I was out of the country for a couple of weeks and did my best to not watch news, read newspapers or hear about world events while I was gone.  As we were at a jungle lodge in Costa Rica with no phones, no TV, no internet and, sometimes, no electricity, it was easy to do.  Being away from the constant barrage of information, opinion and attitudes we live under each day can help give one a fresh perspective on things.

Of course, I did hear about the tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota.  Unfortunately, in one of my earlier emails of the campaign I discussed the poor state of the infrastructure in our country and this accident and all the subsequent hand-wringing has proved my statements to be correct.  Even President Bush surprised me when he took the very uncharacteristic stance of saying that we didn't need an additional gas tax to fix the problem, but maybe we should be spending the money we have in more effective and meaningful ways.  I will admit that I called for an additional gas tax earlier to deal with this problem, but in this case the President is right.  We need to just manage our money and what our Federal agencies do a lot better.  Maybe a lot of the problem is that our Federal agencies are involved in and spending money to try and control things that they shouldn't be doing.

 

A perfect example of that is the main purpose of today's email and concerns a topic that was in the Wall Street Journal last week and from which I borrowed my title.  The title, "The New Right to Life"  concerns the struggle of the dying to try experimental drugs, alternative therapies and whatever the heck they want to do and the great lengths the FDA goes to prevent that from happening. 

 

There is something seriously wrong with a Federal Agency trying to control what someone who is dying wants to try to do to solve the problem or prolong their life. 

 

Quite honestly it is none of their damn business.

 

So what if someone wants to try something that is not "proven".  Maybe it will make a difference for them or to the next person with their disease.  Maybe it will show promise for curing something else.  Maybe it will give that person's life just a little more meaning.

 

So what if what they try hastens their demise?  It was their choice and they went down fighting.  Isn't that what life is all about?  Fighting for everything we've got and then fighting to keep it.  Isn't that what liberty and being an American is about?  The freedom to do what you believe is right for yourself as long as you are not in danger of bringing harm to others.

 

Prior to leaving on our trip I read yet another article about the FDA that left me stunned.  It was about an action taken by the FDA concerning a new drug.  The drug passed all its tests.   There weren't any problems with the drug and yet, the FDA in its infinite wisdom, decreed that the drug wasn't necessary (there was already another couple of drugs on the market that treated the same problem) so the company couldn't make it. 

 

So now the FDA is deciding what the market does and doesn't want or need.  Are we becoming a centralized state where all production decisions are made according to what some central planning group, in this case the FDA,  determines what is good for the country?  Didn't the Soviets spend decades proving that this type of system doesn't work?  If so, why do we seem to be heading down this path?

 

The answer is bureaucratic power.  Our Federal Government is drunk with the power of the bureaucracy and the two major political parties will do nothing to slow that growth because they both thrive on it. 

 

The most dangerous words in the English language these days are: "It's for the public's safety."  Those words seem to give the Federal government the power to do just about anything they want to reduce your liberty in the interest of your perceived safety.  Doesn't matter if it is really necessary or even prudent, but it sure is a nice excuse for a government bureaucrat to expand his power base and build an empire on the backs of our freedoms.

 

The Constitution is the best document every written to protect individual liberties, but Federal Agencies seemed to have morphed into these monsters that believe that you only have liberty if they want to give it to you. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling for the abolishment of the FDA as it does serve a useful purpose, but if you're dying and want to try something not approved by the FDA, be my guest.  It's your life and you deserve the dignity and respect of being allowed to do what you feel is best for you. 

 

As President, I would call for all government agencies to "pull in their horns" and get back to their core responsibilities.  Our Federal government is already too large and close to being completely out of control.  The purpose of the Federal Government is to protect our liberty, not subject us to ever increasing federal regulatory schemes.

 

  

Media events that are coming up include:

 

A debate with Jon Greenspon, Steve Adams, and Bob Hargis, who are also independent candidates for President on Saturday the 18^th at 3PM Eastern, Noon Pacific Time.  The link is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/politics-central .

 

On Sunday August 26th, at 4 PM PDT, I will be giving an interview to Brian Wolf on the Free World Radio Network.  The interview may be found by going to either of the following locations.  The first and the easiest, according to Brian, is to go to www.freeworldradionetwork.net and look for Brian's show Shakedown Street.

 

The second way is to go to the actual URL at:  www.blogtalkradio.com/-shakedown-street  (notice the dashes).

 

 

"Anything is Possible in America"