Why Does Carrie Gurney, a Nonsmoker and Cocktail Waitress, Work at a Smoking Establishment?

The Indianapolis Star today has an interview with Carrie Gurney, a nonsmoker and cocktail waitress, at the Front Page, a smoking establishment, in downtown Indianapolis. She complains about the smoking.

Why does she work there when most all businesses in Marion County are now non-smoking?

I do not like shoveling horse manure because of the smell. Somehow I've been able to find a job that avoids shoveling horse manure for my whole life - during both good and bad economic times. Why can't Carrie Gurney find a job in some of the nearly 40,000 non-smoking businesses in Indianapolis?

There may be a good reason for this and I'd like to learn about it. However, finding another job because it is inconvenient or she has to look too hard is not a good reason to me.

I detest most perfumes and I bet I can find a study somewhere that says they cause cancer. So I'd like for all businesses to become non-perfuming as well. I demand that the government make every place in which I work non-perfuming! It's for the children you know.

I also do not like MUZAK. It is offensive, hurts my ears, and I'm sure I can find a study somewhere that it is making me slowly go deaf. I demand that the government make every place in which I work MUZAK free! It's for the children you know.

I find it odd that OSHA, which is the federal agency on workplace safety, has not done anything about second hand smoke for employees. Perhaps it is because the alleged danger of second hand smoke is not compelling to OSHA because the facts don't support it.

Thus I conclude that the current efforts to extend the smoking ban are in fact the efforts of self-designated elites, like Smoke Free Indy, to impose their will on others. It is about people wanting to be given jobs, not earning them. It is about control, not freedom. It is about socialism, not republicanism and liberty. It is about making us all equally miserable, except of course, for the elites.

More Proof Indy Chamber of Commerce Does Not Represent Small Business Owners

From today's Indiana Business Journal update: "Indy Chamber Endorses Smoking Ban".

This is further proof that Chamber of Commerce organizations, such as the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, only represent big business, special interests and flavor of the day issues over the needs of small business owners.

There is a need for a corollary organization that represents the interests of small business owners in Indianapolis. It is my opinion that these interests are not served by the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.

It's Saturday - So There Must Be Another National Emergency

If you cry wolf too many times, no one will believe you when there is a wolf.

Our politicians have forgotten this.

Predictions for 2009-2012

The top 25 highest paid employees of the following companies will have their salaries cut by an average of 90% and their overall compensation cut by an average of 50%:

Bank of America Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial.

Most of the top 25 highest paid employees of the aforementioned companies will quit and go to other companies that pay more.

Government bureaucrats who think they know what they are doing (but really don't), will replace the aforementioned employees.

Bank of America Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial fail sometime between 2009 and 2012.

2009 will be celebrated in government-approved textbooks as the "glorious" year the United States became a socialist state.

Mark W. Rutherford is not going to buy stock in the aforementioned companies anytime soon.

Thus endeth my predictions for today.

Libertarian Party of Marion County Booth at the Irvington Halloween Festival

From Facebook:

LP Booth at the Irvington Halloween Festival - Volunteers Needed!

Host: Libertarian Party of Marion County
Type: Other - Festival
Network:Global
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Location: Irvington (Indianapolis)
Street: 5500 East Washington Street
City/Town: Indianapolis, IN


Description:

Each year, the Halloween Festival attracts thousands of Indianapolis residents to Washington Street to enjoy a day-long celebration of Halloween festivities. The Libertarian Party of Marion County will have an info booth there and we need your help to staff it!

PLEASE ONLY RSVP IF YOU WILL HELP WITH THE BOOTH. Please also let us know what times you're available.

Date of Festival: Saturday October 31st, 2009
Set-Up: 6:30am - 8:30am
Festival Hours of Operation: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Tear Down: 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location: 5500 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Ideally located just 10 minutes from downtown Indianapolis, Irvington is a strong and growing community of quaint and magnificent homes located on tree-lined historic streets. Successful restaurants, coffee shops, retailers and parks all contribute to Irvington’s charm. The Irvington Halloween Festival has become an integral part of Irvington’s history. For over 60 years, the Historic Irvington Community Council has sponsored this event.

Libertarians Attend City-County Council Committee Meeting

Last Wednesday night, numerous Libertarians attended the Indianapolis City-County Council committee hearing on the proposed ordinance to further limit smoking in private businesses.

Libertarian City-County Council Libertarian Ed Coleman attended and spoke at the hearing, even though he is not a member of the committee conducting the hearing.

Several Libertarians spoke before the committee during the public comment section of the meeting. Libertarians speaking included Libertarian Party of Marion County Chairman Timothy Maguire, LPMC Vice Chairman Ed Angleton, LPMC Treasurer Jim Majdak, Mark Rutherford (me) and Brad Klopfenstein.

Other Libertarians in attendance included LPMC Secretary John Meuser, Jo Coleman, Allison Maguire, Sean Shepard and Evan Williams.

Why I am not a Republican, Part 346

Olympia Snowe is a Republican. Is there anything else to say?

Positive Candidate Training

Yesterday I was honored to be one of the speakers at RUN! A Candidate Training Seminar of the Libertarian Party of Indiana. I spoke on Indiana campaign and election law complaince.

It was the best yet Libertarian Party of Indiana candidate training seminar I've attended since I became actively involved with the LPIN in 1998.

This is not to criticise or downplay prior candidate training events. Quite the contrary, the enhanced quality of yesterday's program is a result of the past candidate training events, as many past attendees were now experienced speakers at this event.

Overall, about 35 Libertarians attended the training from across Indiana.

Speakers included Mike Kole, Ed Angleton, Sean Shepard, Todd Singer, Tim Maguire and Ryan Liedtky. The program was chaired by LPIN state chair Sam Goldstein and Executive Director Chris Spangle.

Topics covered were Beginning the Race, Maintaining Momentum, Funding the Race, Announcing the Race, Avoiding Penalties and Finishing Strong.

The event was videotaped and will be released on YouTube in a few weeks. Fort Wayne Libertarian Jeannette Jaquish and her son Tyco videotaped the event.

Federal Trade Commission Required Disclaimer

The Federal Trade Commission requires the following disclaimer on this blog site:

I occasionally get a free beer and stale barbecue potato chips from the Libertarian Party of Indiana, presumably because I usually spell its name correctly when I mention it in this blog.

Since there is some danger that a federal bureaucrat charged with regulating speech and ignoring the First Amendment to the US Constitution might investigate this site and discover this possible source of compensation, I felt that it was best to disclose it.

I thought about closing this blog down because of the chilling effect of the FTC edict, but decided against it because I like free beer and stale barbecue potato chips.

Smoking Bans Do Have Economic Impacts - Despite What Moral Busybodies Say - Smoking Bans Also Promote Drunk Driving

The moral busybodies (like Republican City-County Councilor Ben Hunter) are at it again and going for a total smoking ban in Indianapolis. They claim that Smoking Bans do not have an economic impact.

They are wrong! The Libertarian Party of Indiana has facts that show otherwise in the article posted on their web site entitled "Smoking Bans DO Have Economic Consequences". Unlike moral busybodies and their usual work, the Libertarian Party of Indiana has footnotes to its sources so you can check it out for yourself!

Also, I found it very interesting that Smoking Bans have been known to increase the number of drunk drivers and accidents involving drunk drivers, which helps to debunk the public safety myths of the Smoking Ban moral busybodies. Check out footnote 10 in the above article for the scientific study of this bad result from Smoking Bans.

Smoking Bans are about self declared elitists running your life. Tell them no and tell your Indianapolis City-County councilor not to expand the prohibitions of the current Indianapolis' smoking ordinances.

A Libertarian is a Liberal Who Understands Economics

A Libertarian is a liberal who understands economics. This describes me.

Republican Ben Hunter is at Best a Moral Busybody - All Hail the Morally Superior Ben Hunter - We Bow Before Your Moral Superiority

“Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”-C.S. Lewis

Indianapolis City-County Council Ben Hunter, a Republican, is at best a moral busybody. He has introduced a smoking ban proposal designed to undo the perfectly fine compromise smoking ordinance of 2005.

(Sarcasm on) - However, he knows better than all of us, for he doesn't want people smoking anywhere even when they consent to it and is going to force a stop to smoking in all private businesses. All hail Ben Hunter and your fellow Republicans who support you for you are wise moral busybodies who love power and controlling the lives of people. All hail Ben Hunter for we can not live without your guidance and moral superiority. All hail the wonderful Ben Hunter, the man behind the curtain! (Sarcasm off).