial stability and enjoy their lives. Nothing written here is meant to disparage their intentions, but rather bring to light a libertarian perspective that values freedom and justice for all.

The movement

Per the Conference sponsors:

People who work for social justice recognize that not everyone has equal access to excellent educational resources, facilities, and experiences. People devoted to promoting social justice seek to interrupt schools’ tendency to reproduce social inequity. The goal of this work is to make our communities better for all—specifically those who may be minoritized based on special needs, ethnicity, language, gender, socioeconomic status, and/or sexual identity (among others).

“Social justice” advocates such as CAUSE Executive Director Dr. Marcos Vargas and representatives of the various community organizing associations and nonprofits participating in the conference expressed their concerns that the needs of specific groups of people are not being met in society in general and education in particular. These groups were said to include people of color, immigrants, women, the  impoverished, non-English speakers, the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) community and others.

Throughout the day, proponents and activists in the “social justice” movement spoke of the inequities that required “social change,” including racial, ethnic, language, gender and sexual discrimination; bullying; income disparity; academic achievement gaps and access to information and services. They also made a number of proposals with regard to “changing the balance of power” and achieving “equality.”

The injustice

Unfortunately, this is where the Social Justice Movement has taken a dangerous position.

When they say they want “social change,” they don’t mean voluntary service and charitable giving. They don’t mean allocating existing resources more efficiently. What they are working toward is BIGGER GOVERNMENT, MORE LEGISLATION, HIGHER TAXES and LESS FREEDOM.

According to CAUSE, “State tax reform” is needed to fund the “public policy changes” that will work to achieve “social justice.” These would include new parcel taxes and oil industry taxes, and changing California’s legislative voting requirement from a super- to a simple-majority, making it easier to approve new local and state taxes.

Other suggestions heard throughout the day were for the public to provide “universal college” (college for everyone) and universal healthcare, oppose competition in public education, control wages and transfer tax burdens (instead of reducing them).

The Libertarian way 

• All individuals possess the same human rights regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, financial status, language or sexual orientation. 
• There are indeed social and economic disparities among people and these sometimes act as barriers to opportunities. However, one person’s need does not constitute a rightful claim to another person’s property.
• In a society that respects human rights, all people are considered to be equal under the law. This means that the government has no greater right than does the individual to seize the fruits of others’ labor without their consent.
• Where human rights/civil liberties are protected, charitable giving and community service are voluntary. Private individuals and groups, secular and religious, exist today as always, to give generously to help those in need.

Will the real Social Justice please stand up

Issue by issue, the contrast between solutions that preserve liberty and those that take it away is stark.

The Social Justice (SJ) movement says: Schools are “dramatically underfunded.” The passage of California’s Prop. 30 (increased taxes) and additional “State tax reform” are necessary to correct the inequities in public education. (CAUSE)

Libertarianism (L) says:  Public schools are not meeting the needs of students for many reasons, including top-heavy administrative costs; federal government mandates such as No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and Common Core Standards; excessive standardized testing and union demands/rules related to pensions and tenure.

*****

SJ: The privatization of charter schools is “insidious,” especially corporate-backed schools. (CAUSE)

L: The lack of competition in public education is a contributing cause of higher costs and fewer choices for parents and students (in curriculum, faculty, administration and teaching methods). No system is perfect, but the private marketplace brings competition and choice to education.

*****

SJ: The “achievement gap” in education is due to poverty and racism. (Communidades Justas/Just Communities)

L: It’s time for School Choice vs. Zip Code Servitude, and School Vouchers vs. School Victims. Competition and paying with one’s feet encourages quality, options and access to opportunities in education, the best ways to bridge achievement gaps.

*****

SJ: Scholastic awards and programs such as Honors and GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) promote social inequities. A proposal to replace these with an “Honors for All” system in the Santa Barbara area met with defeat when “rich, white Montecito parents complained” that their kids had worked hard and earned those academic distinctions. (Communidades Justas/Just Communities)

L: Hard work and success are to be valued and lauded, not covered up in shame in a misguided attempt to avoid offending others. Academic accomplishments might also serve as motivation to other students.

*****

SJ: Every worker has the right to be paid a “living wage” to support his or her family. Despite “conservative Ventura County” with the “Reagan Library and the Rodney King trial,” five living wage ordinances were passed here. (CAUSE)

L: Living Wage ordinances are arbitrary price controls that keep teenagers and other inexperienced/low-skilled workers from entering the job market. They also prevent small businesses, who can’t afford to pay the wage, from contracting for work with municipalities. Wage/price controls result in increased costs for everyone: government, private industry and taxpayers.

*****

SJ: CAUSE, with funding from the Social Justice Fund, has forged a project to “impact land-use decisions” and “shape the future of the Westside of Ventura for the next 30 years.”

L: This central-planning agenda is part of the so-called Sustainability movement that has swept across Ventura County and regions throughout the United States. It is sold to environmental groups and the citizenry on the premise that government control of housing, transportation, private property use and commerce can reduce mankind’s carbon footprint and create better communities. Its actual effect will be to diminish property rights, raise housing costs, limit choices and increase public debt.

*****

SJ: Every Californian is entitled to receive official documents printed in his or her native language. (Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project)

L: Yes—provided it is at the expense of the individual or group requesting the service. This is also a perfect opportunity for community service.

Justice served

Real social justice requires respect for the rights of all people. It does not tolerate theft, either at the hands of the individual or by government force. Therefore, lobbying the government to take from one group to give to another is to commit the same injustice.

Fortunately, the practice is wholly unnecessary:

In Ventura County there is an abundance of compassionate and generous people, eager to volunteer their efforts and resources to help others overcome their obstacles, achieve their potentials, secure financial stability and be treated with fairness, respect and dignity.

No doubt many of those same people filled the seats at CSUCI last Saturday.

We forget that Libertarians have supported rational  immigration reforms for over 40 years and not just at election time! We Libertarians understand the abuses and the tax consequences of a rush to enact legislation designed to get politicians elected–more taxes and more deficits! We appreciate the fact that the U.S. has more laws and regulations than any other country in the world and yet we have the costliest and least efficient educational, defense and health care systems! Why? Legislation does not change personal character and the absence of personal liability for wrongful conduct does not change behavior.

If we replaced the hundreds of thousands of laws and regulations we now have (and that we cannot afford to enforce) with 500 very important laws that impose civil and criminal liability for wrongful conduct to redress bodily injury, property damage and economic damage, would we be better off? It’s is an experiment that our Founding Fathers had hoped we would undertake by having the States experiment with what works best. But that experiment will not take place until we elect Representatives and Senators who believe in the Constitution instead of raising funds for their next election.

~By David Laufer

Please join us for our monthly social mixer in a casual setting at Mimi’s Cafe in Thousand Oaks. Enjoy the company of other freedom-loving patriots as we exchange ideas and offer positive solutions from the Libertarian perspective. The public is welcome.

Liberty is in the air, so come take a fresh breath! And if you feel inspired to volunteer your ideas and some time, we’ll be happy to welcome you, and your friends, aboard!

See you there!

Piers Morgan of CNN News keeps asking why anyone needs an assault weapon.

Perhaps he should ask the Korean merchants who found out in the 1992 Los Angeles riots that the police are not first responders.

Rather, the police abandoned large areas to lawlessness and refused to respond to 911 calls. It took several days for the National Guard to restore order.

In the meantime, the Korean merchants used a large number of people with handguns, rifles, shotguns and Uzis to protect their families and businesses from looters and rioters.

We should all learn that natural disasters (Hurricane Katrina), civil disturbances and martial law can quickly create situations where you may be reliant only on yourself, your family and neighbors for many days or longer.

In such cases, you are the first responder. Your answer to Piers Morgan may be yes, I need an assault weapon for such a situation.

Libertarian Party growth in California is on the rise with statewide voter registration increasing in 56 of California’s 58 counties! Efforts to increase visibility and awareness are paying off. We’ll have still more successes to share with you on Wednesday, April 17, when we see you at Mimi’s Cafe in Thousand Oaks at 7:00 p.m. for this special “State of the Party” event.

This month we’ll have news straight from our upcoming State Convention in Sacramento (April 5-7), as well as exciting reports of Libertarian Party growth and accomplishments in Ventura County, California, and the nation.

To be sure, we are seeing the fruits of our hard work and determination by educating  and raising public awareness. But there is much more work to be done! We have a proven winning team here in Ventura County and a captive audience. We must take the ball and run, full steam ahead…and we need YOU!

Come to April’s meeting—enjoy the company of people who, like you, have the cause of LIBERTY running through our veins! And if you feel inspired to volunteer your ideas and some time, we’ll be happy to welcome you, and your friends, aboard. Join us, one and all.

Mimi’s Cafe, 400 N. Moorpark Rd., CA 91360 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM.