Conserving the Conservative Party

This is an article I wrote for the latest issue of the California Patriot.

Republican Scott Brown’s recent victory for the Massachusetts senatorial seat left vacant after Ted Kennedy’s death has excited many conservatives for a good reason. After years of being shunned by the American majority, it seems like there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Republican Party. Disillusioned Obama voters are beginning to take down the “Hope” stickers on their Priuses and take up voting for the Grand Old Party.

However, before the Party loosens its tie and begins to—party (no pun intended), it should be careful not to misinterpret the significance of this shifting support. It would be extremely naïve to think that the American public is suddenly voting Republican because of a drastic change in ideology. Instead, the Party has temporarily won over independent voters because of dissatisfaction with failed Democratic policies. In simpler terms, Americans are beginning to support Republicans not because they are Republicans but rather because they are not Democrats. This shift of support to the minority party because of the failures of the majority party has been a common theme in recent politics. In nearly every election cycle, the moderate American voter will vote for the minority party simply because that party is not in power (I’ll call it the “Not Theory”). Republican George W. Bush was elected President in 2000 largely because he was not an immoral Democrat who would dare commit adultery in the White House. The Democrats took Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008 because they were not warmongering, blindly patriotic Republicans. One only has to look at the political parties of American presidents over the last quarter-century (with the exception of George H.W. Bush) to see the Not Theory manifested. Thus, like a pendulum, control of national politics continually oscillates back in forth between the two parties while America’s problems continually become worse and worse.

If the G.O.P. wants to end this circular cycle and maintain a more secure position of power that won’t be easily usurped come the next election, it must center itself around conservative ideology instead of the superficial fact that it is not the Democratic Party. It must return to the days were theorists like Barry Goldwater and William Buckley were on the reading list of every self-respecting conservative, instead of Going Rogue by Sarah Palin. It must return to the days when policy was rooted in the political philosophy of limited governance, such as the Ronald Regan presidency, instead of the emotional appeal of hunting terrorists and weapons mass destruction that do not even exist, as seen through the George W. Bush presidency. If the Party embraces its sensible past and rejects its nonsensical present, it is guaranteed a more permanent position in power because it will have tapped into the biggest unclaimed reserve of voters: the libertarians.

That’s right, I said it. The libertarians are the key to a successful future for the GOP. You may call me just another Ron Paul crazy, but I know for a fact that if the Party wins over the hearts of the libertarians, it will subsequently win over the hearts of the larger American public. That’s because I’ve seen firsthand the libertarian disillusionment with the Republican Party. As the president of Students for Liberty at Cal, I constantly see disenchanted conservatives wander to our club like lost sheep trying to find shelter. They are fed up with supporting a party that claims to promote peace yet supports endless wars overseas. They are fed up with supporting a party that claims to stand for restoring freedom and responsibility to the individual yet strips these freedoms away through bans on gay marriage, failed drug wars, and government censorship. They refuse to support the Republican Party, the party that strips away the individual’s natural right to liberty and has the nerve to claim it is doing it to promote freedom.

Now, I am not saying that the Republican Party should become the Libertarian Party. Moving too far in the libertarian direction will isolate more voters than it attracts. However, if it wants to end the eternal cycle of party shifting, it must abandon the blame train and start standing up for conservative values. Remember that Ron Paul raised more money in individual donations than any other Republican candidate in his 2008 primary campaign. His newest book End The Fed was a New York Times bestseller for several consecutive weeks. There is a huge untapped resource of libertarian voters who refuse to vote for the Party because of its failures. I know because I am one of them. Until the Republican Party wakes up and smells the sweet aroma of liberty, nothing much will change in national politics. After all, it was President Ronald Regan who once said, “the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.”

The Cannabis Constitutional Crisis

The following is an essay I wrote for a recent internship application.

Although many political pundits perceive the debate over marijuana to be an unimportant issue that only concerns hippies, the current struggle over the legalization of the drug reveals a serious constitutional crisis between the federal and state governments. This is because the two entities have conflicting laws regarding the narcotic’s legality. Whereas the federal government completely restricts the selling and usage of the drug, several state governments allow such activity for medicinal purposes. Thus, in several states such as California, state governments will approve business licenses for pot dispensaries, and federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration will raid and shut down the businesses shortly afterwards, with each government asserting that the other entity’s actions is unconstitutional. This internal conflict is a critical public policy issue because these conflicting interpretations of the Constitution logically means that one government is not obeying the document, and a government that does not obey the Constitution is tyrannical.

The debate surrounded the issue revolves around different interpretations of the Tenth Amendment of the federal Constitution. The state governments maintain that the Tenth Amendment allocates all other functions of government not mentioned in the document to the states, and being that the regulation of drugs is not mentioned, it is in the state’s position to do so. However, the federal government maintains that the General Welfare clause of Article I justifies the existence of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the federal regulation of marijuana.

The latter opinion is gross abuse of power. The original intention of the Constitution was to establish a small federal government with a limited scope of power to regulate interstate commerce and protect from national security, as can be seen through the diction of the text itself, the course of history, an the writings of the Founding Fathers. The Constitution was written in a spirit of local government, after the country had just revolted against a tyrannical central government in a distant land. It is a completely illogical to think that the Constitution writers intended to establish a highly centralized government in Washington after they had just severed ties from one in London. Thus, the federal government’s overly loose interpretation of the General Welfare clause is an unconstitutional justifier of the broad regulation the entity does to the states today, including with the illegalization of marijuana.

Therefore, defenders of liberty should fight to correct this gross misinterpretation. Although the federal constitution is pretty clear that it is the state’s position to regulate narcotics, it would be extremely naïve to think that loose interpreters of the Constitution can change their position overnight. Thus, I believe the best public policy solution to end this crisis would be through adding a new amendment to the Constitution that would clarify the Tenth Amendment by reemphasizing the states’ right to regulate anything not specifically allocated to the federal government in the enumerated powers. This amendment would reassert both the state governments and the people right to freedom from an overly powerful central government.

A Match Made in Washington: The Marriage Between Nationalism and Religion in Recent America

I would like to announce that I have posted a research project I wrote for a Rhetoric class I took this  semester at UC Berkeley. I decided to post it because the paper touches on political issues that are relevant today, and I am fairly pleased with the outcome of my work. The paper is about modern American society’s association between nationalism and religion. In the paper, I explore how this connection was crafted throughout history to what it is today. Being that it is quite lengthy, I posted it as a separate page on the blog, instead of a regular post. Thus, you can open the “Rhetoric Research Project” link found at the right column of this page under the “Pages” section, or simply click the following link:

http://caseygiven.wordpress.com/rhetoric-research-project/

As always, comments are encouraged.

Top Five Albums of 2009

The end of the year is upon us, which can mean only one thing, and I don’t mean the holidays: it’s time to compile my annual “Top Five Albums of the Year” list. Or, as many of you may know it by, my “Top Awkward Indie Bands You’ve Never Heard Of” list. This year was truly a spectacular year for music. It was extremely difficult condensing my choices to five and ranking them, but overall I am satisfied with the results. I hope you are too.

5. Jewellery by Micachu
If there was a Grammy award for Most Unique Artist, Micachu would win hands down. She’s so damn unique that many of the sounds on this debut album of hers came from instruments she made herself from plumbing equipment. The result of using such strange instruments? Strangely beautiful music. Each song off of this album is a little jewel of its own (perhaps explaining the title), distinct and unrepeatable. “Vulture” will make you want to dance, “Calculator” will make you want to sway, and “Golden Phone” will give you a giant injection of energy. Micachu’s music is optimistic, weird, fun, and brilliant. A great debut for this 22-year-old artist.

4. The Resistance by Muse
Before the release of every Muse record, I always brace myself for disappointment. After all, how can a band follow up to the brilliance of Absolution and Black Holes and Revelations? Yet Muse never disappoints. They consistently releases powerful albums. The Resistance is Muse’s ultimate proof that they are going down in the history books. Each song on the album is as epic as any of their old stuff. “Uprising” is an energetic way to start off the monster of an album. “United States of Eurasia” is a true rock ballad (which sounds a lot like Queen at one point) about a totalitarian government that ends with a beautiful piano solo with laughing children and military planes taking off. “Unnatural Selection” is yet another amazing Muse song that will most likely be marketed in a car commercial. Finally, the album ends in a perfect way for such a legendary band like Muse, with a thirteen minute rock symphony entitled “Exogenesis”. Truly the only way to describe this album is epic. Muse has proven that they are among the greatest band of our generation.

3. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
This year, the French band Phoenix burst onto the music scene on a comet of energy. Ever since their debut of their new material on Saturday Night Live, it seems like they’re the hot new band everyone is talking about. And who can blame them? Songs like “Lisztomania” and “1901” are upbeat, catchy, and musically unique. Phoenix captures a fascinating mixture between traditional guitar and drum-driven rock with electronic components such as keyboards. The result is a worldly combination of different genres to make brilliant music. Although Phoenix has been around for a couple of years, Wolfgang marks a shift in the band’s history from making good music to making great music. This Versailles foursome has only been further proof that the French music scene, which has produced such greats as Daft Punk and Justice, is a hot spot of musical innovation.

2. Vickatimest by Grizzly Bear
The music of Grizzly Bear’s third album is just as complex as its title. I feel the proper word to describe their music of as “lush.” Each track starts off quiet with soft guitars, drums, and orchestra instruments, usually crescendoing into bouts of intensity. Vickatimest is a whirlwind of emotions. Ballads like “Southern Point” and “Fine For Now” will leave you shocked at their complex brilliance, while songs like “Two Weeks” and “Ready, Able” will leave you agape at its simplicity. Overall, Vickatimest is an immensely powerful album. It is the perfect record for walking down streets on cloudy days, gazing at the stars, and falling in love. Brilliant!

1. Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective
Just as with last year’s choice of Vampire Weekend for the top spot, this year’s choice of #1 was very obvious in compiling the list. Merriweather Post Pavillion is most definitely the most revolutionary thing to happen to music this year. Animal Collective presents a great juxtaposition on their album between complexity and simplicity. Their music is loaded with complicated samples and heavy, electronic music, while their lyrics are light, simple and powerful. My favorite example of this juxtaposition is with “Summertime Clothes,” where a heavy electronic beat loops in the background as Panda Bear sings of longing to walk around with a lover late at night: “And we’ll breath the dawn in its morning blues / With purple yawns, you’ll be sleeping soon /And I want to walk around with you”. The entire album is full of great tunes. “In the Flowers” proves to be an awing way to begin the record. “My Girls” is a rhythmically pleasing song ripe enough to dance to. Finally, the album ends with a six-minute injection of pure energy with “Brother Sport,” a perfect way to end this nearly perfect album. As critics have nearly unanimously proven through the critical reception of this album, Merriweather Post Pavillion will go down in the history books as the best album of 2009 and most likely one of the best of this decade.

5. "Jewellery" by Micachu

4. "The Resistance" by Muse

3. “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” by Phoenix

2. "Veckatimest" by Grizzly Bear

1. "Merriweather Post Pavilion" by Animal Collective

Fight for Freedom Alive and Well in Berkeley

This is an article of mine about my experience forming Students for Liberty that will be published in the next edition of the California Patriot, Cal’s student-run conservative-leaning magazine. Just recently, the staff of the Patriot offered to reserve a column specifically for Students for Liberty for every issue. Naturally, we gladly accepted, and the following is the first article for the column.

On a warm, September night early this semester, I nervously sat in front of a sparse crowd at 263 Dwinelle Hall. It was the first general meeting of Students for Liberty, a new freedom-oriented political club at Cal, and I was the president. Weeks of preparation had built up to that moment. From hours of tabling on Sproul Plaza to sending countless emails, my friends and I had tried to spread the news of the formation of our new club across campus. As the time to start the meeting came closer, more and more students came trickling in. By the start of the meeting, we had nearly a full classroom of about twenty, and by the end, my dream of starting a liberty-oriented club at Cal had come to life. Students for Liberty was born.

Students for Liberty traces its origins back to my first semester at Cal. In January 2009, I entered Cal as a bright-eyed spring-admit freshman. However, as I strolled around Sproul looking for a good club to join, I was disappointed at the lack of a libertarian group on campus. After making friends with Ashok Krishna, the current Vice President of the club, we realized that it was our destiny to fill in the void. When a graduate student acquaintance of our’s, John Wyrwas, told us he was also considering starting a freedom-oriented club, we jumped on board. And thus, Students for Liberty came to life.

So what exactly is Students for Liberty? We are a non-partisan political group dedicated to promoting the ideas of limited government, free markets, sound money, non-intervention, and maximum individual liberty to campus and the surrounding community. We do not have any official affiliation with any political party, special interest group, or school of thought. We are rather a group of freethinking individuals who are dedicated to the cause of limited government. Although most members of the club identify themselves as libertarian, we welcome anyone who believes in restoring freedom to the people.

I am happy to say that our first semester has been a great success. We held regular meetings every Wednesday where we discuss current issues, usually ending in a social trip to Top Dog (Berkeley’s most politically sensible food joint). We tabled on Sproul at least two times every week, often engaging in political or philosophical debated, which sometimes even drew a crowd. We had three different speakers come to lecture during the club. Professor Mark Brady of San Jose State University gave a talk entitled “Why Be a Libertarian?” in which he discussed why freedom is the most logical political philosophy. Dr. Michael Edelstein, clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book Three Minute Therapy, gave a lecture entitled “How to Stay Happy in a Statist World” in which he discussed techniques to stay sane in an insane world. Lastly, Anthony Gregory, Editor-in-Chief of Campaign for Liberty (Dr. Ron Paul’s official advocacy group), spoke to the club about business cycles and the Federal Reserve. We also had a debate with Berkeley College Republicans on drug and prostitution policy. The Daily Californian also asked for our club’s perspective on healthcare, which resulted in an op-ed being published. In short, we had a very busy and very exciting semester, and our plans for next Spring are just as action-packed.

Next semester, we plan to target some bigger name speakers to come speak to the club. Patri Friedman, the grandson of respected economist Milton Friedman, has confirmed that he would like to speak to the club on the Seasteading Institute that he works for. Kevin Takanaga, Chairman of California’s Libertarian Party, has expressed interest in giving a talk to the club. Lastly, John Dennis, Republican candidate for San Francisco’s congressional district has also expressed interest in speaking to the club, possibly in a joint event with Berkeley College Republicans. Next semester, the club also plans to hold several debates against various political clubs on campus, maybe with Cal Berkeley Democrats or one of the many socialist organizations. We are also considering holding a legalize marijuana rally on Sproul Plaza. It is going to be a very exciting Spring!

One would not think that a libertarian club on an infamously liberal campus would be very successful. Well, I am proud to say that the movement for freedom is alive and well in Berkeley. From my experience of tabling on Sproul Plaza, I have seen in the faces of people who come up to our table their apathy with the current political system and their yearning for freedom. Indeed, the fight for greater liberty is alive in Berkeley, and our club plans to be on the front lines.

The Road to Totalitarianism: An Op-Ed About Healthcare

On the evening of Wednesday, November 11th, I was contacted through a Facebook message by the Opinion Editor of the Daily Californian, Cal’s independent student newspaper. Somehow she found out that I was the president of Students for Liberty at Cal and thus asked me to write an op-ed about my reaction to the House of Representative’s passage of the recent healthcare bill. seizing upon the opportunity, I immediately wrote an article and submitted it to her. The following is the article. It was published in the Daily Cal on Friday, November 12th.

The House of Representatives’ recent passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962) is troubling both philosophically and pragmatically.

On the first note, it is concerning to see that our government is abandoning the principles of freedom and voluntary exchange that it was founded on. It is fact that America’s financial success throughout its history was caused by free markets. From the 19^th century Industrial Revolution of the mills to the 21^st century Communication Revolution of the Internet, the philosophical theories of liberty and individual choice have guided our country to economic success. HR 3962 abandons these principles by stripping all citizens of their right to choice. Under the bill, the government will coerce every citizen to purchase some sort of insurance, even if they are young, healthy, or unwilling.  This infringement of liberty is a dangerous step in the direction of totalitarianism. The people should be managing the government, not the government managing the people.

On the latter note, HR 3962 is not practical. That is, the quality and affordability of healthcare will not improve under the bill and will most likely get worse. This is because the bill was constructed around a popular misconception that the health industry’s market environment is the cause of its failure. However, the healthcare market is nowhere near free; corporatism, not capitalism, rules the industry. When one takes a close look at healthcare over the last century, it is evident that government regulation is the cause of the excessive inflation of healthcare. In the 1950’s, healthcare was affordable for nearly all Americans, being roughly 4.5% of GDP. At the time, those who could not afford insurance could receive free care from their local charity hospital. However, with the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 as well as the expansion of the Department of Health and Human Services in the subsequent decade, the government began to heavily regulate the industry. As a result, costs skyrocketed and charity hospitals were regulated out of business. By 1970, health care was 7.2% of GDP. Today, it is a whopping 17.6%.

Thus, to make healthcare truly affordable for all Americans, the government should stop its constant meddling in the industry, remove its excessive regulations, and allow for the natural forces of the free market to take place. Some may argue that healthcare is a basic necessity for life and should not be dealt with in a market environment. However, food is also a basic necessity for life and yet is distributed very effectively under the free market system in place today. Thus, necessities can still be efficiently distributed in a market environment. The free market is the remedy to the ailment. HR 3962, unfortunately, is nowhere near an effective solution for the crisis. A similar Massachusetts act requiring citizens to buy insurance was passed in 2006 and since then has been widely perceived as a failure because of its inability to lower costs and maintain quality. Further, HR 3962 will most likely cost exorbitantly more than projected being that the government is notorious for underestimating its costs. For example, when Medicare was passed in 1965, the federal government projected it would cost $12 billion, adjusted for inflation, by 1990. However, when 1990 rolled around, the actual cost was $107 billion, an 892% increase from its original projection. Being that our country is in the midst of a financial crisis and our annual budget deficit has just hit a record high of $1.42 trillion, it will be impossible to fund this massive program.

Therefore, the Affordable Health Care for America Act is philosophically contradicting, pragmatically ineffective, and fiscally impossible. Until the people and statesmen of America realize that liberty and voluntary exchange is the solution to the crisis, healthcare costs will remain exorbitant and unaffordable for many.

Liberty and Me in Berkeley

Although it has only been slightly over two months, Students for Liberty has become a thriving club at Cal. It is extremely rewarding to think that the idea a few friends and I had last semester has come to life. However, what has been the most rewarding aspect of starting up a club is the whirlwind of different people I have met and continue to interact with everyday.

Through starting up the club, I have met over a dozen anarchists (including my roommate) who regularly advocate for complete abolishment of the government.

I have attended dinners with prominent Bay Area libertarians including a respected clinical psychologist and acclaimed author, a well-off businessman, a professor, the Editor-in-Chief of Campaign for Liberty (who knows Ron Paul), and the Republican congressional nominee who is running against Nancy Pelosi.

I’ve tabled with a dedicated (and stylish) anarchist who regularly rolls joints in public and wears semi-casual clothing seven days a week.

I have met a homeless drug addict named “Monsoon” who says he believes the government should pay everyone to spy on their neighbor, and who believes in ALLAH (that is, “an Arm, a Leg, a Leg, an Arm, and a Head”).

I have met a black student who openly hates Obama, hates any type of positive discrimination and can dominate anyone in a debate on the Constitution.

I have come in contact with the Chairman of California’s Libertarian Party.

I have emailed Milton Friedman’s grandson.

Lastly, I have met a successful bisexual male escort and porn star who charges $150 an hour to his clients and was a defendant in a landmark California legal case.

Although these people come from all walks of life and may judged by society in different ways, they are all good people. They all believe in pursuing their own happiness while displaying respect  for the lives of other. They all believe in liberty. For their core belief and the virtues they derive from it, I am proud to associate with everyone of these individuals. I am proud to be a libertarian.

Two Panoramics

This was taken at Sproul Plaza during the September 29th UC-wide walkout. Although I did not participate in the walk out because of philosophical disagreements, it was fascinating to observe Berkeley’s greatest tradition– protesting.

This is Memorial Stadium at the October 3rd football game against USC. Although we brutally lost, it was still by far the most exciting football game I’ve attended. Being in the student section was quite amusing that day.

The Capitalist Misconception

While tabling today in Sproul Plaza for Students for Liberty, the libertarian club some friends and I started, a local nomad came up to our table and immediately started chastising me. “How can support capitalism in this day and age? Just look what it’s done to the economy! Look at the health care crisis! All those greedy corporations are taking all of the money. Capitalism ruined this country!”

My immediate reaction to his rant was fear. I was scared. Not because he was a rambling hobo yelling at me, I’ve dealt with such situations before. I was scared because he truly meant it. He genuinely believed that capitalism is the root problem that is destroying our country. And he is not alone. In a recent poll done by Rasmussen Reports found that only 53% of Americans believe that capitalism is better than socialism. The same study also found that 33% of Americans under thirty believe that socialism is better than capitalism.

Yet, it is very easy to understand why these people would believe such a falsity. With banks and corporations being bailed out left and right, it seems as if big business, the very manifestation of capitalism, is a failure. Right?

Wrong. The truth is that our current economy is nowhere near capitalistic. It is a hellish mixture of capitalism and socialism. Yet because our country was founded on liberty, our market is still perceived as being free, when in fact is is pseudo-capitalism.

Take, for example, corporatism. This seems to be the biggest problem that capitalist-haters seem to point to. However, what they do not understand is that in a free market economy, it would be much more difficult for corporations to exist. In our current economy, the government places heavy taxes and regulations on business, therefore increasing start-up costs and discouraging competition. Even supposedly “socialist” countries like the Scandinavians have lower corporate taxes and regulation than America.  Thus, our government’s intervention takes away the free aspect of the market and creates an economy of scale. Think back to before the 1950s. Taxes were low, regulation was low, and corporations for the most part did not exist. Well, corporatism did not magically spring up overnight. It was exactly because of this intervention that created the dangerous mixed economy that exists today.

So the next time you hear someone ranting about our damn “capitalist” market, politely point out that comparing our current market to capitalism is like comparing apples to oranges.

Blog Update 8/26

Well, the new semester has begun here at Cal. Although I do miss my summer in the scenic Yellowstone area, I’m happy to be back at school. I have so much planned for this next semester. Not only do I plan to work hard for a strong GPA, but I have ambitious extracurricular intentions. I am going to rush a pre-law professional fraternity and help start up a libertarian group at Cal. In fact, I was appointed the office of president for Students for Liberty just today. Hopefully my ambitious plans will be successful.

As closure for my summer, here are some pictures I took of the Grand Tetons just outside my cabin in Island Park, Idaho.