Dear Colin,
Thank you for acknowledging the candidacy of Ed Pell. His candidacy, like mine, his was a reaction to the weak war position of the Gillibrand campaign. Likewise Mr. Doug Walters is also expected to join. Give Mr. Pell a chance for his web site and let me know if you think a real time blog for all to comment in or on, is a good thing. It's good to see Mr. Guller's position on the war to see the light of day, despite what you think of his campaign and its chances. Both Mr. Guller and Ed have contacted me and indicated a willingness to debate the issues. Hopefully while the two 'leading' candidates ( there is yet to be an official poll and any one that leaves out declared candidates will be misleading) slug it it out, the low dollar campaigns will be in full democratic dialogue and discourse.
As the probable Libertarian candidate on the ballot in November and perhaps the only alternative, I feel you should consider my positions on the issues. Be aware that "The Green Papers" has listed Mr. Pell as the 'Greens' candidate. In your table on the diary you list certain issues, I believe that I have outlined my position on many of these and will go so far as to suggest that if you have any questions, feel free to call or blog about it. We will respond. Here are some more issues that may not have fallen into your list and perhaps a few more that should.
Environmental Issues - The national LP's stance is that the federal government is the biggest and worst polluter. If private property was the sole determinent in legal proceedings, those whose property that has been aggrieved by polluters would have recourse in court. As it is, the Federal govenment is more or less immune from review or wrongdoing. Witness the pollution of the Hudson River by GE. State and Federal government provided permits for such dumping, yet only the corporate entity is held accountable. Creating programs or giving certain industries advantage over others is not the solution to long term energy needs.
Trade & Outsourcing - Both of these items ought to be at the discretion of those seeking contractual satisfaction. Imposing employment standards on other countries or creating artificial boundaries based on ephemeral preferences is not condusive to healthy free trade. As an IT professional, I often interact with individuals from other countries that have been the recipients of corporate outsourcing. More often than not they are helpful, courteous and professional. If Americans can't compete for service sector jobs that are sent to other countries they cannot expect the heavy hand of government to regulate competition and value.
Healthcare & Education - Presumably the omission of these two issues is due to the fact that Democrats agree that more spending and regulation is necessary in order for our students performance to continue to fade in a global marketplace and our healthcare costs to rise due to the imposition of the HMO scheme by the government. If fear and hysteria were not the reaction that Libertarians get when they address these issues some discourse might be had. Libertarians advocate less government involvement in things that should be personal choices. It's that simple. Saying that we won't treat the indigent or teach kids to read is misleading and simply false.
Real Democracy - Let's face it Mr. Guller wasn't enough to create that table/chart. It took a dissaffected voter/Democrat to bring democracy to the process. Instant run-off voting would a permanent democratic process. No longer would the voter feel compelled to select the lessor of two evils. Likewise the two dominant factions might not siphon off all the money or 'talent'. This candidacy does not feel that it is stealing votes from one camp or the other. Rather we are emphasizing a better process and electoral mechanism. When half the eligible voters feel that even showing up won't make a difference, there is a big problem. If we increase turnout by 10% we will have won in a race where only two horses are allowed/encouraged to run. Anti-war progressives and fiscal conservatives should feel confident enough to register a protest vote on either of those issues.
I appreciate any willingness to approach or grasp this campaign.
Sincerely,
Eric Sundwall