The following commentary by Harry Browne is featured this weekend on WorldNetDaily at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/pageOneCommentary.shtml :

Spoiler for Gore?

By Harry Browne

As the Libertarian presidential candidate, I'm often asked how I'd feel if I took enough votes from George W. Bush to throw the election to Al Gore.

Although I believe I'm getting as much support from former Democrats as former Republicans (and mostly from people who haven't been voting at all), what if my votes did cause George Bush to lose a key state -- tipping the election to Al Gore? Would I feel remorse?

Of course not.

Why I'm running I'm not running for president to stop any particular candidate from winning. I'm running because I want you to be free to live your life as you think best -- not as Al Gore or George Bush, who want to run it for you.

I want to stop government from taking your earnings and leaving you the crumbs, snooping through your bank account and your e-mail, destroying our schools and our health-care system.

I want America to be a free country again. And electing George Bush won't get us one step closer to that goal. In fact, electing George Bush is bound to make things worse.

What George Bush wants for you Medicare has made life unbearable for many senior citizens -- by making them pay more for health care and letting politicians run the medical industry. George Bush wants to extend that oppression to prescription drugs.

Should I support that?

Should you?

Through its subsidies and mandates, the federal government has pushed local schools downhill for 35 years. George Bush wants to extend that failure to private schools with a voucher system -- leaving us no good schools at all.

Should I support that?

Should you?

Every day you go to work -- putting in eight, 10, 12 hours. But the politicians decide what they want of your earnings, and leave you what's left. George Bush says "the government should never take more than a third of what you earn." Since he plays no part in earning that money, I consider it gross arrogance for him to decide how much you're entitled to keep.

Should I support that arrogance?

Should you?

Social Security is the greatest financial swindle ever perpetrated on the American people. You pay 15 percent of everything you earn -- and what you pay is squandered by the politicians. When you retire, you have nothing but their promise to tax your children and grandchildren to pay back what was taken from you. This is tyranny, pure and simple. George Bush says he'll allow you to control 2 percent of the 15 percent in some vague way at some vague future time if you conform to his rules.

Should I support that?

Should you?

Whatever the area -- foreign policy, the drug war, gun laws, whatever --George Bush believes he and other politicians know best and you should do their bidding. He isn't a compassionate conservative, he's a big-government conservative -- and big government isn 't compassionate.

The future Do you really believe George Bush will make your children's schools safer, less expensive, or more effective? Do you think George Bush will make health care more affordable or accessible? Do you believe he'll make government smaller, less expensive, less intrusive, less oppressive?

If you do, I advise you to seek professional help.

What do you want? Do I want Al Gore to be president? Of course not.

But Bill Clinton - with all his smarminess and corruption -- hasn't destroyed the country, and neither will Al Gore. We will survive a Gore administration -- or a Bush administration. But is that all you want -- to survive?

Can't you set your sights higher? Don't you want to change America for the better? Don't you want to start moving toward making America a free country again?

I'm running for president because I believe government should be so small that you pay no income tax at all; that you should be freed immediately and completely from the fraudulent Social Security system; that we should end the nightmare of drug prohibition that has brought such violence to our cities; that you should have the unconditional right to defend yourself from violent criminals with whatever weapon necessary.

That is what a free country is about -- not which presidential candidate is best qualified to rule your life, enhance the Fatherland, and run the world.

Maybe I can't win. But every vote I get is a vote for freedom. Every vote I get tells the Republicans and Democrats you won't vote for them again until they abandon big government. Every vote will help show non-voters there's a small-government alternative that warrants their help. Every vote will move us closer toward electing a Libertarian president and a Libertarian Congress by the end of this decade.

Meanwhile, if you vote for George Bush or Al Gore -- or even for Pat Buchanan or Ralph Nader -- you're giving up. You're saying you'll never be free, so you'll just vote against the person you dislike most.

You're better than that. Please don't give up. Raise your sights and vote for what you truly want. Vote for freedom.

And maybe before the end of this decade, you'll have it.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), November 04, 2000

Answers

Third parties do serve a purpose. They take a position, it becomes popular, the big parties lose votes and they shift towards the third party position. If the Democrats sense that enough votes are lost to Mr. Brown and Mr. Nader, perhaps they will become more realistic and quit taking some of their stupid positions that are impossible to implement. Even a donkey can only run in one direction at a time. If it goes North and South, eventually it will split. Sometimes it dies before the owner notices.

-- Al (Think@wow.dem), November 04, 2000.

Folks:

I wouldnBt worry too much about these third parties. It isnBt a matter of the laws which limit third parties, it is a matter of the weaknesses in the organization of the third parties. The Reform Party has imploded. The Green Party isnBt too far behind. Why? Politics is a matter of compromise. You canBt build a party based on a collection of people who agree on what they oppose but not on what they will do. The Green Party [been here for more that two decades] has had that problem here. Should we legislate a vegan lifestyle or should we worry about the environment? Should we use violent means to further our cause?

IBm not yet sure about the Libertarian Party. They have been here as long as I have. I read DBBs comments about Washington. Evidently, the same thing happened here. Art Oliver came and no one else did. We will need to wait and see on that party.

Best wishes and to sleep,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

"We will need to wait and see on that party."

Z,

Perhaps that is part of the problem in itself,people waiting to see what happens so they can go with the flow of the majority.Many of the people I talk with agree that they want a much smaller government but at the same time say the Libertarian Party doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning so they will stay with the lessor of the two evils.

In a prior thread the writer hoped that things really would go to hell in a handbasket so that we could finally get back on track with the "right" agenda,I do not hope for such a calamity but maybe that is indeed what it will take to awaken the sleeping giant of American apathy and veer away from the status quo.

Personally,I will continue to vote and encourage libertarianism instead of voting as if it were a wager in a horse race or at a casino,because in the end the only winner is the 'house'.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), November 04, 2000.

Cap:

Don't totally disagree with you. Just read through bac posts. The point that DB made, and I am making is that no one knows the party exists. I just got home, but evidently, Art Oliver was here and no one showed up. DB said that happened in Washington. The party has no chance if no one comes to their meetings. You need something more than belief. You need some publicity. If no one knows your platform, why would they consider voting for you. This can be solved.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

Z,

I agree completely,a 1st rate PR team is badly in need.

Sweet dreams...

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), November 04, 2000.