Politics and other nightmares

Every time I write about intrusive government and the slow chipping away of our liberty -- and our complicity in the erosion of rights -- I hear from somebody who says I'm a libertarian caveman who just doesn't understand that we're all in this together and have to submit sometimes to the greater good. But, surely, this should be alarming to the most committed collectivist:

Welcome to the bar, where you may feel free to kill yourself with alcohol, either the slow way, by sinking slowly into beer- and whisky-induced organ shutdown and/or suicidal depression, or the fast way, by turning your car into a killing machine also likely to take out any number of innocent bystanders.

An Indiana legislator wants to introduce a bill to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. The Indianapolis Star weighs in with an editorial urging the General Assembly to be cautions:

I've written in favor of moving Indiana's primary up, so here's something on the other side, from Rep. Mark Souder:

Souder feels the way things are playing out could give Indiana a bigger chance to have influence than before, that's one reason he and fellow Hoosier Congressman Mike Pence have held off on their endorsements.

Members of Congress and President Bush, thank you for worrying so much about members of the middle class and trying to make sure we have an easier path to travel:

General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Sunday the new fuel efficiency requirements imposed by Congress last month would add $6,000 to the price of an average GM vehicle by the end of the next decade.

It has nothing to do with the presidency or who we need in the job, but one side benefit of electing Barack Obama is that it would leave race-baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton with no reason whatsoever for a public stage, and we might hope they sink into the oblivion they so richly deserve:

When Gov. Daniels announced his proposal to cap residential property taxes, he also talked a lot about restraining local spending. The idea was that, to start getting a handle on taxes, communities would get less money and learn to do with less. But Mayor Henry has a different idea:

Libertarians didn't win any seats in the city election, but it can't be said that they didn't make a difference:

Don Schmidt, who represented the 2nd District for 36 years, lost to Democrat Karen Goldner by 12 votes in a race in which Libertarian Jonathan Bartels drew 580 votes. And At-Large Councilman John Crawford fell about 100 votes short of re-election in a race that saw the three at-large Libertarians draw a combined 11,600 votes.

If you're going to hold a "public hearing," for God's sake let the members of the public speak first:

About four hours into a meeting Wednesday, Allen County resident Charles Powell and his wife, Marvel, were frustrated.

Since birthright citizenship is such an obvious contributor to the growing number of illegal immigrants, that would be a good subject for a presidential debate, and I would like to know where the candidates stand. Would any of them, for example, like to challenge Mike Huckabee's position?