LPQC NewsLPQC NewsThe Official Newsletter of the Libertarian Party of Queens County
Vol. 3, Num. 5 September/October 1997
Nassau County LP Fields Seven Candidates
Arthur Nitzburg Enlightens Libertarians
How Far We've Come, How Far We Have to Go
Nassau County LP Fields Seven Candidates
Seven Nassau County Libertarians have filed petitions to appear on the Libertarian Party line on this November's ballot.
They are Vincent O'Neill (for County Executive), Dan Conti (District Attorney), Richard Cooper (County Comptroller), Jim Harris (County Clerk), Jeffrey Brown (County Court Judge), Stephen Edmondson (County Legislator,Fifth District), and Alfred Cooper (District Court Judge).
These candidates are serious about campaigning. "I, for one," says Conti, "do intend to run an active campaign, and I believe the others do as well." This will lay a foundation for the 1998 LPNY gubernatorial campaign; if we get 50,000 votes for a statewide candidate, Libertarians won't have to petition for a ballot line for at least four years.
To find out how you can help with the Nassau races, Call Vincent O'Neill.
At this writing, it's not certain whether Murray Sabrin, the LP's gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, will be guaranteed inclusion in debates with his Republican and Democratic rivals.
New Jersey law requires that candidates who raise $210,000 by August 31 be included; as of August 20, Sabrin had raised $80,000 but was receiving at an accelerating rate. If he doesn't reach the threshold, Sabrin plans to contact the debate sponsors, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and William Patterson State University, and, based on the support he has received, request that he be included. Aside from statuary requirements, the sponsors are free to set their own rules.
In any event, Sabrin plans to continue campaigning vigorously right up to election day.
Arthur Nitzburg Enlightens Libertarians
At our August meeting, Arthur Nitzburg, the well-known political analyst and commentator, spoke about how politics works and how to get things done.
Before discussing politics in Queens, Nitzburg spoke about the nature of political power. In the United States, it is diverse and decentralized, and operates from the bottom up. "The line is, 'think global and act local,'" he said.
Nitzburg discussed in some detail the concept of constituency. Constituencies may be based on many things-gender, race, class, occupation. "If I can describe ( my beliefs and desires ) to myself and to others, and make other people believe that what I'm saying is what they want, then I am a leader of a constituency," he said. And how does one win? "You get several different constituencies together."
Nitzburg also spoke about the written and unwritten rules of politics. The former are statues and case law, while the later include precepts such as "Don't run against a popular incumbent unless you are well known and have a strong base of support" and "To get votes, you must offer people something and be respected by your constituency."
When asked how we Libertarians, who promise liberty rather than handouts and control, can best frame our message, Nitzburg replied, "It's a tough sell, except that government has to be seen by the general public by some event which occurs to be way out of bounds, to be acting in a way which is against the public interest."
That happens all the time. It's up to us now.
By Jim Strawhorn
How Far We've Come, How Far We Have to Go
From the Chair
The Libertarian Party's presence in Queens County (and, with our help, throughout New York City) just keeps on growing. This summer, the LPQC reached its highest membership level to date, at 30 dues-paying members.
Last spring, we organized a well-received citywide convention which attracted party members and representatives of other pro-liberty organizations from the entire metropolitan region.
More recently, the LPQC has begun to upgrade the program segments of its monthly meetings, to incorporate regular guest speakers. Arthur Nitzburg, our first outside speaker since last November, gave a highly instructive presentation on Queens politics at our August meeting.
To keep up the momentum in improvements to our visibility and professionalism, the LPQC has formed two new committees. The program Committee (John Procida and myself) is working on lining up speakers for all of our future meetings. And the Publicity Committee (Bradford Arter, Anne Kadet, and Jim Strawhorn) has already begun replacing the postcard meeting notices (put out monthly by yours truly ever since the LPQC's first meeting) with full-page announcements containing fuller descriptions of guest speakers and topics. These notices are being sent to all our members and contributors as well as the local news media.
The Publicity Committee has also started issuing press releases; its first, on immigration policy, was sent to some 50 local news organizations when the Jackson Heights Mexican slave scandal was in the news. Future releases will bring the libertarian viewpoint on timely issues to the attention of local, regional, and national news media.
With all this growth and success, we are facing a mini-crisis. Because of general dissatisfaction with our current meeting location, we must consider moving to new venue. Our last scheduled meeting at Zaika will be on September 13th.; the Ayn Rand meeting on October 18th. will be held in a function room at the China Buffet Restaurant in Kew Gardens ( see Upcoming Meetings, page 3).
We expect to establish a new regular location by November, and, based on our members preferences, we may change the meeting time beginning that month. All members are receiving with this newsletter a questionnaire on meeting preferences and ideas; your responses will tell us where and when you would like to meet. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and return it to us ASAP. Your feedback will enable us to plan and implement these improvements, to spread our pro-liberty presence far and wide throughout the borough. Bear with us as we work through our growing pains, with Peace and Freedom!
By John Clifton
"The lover of the countryside who wants above all that its traditional appearance should be preserved and that the blots already made by industry on its face should be removed, no less than the health enthusiast who wants all the picturesque but unsanitary old cottages cleared away, or the motorist who wishes the country cut up by big motor roads, the efficiency fanatic who desires the maximum of specialization and mechanization no less than the idealist who for the development of personality wants to preserve as many independent craftsmen as possible, all known that their aim can be fully achieved only by planning- and they all want planning for that reason. But, of course, the adoption of the social planning for which they clamor can only bring out the concealed conflict between their aims."
From, The Road to Serfdom
One of the most controversial applications of libertarian philosophy is in the arena of health care. Many people who would bristle at the thought of the federal government deciding what model of automobile we buy and how much we pay for them, freely accept the fact that roughly half of all health care dollars are spent by government. It is fair to say that a vocal majority of so-called conservatives in America go so far as to vigorously support socialized medicine for the elderly (i.e. Medicare).
It is not difficult to understand how this happened when one considers how the debate over government involvement in medicine has been framed over the past 35 years. Access to medical treatment can not be compared with buying a car or a restaurant meal. Its denial may result in death, something a civilized society should not tolerate. Greedy doctors and hospitals left to their devices would only treat the wealthy, leaving the rest of us to suffer through miserable, lingering illnesses, as in a scene from a Dickens novel. The market has failed in the delivery of medical care. But is this picture realistic?
First it is absurd to "blame the market" for any perceived problems, given the governments involvement in the system through medicare, medicaid, the Veterans Administration, and regulation of doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and the pharmaceutical industry. Turning to the "greedy" doctors, the money available in medicine greatly increased with the introduction of Medicare. Doctors became inundated by millions of senior citizens armed with insurance policies that cost the policyholders little but paid the doctors handsomely. The balance between supply and demand was thrown out of whack, causing a surge in prices. Finally, when unimpeded by regulation, entrepreneurs will figure out a way to profit from meeting any need, including medical care for those of modest means. As for the indigent, before government programs they were treated at charity hospitals and by doctors and nurses who volunteered their services. To this day, charitable and religious organizations play a role in providing care to the poor. Absent government, they would increase their presence in this area.
Most private-practice physicians must hire personnel specifically to fill out paperwork required by the government and the heavily regulated insurance industry. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop estimated that 26 percent of the money spent on health care goes to administrative costs. This is one of the more conservative estimates. Under these circumstances it is not hard to see that regulation greatly increases the cost of medical care. Since higher prices mean fewer people can afford treatment, the governments actions serve to harm the health of many citizens.
Some of the more tragic results of government interference in medicine comes from the Food and Drug Administration's approval procedure. It currently requires an average of ten years and an investment of $500 million to develop a drug and bring it to market. Much of these costs arise from FDA mandated procedures. The great expense means that companies will tend to limit their research to the development of "Blockbuster" drugs-- those aimed at diseases suffered by large segments of the population. It just does not pay to develop drugs targeted at less common illnesses.
Even worse, the extended approval process results in many unnecessary deaths. Sick people often die from potentially curable diseases because they are prevented from receiving life-saving medication that the FDA has yet to declare "safe and effective." Many patients with AIDs, advanced cancer, and other diseases would gladly accept the risk of using unproven drugs given that their alternative is death. Refusing a dying person what may be the only opportunity to save his life is nothing less than playing God. While it is true that in rare instances this extended process has prevented approval of substances later proved to be harmful (such as Thalidomide), the ledger is heavily unbalanced toward the side of preventable deaths. This is a trade-off that must be determined by doctors and patients, not bureaucrats. If an FDA-like organization must exist, its only legitimate function would be to test for short term toxicity of potential cures. The study of other effects could easily be taken over by private companies, just as Underwriters Laboratories tests electrical devices for safety. As it is, the FDA is responsible for many shattered hopes and needless deaths.
Many Americans' belief that government has a beneficial role to play in medical delivery undoubtedly comes from a natural compassion we feel for the infirm. But we must not be blinded by our emotions. Whether we are talking about medicine or any other industry, government force distorts the proper allocation of resources that would be created by the voluntary decisions of consumers and producers. And distortions in medicine does not just cost money. It costs lives.
By Tod Ginnis
LPQC News
Jim Strawhorn, Editor
Bradford R.Arter, Associate Editor
John Clifton, Contributing Editor
Elliott Werner, Web Site Editor
LPQC News is published quarterly by the Libertarian Party of Queens County. Subscriptions: included free with LPQC membership;$6/year to non-members. Deadline for articles is the second Saturday of the month preceding publication. Opinions expressed in LPQC News are not necessarily official positions of the membership or the officers of the LPQC. Please direct all correspondence to LPQC News, c/o Procida Realty Corp., 161-09 29th. Ave.,Flushing, NY11358; or call (718) 670-3270
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