The Morning Roar: Iowa GOP Replaces Paul Loyalists, PA Senate Panel Advancing Medical Marijuana Bill, College Degree Cost/Benefit Analysis
Welcome to your Monday edition of The Morning Roar!Iowa GOP Replaces Paul LoyalistsThe GOP establishment can rest easy for the moment. Party forces loyal to Iowa Governor Terry Branstad seized control of the Iowa GOP’s governing body from allies of Sen. Ran Paul and his father former Congressman Ron Paul.The state party chairman had been A.J. Spiker, until he stepped down in the spring of this year to become a senior advisor for RAND PAC. Danny Carrol, a former lobbyist for the evangelical Family Leader, took over for Spiker. On Saturday Carrol was removed on a 14-2 no confidence vote. Jeff Kaufmann, formerly the Speaker Pro Tem of the state House, replaced Carroll.Politico reports on Kaufamann’s establishment credentials:
“Kaufmann said he takes pride in being part of the establishment if ‘establishment’ means continuing to support Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley,” the Register reported. “But Kaufmann denied that he’s anything but a conservative Republican who has occasionally made some moderate votes.”Party elders seek unity for the midterms and, more importantly, the 2016 caucuses.Kaufmann, 51, was in the state House from 2004 to 2013. He has deep roots in the state, including a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate from the University of Iowa.
Spiker became Chairman in 2012 in part by riding on the coattails of Ron Paul’s successful Iowa campaign for the GOP nomination. Paul’s libertarian message resonated with many in the midwestern state. Paul encouraged his supporters to become involved in local politics and to “change the party from within.” They took his advice and ran with it, not only in Iowa but in counties and states across the country.For Paul loyalists and lovers of liberty, returning control of the Iowa GOP leadership to the “establishment” has to be a bitter pill to swallow. Taking control of the Iowa GOP was a miraculous accomplishment. There are countless liberty lovers that spilled their hearts and souls into the conquest. But when a seismic shift back to the status quo occurs, it is probably a good time to reflect and question what went wrong. By examining the past, repetition of the same mistakes can be avoided.At the end of the day it is all about changing hearts and minds. This is done by convincing individuals that the philosophy of liberty is the most ethical and moral method for humans to advance. If individuals do not outright reject the use of aggressive force as an acceptable interaction between government and the individual, then liberty will never take hold. It does not matter how many liberty lovers are elected as chairman, congressman, senators, or the President of the United States. Until the masses reject the initiation of force as immoral and begin to embrace the philosophy of liberty, it is all for naught.PA Senate Panel Advancing Medical Marijuana BillIf any state can royally screw up the legalization of marijuana, leave it to Pennsylvania. Legislators in the state are not yet talking decriminalization or legalization, but like most states they are starting with the legalization of marijuana for medical conditions only. Of course, true to Pennsylvania's interventionist heart, this legislation would place the state Health Department directly in the middle of the doctor-patient relationship. Don’t forget that this is coming from one of the few states where the state controls retail liquor sales.Pennlive.com reports the details on proposed legislation that would legalize medical marijuana for some ailments.
The Law and Justice Committee approved a bill that would allow marijuana to be grown, processed and dispensed, with oversight by a state Board of Medical Cannabis Licensing."I'm not claiming victory here," said a prime sponsor, Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon. "We won a battle, we have not won the war, and I'm asking (the) leadership for that same support, to keep this bill moving forward."Under the proposal, state residents would need a $100 access card from the Health Department after proving they have a practitioner-patient relationship and written confirmation of a qualifying medical condition.
This legislation serves to remind me why I could never be a politician. The bill surely would help some people who desperately need access to medical marijuana in order to treat an ailment such as epilepsy. Knowing that this bill would help those currently restricted from accessing helpful treatment methods would make it very difficult to vote against it, even on principle.The principle is simple. Individuals own their bodies. It is a violation of the non-aggression principle for a third-party to dictate what substances an individual can ingest. Obviously, the War on Drug violates this principle, but this new legislation could potentially lead to a larger violation of the NAP. Not only does this proposed legislation place a third-party in the middle of the doctor-patient relationship by forcing the patient to pay $100, but it also could allow the state to compile a database of individuals that use or have used medical marijuana in the past. The state could then choose to not allow medical marijuana users to own firearms. This has happened in the past.College Degree Cost/Benefit AnalysisHere is a nice graph from The Wall Street Journal showing the out-of-control cost increases in higher education paired with the average wages of those with degrees from institutions of higher education.
If that graph isn’t shocking enough for you, then take a trip over to the NY Fed website. The clowns over there actually try to polish this turd into something attractive.Aren’t you glad they are charged with “running the economy”?Staring at graphs like these makes we want to run to the bank and invest my hard-earned dollars into starting a college savings account for my future unborn children. Minus the college part. And minus the dollar denominated savings account part.By the time I have children of age to attend college I can say with relative certainty that higher education will not remotely resemble the bloated beast that exists today. After the bubble pops and the entire manipulated system comes crashing down perhaps it will be replaced with a more free market approach. Perhaps a system where students pay to learn the skills they need in order to advance in the career of their choosing. A simple, yet powerful idea.For more on the college bubble and the student debt crisis associated with it, check out Marc Clair's recent interview with actor and activist Aaron Calafato.Read The Morning Roar every weekday Monday-Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
