Libertarians Chuck Donovan and Shane Bruce hit the Road Saturday

Gonna be a busy day tomorrow.

Big news folks. Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan and Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Shane Bruce will criss cross Georgia tomorrow in a barnstorming political tour starting with the 10:00AM Bartow County Libertarian Party meeting and ending with the SWGA Candidate forum in Albany at 10:00PM. We will log over 600 miles according to MapQuest and meet and greet as many citizens of Georgia as humanly possible.

What drives us part time citizen politicians to undertake an 18 hour day in pursuit of elected office?

Liberty.

Liberty.

Liberty.

If you're in North Georgia and would like to meet, greet and donate to two of the Libertarian Party's candidates for this fall's election then come on down to the Bartow County LP meeting:

Date:
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Time:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:
Country Inn & Suites - Meeting Room
Street:
43 State Route 20 Spur
City/Town:
Cartersville, GA


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Later that day some 200 miles to the south, we will be attending the SWGA Candidate Forum in Albany. Here is the updated info from SWGAPolitics

The inaugural SWGAPolitics.com Candidate Forum will be held at Connections Albany, 2401-D Dawson Rd Albany Ga 31707, on June 12th , 2010. We have the room from 5PM to 10 PM, and the formal forum will start promptly at 6PM, feel free to bring a campaign table to distribute campaign information as well. We will follow a simple format with a 2-3 min introduction, 1-2 questions per race, 2 min closing remarks, upon completion should you choose you can meet the locals and mingle as you see fit.


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UPDATE: Looks like Maria Sheffield will be at the SWGA Forum as well, what's Ralph Hudgens doing?

Like I said, it's gonna be a long day. I urge the readership to attend either of these events, hell, go to both of 'em!

Holy Crap, I Gotta Raise Some Funds!

Another fabulous headshot.

The clock is ticking and I have to make some progress towards amassing a fabulous warchest for the impending campaign for Commissioner of Insurance, Fire Safety, Comptroller General and Race Track Regulator for the great state of Georgia. A quick check of the campaign coffers indicates that the status from last month of zero, nada, nothin' is rapidly becoming the status quo. What to do?

I know from my personal experience with other Libertarian campaigns for elected office in Georgia that we Libertarians do not get the same level of donations that our republican brothers and sisters do. As I've observed in other posts here, there's not to much cash in the Liberty game, just Liberty and stuff. That does not mean that it's not important, it just means that since we don't hold any elected offices we don't have the ability to barter the publics money for campaign contributions from rent seeking corporations, single issue advocacy groups and the whole herd of special interests that have become a plague upon our land.

Thus the corundum, can a Libertarian politician can mount and sustain an effective political campaign with no financial resources? The short answer is that you can't. Name plates cost money, push cards cost money, yard signs are astronomical and a major media buy? Fogettaboutit!

And so I appeal to the readership for a modicum of financial support. I'm not asking for $120,000 worth of illegal PAC contributions from Alabama, I'm looking to get John Oxendines old job, not become his clone. I'm not asking for $34,000 in donations from insurance companies like republican Ralph Hudgens got last year, although that would certainly set Libertarian records for fundraising here in Georgia.

If every member of the readership could see their way to donating a sawbuck to this campaign over the next month that would work out to $40,000 bucks. That's enough to run a competent asymmetric web based campaign that will ensure that our message of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom is featured on the menu for the Insurance Commissioners race.

So, please ponder my request. Then reach for your checkbook and send me a $20 dollar check.

Thank you for your support!

Big Shindig This Saturday at SWGAPolitics Candidate Forum in South Georgia

It's gonna get crowded in Leesburg this Saturday.

The Candidate forum sponsored by SWGAPolitics down in Lee County this Saturday is turning into a political Tsunami! As of right now 5 of the 8 republican candidates for Insurance Commissioner will be there as well as myself. Looks like democrat candidate Mary Squires has yet to decide. C'mon Mary, it's grip and grin forum and there's democrats down there, Peanut Politics says so.

There's also time for Maria and Ralph to make the phone call and show up as well, in case your staffs haven't briefed you, the format is:

We will follow a simple format with a 2-3 min introduction, 1-2 questions per race, 2 min closing remarks, upon completion should you choose you can meet the locals and mingle as you see fit.

I think it's an opportunity for a great group shot. 1 Libertarian (That'd be me), 1 democrat (Mary Squires) and:
Republican Tom Knox – Insurance
Republican Denis Cain – Insurance
Republican John Mamalakis- Insurance
Republican Seth Harp – Insurance
Republican Gerry Purcell – Insurance

The picture can only be complete if Maria and Ralph show up and Steve Northington should come too. Anybody know if Harold is still running? I seem to remember that he pulled out a while back but I could be mistaken.

In all there are 33 candidates taking part in the forum ranging from US Senate, US House, statewide Georgia officers and county and city races. Should be a great show!

Here's the list as of today:

Lonnie Smith – DoCo Commission Dist 2
Donnie Smith – DoCo SB Dist2
Ewell Lyle – DoCo Commission Dist 4
Richard Thomas – DoCo Commission Dist 6
Jeff Sexton – Leesburg City Council
John Douglas – PSC 2
Jeff May – PSC 2
Tim Echols (represented by Stephen Morrison) – PSC 2
Libertarian Will Costa – Labor
Melvin Everson – Labor
Richard Woods – School Super
Libertarian Kira Willis – School Super
Brian Westlake – School Super (tentative)
Libertarian Kevin Cherry – Agriculture
Darwin Carter – Agriculture
Tom Knox – Insurance
Denis Cain – Insurance
Libertarian Shane Bruce – Insurance
John Mamalakis- Insurance
Seth Harp – Insurance
Gerry Purcell – Insurance
Libertarian David Chastain – SOS
Angela Moore – SOS
Sam Olens – Attorney General
Preston Smith – Attorney General
Libertarian John Monds – Governor
Nathan Deal – Governor
David Poythress – Governor
Thurbert Baker – Governor
Dubose Porter – Governor
Rick Allen – Congress Dist 2
RJ Hadley – US Senate (tentative)
Libertarian Chuck Donovan – US Senate

If any of the readership can make it, please attend.

Stirrin' the Pot at the AJC's Political Insider

It's a Sunburn kinda Sunday.

I was running the boards after yesterday's shooting soirée at RiverBend and ran across a post over at the AJC's Political Insider about republican candidate John Oxendine with a rather interesting comment trail. Here in Libertyland. we're constantly bombarded by our republican and democrat foes hurling the phrases "Wasting your vote" or "lesser of two evils" as part and parcel of our political campaigns but it's kind of early in the season to hear that from the proles.

I left some breadcrumbs and the readership is encouraged to pile on as they see fit. But before you do, be so kind as to visit the adsense side bar and click on any of the campaign ads you see there, it's the best way to influence politics in Georgia right here and right now!

Here's the post:

Bludgeon & Skewer
June 5th, 2010
6:51 pm

Greetings All,

It’s wonderful Chamber of Commerce kind of day when you run into political thread about the governor’s race in Georgia that mentions “lesser of 4 evils”, “wasted vote” and a request for information on Libertarian Candidate for Governor John Monds.

Commenter Jeff has kindly provided a link to John Monds website in his post so there’s no need to duplicate it here. As far as reasons to cast your ballot for a Libertarian this fall as opposed to your democrat or republican choice, the answer lies in the other responses in this thread. Will you “waste your vote” on a politician you do not trust? Will you settle for the “Lesser of 4 evils” and barter away more of your liberty to stay within your political brand?

Or will you cast your ballot for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom? The choice is a simple one if you think it through. I urge you all to take a look at Libertarian John Monds and consider the fact that he is the only candidate in the Governors race that does not have any ethical dilemmas, any shady deals or questionable relationships. He is an honest and trustworthy man and will make a great Governor.

Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote for Libertarian John Monds for Governor!

Bludgeon & Skewer Head to the Shootin' Range

It's June. It's Hot as blazes. Where you gonna go?

Republican Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Maria Sheffield Gots Videos!

Somebody's reading That's Just Peachy!

Hot news folks, one of my prime opponents for that sweet gig down to the Insurance Commissioner's office has broke out the big money and released 3, count 'em, 3 YouTube videos along the lines of the stuff candidate Steve Northington has had up for the last 6 months. Coincidence? I think not!

Evidently both candidates media consultants are in love with the fixed studio headshot approach and Maria threw in a bluescreen complete with campaign logo. I did find the piano soundtrack entirely to much like elevator music but hey, it's cheaper than paying license fees.

Here's a sample, judge for yourself.

Undecided Wows 'em in the latest Republican Primary poll for PSC District 2

The saga continues.

Perennial favorite and champion of the indifferent and unattentive, Undecided dominated the latest InsiderAdvantage/RosettaStone Poll for the republican primary for PSC district 2 with an insurmountable 75% of the vote. Undecided is also dominating in other recent polls for entirely different races here in the Peach State which is pretty telling evidence that the voting public is not all that impressed with the flesh and blood candidates they have to pick from.

That's good news for Liberty.

Fortunately Libertarian Candidate James Sendelbach is a refreshing alternative to which ever republican winds up being the nominee for PSC district 2. Please visit his FaceBook page and fan the man up or volunteer to help his campaign.

Why is Georgia ranked #8 out of 50 States for the most expensive Auto Insurance?

It's pricey to drive here.

As the Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner I've been digging around the internet looking for info on the state of insurance in Georgia and I'm not liking what I'm finding. Today's research was focused on getting a ranking for auto insurance products in Georgia that was within a year old and compared us to our sister states for a quick look see as to where we Georgians are.

Insure.com had a state by state break down that fit the requirement. As with everything in insurance, you can't get an across the board number on anything so here are the parameters used by Insure.com for this survey:

The results came from a study that collected average auto insurance rates for more than 2,400 vehicles, based on 10 ZIP codes per state and rates from six large carriers, with averages calculated nationally and for each state.

That's a pretty good sample size but I don't know if the zip codes represent an even break for urban/rural areas. Still, as method for generating comparison numbers it looks pretty good.

Georgia ranks as the 8th most expensive state in the USA for auto insurance at $1,751.24. Alabama ranks #30 at $1.380.38, Florida ranks #25 at $1453.20, South Carolina ranks #41 at $1,182.14, Tennessee ranks #42 at $1,170.12 and North Carolina ranks at #44 with $1,130.45.

Here's the ranking info for all 50 states, please note the national average is $1,429.26 and our fair state is running at $1,751.42.

1. Louisiana $2,510.87

2. Michigan $2,098.29

3. Oklahoma $1,869.39

4. Montana $1,857.96

5. California $1,774.41

6. South Dakota $1,772.83

7. Washington, D.C. $1,753.19

8. Georgia $1,751.42

9. Illinois $1,679.15

10. Connecticut $1,678.90

11. Arkansas $1,648.80

12. New Mexico $1,603.65

13. Rhode Island $1,595.97

14. West Virginia $1,589.69

15. Alaska $1,572.21

16. Wyoming $1,552.98

17. Maryland $1,550.13

18. Kansas $1,524.51

19. Kentucky $1,515.30

20. Colorado $1,480.97

21. Mississippi $1,474.94

22. New Jersey $1,473.73

23. New York $1,463.21

24. Texas $1,462.65

25. Florida $1,453.20

National Average $1,429.26

26. Pennsylvania $1,420.78

27. Delaware $1,405.80

28. Missouri $1,390.59

29. Minnesota $1,381.09

30. Alabama $1,380.38

31. North Dakota $1,365.22

32. Hawaii $1,306.97

33. Indiana $1,302.51

34. Nevada $1,282.50

35. Washington $1,279.84

36. Utah $1,234.30

37. Virginia $1,233.36

38. Nebraska $1,210.74

39. Oregon $1,194.69

40. Idaho $1,183.47

41. South Carolina $1,182.18

42. Tennessee $1,170.12

43. Arizona $1,152.50

44. North Carolina $1,130.45

45. Massachusetts $1,043.80

46. Iowa $1,039.04

47. New Hampshire $1,011.23

48. Wisconsin $1,010.93

49. Ohio $999.86

50. Vermont $968.58

51. Maine $902.85

I'd like to know where we were ranking 10 years ago, perhaps some of the readership have access to that kind of data and are willing to share. The larger question to me is why is Georgia the most expensive state in the south for car insurance? And what can be done to bring us more in line with our neighbors?

Insurance Commissioner Question: How Many Cases of Arson in Georgia in 2009?

Short Answer: 1,345 cases of arson in Georgia in 2009.

What's the fastest growing form of arson? Vehicle fires.

Why am I interested in arson? Simple, it's part and parcel of the job at the Insurance Commissioners office. So we had 1,345 cases of suspected arson in Georgia last year according to the GBI's Crime statistics Database and we supposedly have 6 investigators employed at the office of Fire Safety even though they have 15 slots. Why are we short 9 fire investigators? Funding related? Can't find qualified personnel? Why?

With 1,345 cases last year, how many wound up with the investigators at the Fire Safety Office?. Arson investigations are not simple, they require a lot of science to get a conviction and if they're not solved, you and me and all Georgian's get to pay for them in the form of higher premiums.

According to the Fire Safety Website at the Insurance Commissioners office, in 2008, 20 investigators processed 321 cases and recovered $23,456 bucks. That just does not sound right. We had 20 investigators in 2008, they worked 321 cases, about 16 cases each that year and we only got $23,456 back from the arsonists? That's about $73 bucks a case. Where's the beef?

Solution? If elected as your Insurance Commissioner I'll make room at the top of the Commissioners office by weeding out whatever political appointees the Ox put in and use that payroll to amp up the Fire Safety Office to get a better return from Georgia's arson investigation effort.

Less arson = lower premiums for Georgians.

Join Us at the Douglas County Tea Party Tomorrow

Personal Appearance Time.

Looks Like me and Chuck Donovan and Kira Willis will be manning the Libertarian Party Booth at the Douglas County Tea Party event tomorrow from 6PM until 9PM out at the Clinton Nature Preserve in Villa Rica. The Clinton Nature preserve is a 200 acre tract that was donated to Douglas County by Mrs. Annie Mae Clinton and will be the site of this entirely political event.

The place will be thronging with all sorts of political types and will even be graced by WSB AM 750 talk show host Herman Cain as a big part of the evenings festivities. So if you're in the area and would like to do a grip and grin with any of the Libertarians on site, come on down!

The Clinton Nature preserve is at 8700 Ephesus Church Road in Villa Rica, Georgia for all you MapQuesters and directions are here for you non GPS compliant types.

See you there!