America really does need to wake up and pay attention to what’s going on! November was an interesting month: While we disturbed the local status quo and Milei won Argentina, Ohio paved the way for groomers and created a preferred class.
Today, we are well into December of 2023 and heading quickly for Christmas, Hanukkah is underway, and the New Year seems only moments away. 2023 has vanished quickly, and we really need to pause for a moment and discuss what happened in the elections of 2023 here in Ohio.
Toms for Lebanon City Council
Joshua Toms ran for Lebanon City Council this year. He didn’t win enough votes to be elected, but I think his campaign did a lot to spread awareness about city council misbehaviors, especially their rampant abuse of emergency orders. We made strides toward waking up the good people of Lebanon. We handed out approximately 800 flyers and knocked on doors at 300+ houses, plus shook hands at a lot of city events. The result was 955 votes being cast for Joshua, which wasn’t a bad showing at all. We’ve learned a lot and this won’t be the last time we support a campaign. We also have new tools from LP, including VoterGravity, which will reduce the guesswork in door-to-door efforts.
Issue 1 — Reproductive Rights
This issue passed, making a change to the Ohio State Constitution. The text of Issues 1 and 2 are found here on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website: https://www.ohiosos.gov/globalassets/elections/2023/gen/issuesreport.pdf
Some of you will disagree with my views, but I happen to be a pro-life libertarian. I believe that abortion is murder, but at the same time I understand arguments regarding what role the state should play in preventing it. There can be many libertarian arguments about this topic. However, I believe that there’s a lot more to Issue 1 than simply making abortion a right in the state of Ohio.
For a quick summary: This amendment creates a right to “reproductive medical treatment, including, but not limited to abortion” and legally protects those who perform such medical treatments. With the language used, the state can still protect unborn children who are considered “viable,” with exceptions for the woman’s health.
Here’s the problem I see: There’s no language stating anything about the age of a person electing “reproductive medical treatment.” Nowhere does this amendment state that this right is being recognized for individuals who are an adult or have reached any specific age. The resulting issue is that this amendment works against parental rights and responsibilities. Our society generally protects minors from harm by placing the responsibility of moral and health-related decisions in the hands of the child’s parents. Minors are not treated as fully-formed individuals and they are not expected to be responsible for their actions. This is because their brains are not fully developed and they might make “mistakes.” They are often pushed by popular influence to make poor decisions. This is why criminal justice is different for minors who break various laws. This is why parents are expected to make major decisions for their children.
One might argue whether the appropriate age for adulthood is thirteen years old (the classic Jewish passage into adulthood), eighteen years old, twenty-one, or even twenty-five or older. I would argue for aligning all aspects of adulthood and setting it at an age at eighteen or perhaps younger. This would include adult punishments, voluntary military service, alcohol & drug use, gun ownership, etc. I believe that spreading the passage into adulthood over a number of years results in adults who never fully realize adulthood or even act like adults. Opinions on this will differ, but regardless of what turns this argument might take, my real point is that there should be some reasonable standard before which we do not expect children to make their own decisions. This amendment should have recognized the existence of such a reasonable standard.
Without that standard, a twelve-year-old girl might get pregnant and get an abortion without her parents’ knowledge. After all, it’s recognized as a right without any age restrictions. This removes the girl’s parents’ rights and responsibilities to make good decisions for her or even the opportunity to provide guidance to their daughter. Pushing such decisions to somebody who is not fully formed as an adult and easily influenced, without their parents’ involvement, is an act of aggression against children and their parents. It’s an act of aggression against families, by definition. This is bad enough, but abortion is not the only reproductive medical treatment that could be affected by the passage of this amendment.
For other acts that might be considered reproductive medical treatments, we will agree, as libertarians, that adults have the right to do with their bodies as they please. Society expects adults to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences. So, if an adult wishes to pursue reproductive medical treatments that include gender transitions, whether via surgery, hormones, hormone blockers, and/or other chemicals, then the adult must be prepared deal with the consequences of their decisions and actions, whether reversible or not.
A child who has not reached sexual adulthood may run into a lot of questions about their sexual identity while it is still forming. Until they have reached sexual adulthood, they couldn’t possibly have any idea where their biology will take them. On what basis, then, could a child make a decision to change that path? This needs to be considered, in addition to the need to protect minors from making decisions when they are still growing mentally and easily influenced. The problem, here, is that there are influences in our society that push transsexual concepts on children, suggesting that the children should consider whether they might be transsexual, and making heroes out of people who have chosen such a path. This encourages children to pursue reproductive medical treatments that may cause irreversible long-term damage to their development. Promoting these ideas on children and treating such reproductive medical treatments as a right with no age boundaries protects acts of aggression against children and their parents. Going around the parents, undermining their rights and responsibilities, is an act that is actively anti-family. People who push such actions are, in fact, guilty of grooming children for nefarious purposes and this, again, is an act of aggression.
This is why I voted against Issue 1. Regardless of what you think about the topic of abortion, the inclusion of minors in these new “rights” is a real problem. We need to remain aware of this and move for changes that restore protections to children exercised via parental rights & responsibilities.
Issue 2 — Cannabis Legalization
This issue passed, making a change to the Ohio code (this was a law, not an amendment like Issue 1), setting up the legalization of cannabis, at least in some situations. Like Issue 1, the text can be found on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website (same link, same document as above): https://www.ohiosos.gov/globalassets/elections/2023/gen/issuesreport.pdf
As libertarians, we are generally in favor of laws that decriminalize the use of cannabis and reduce the number of people imprisoned for victimless crimes. Nobody is forced to use marijuana at gunpoint, and so adults should be allowed to make their own decisions about whether they choose to grow, possess, and/or consume the products of this plant. The legalization of cannabis also reduces the movement toward stronger,more dangerous drugs that are often used as replacements.
So, this issue “to commercialize, regulate, legalize, and tax the adult use of cannabis” sounds at least partially good. Perhaps we are willing to take an incremental step in the direction of liberty, even though the state will be regulating and taxing this substance? The problem is that it’s not that simple, and I’m certain most people never read deep enough into this issue to see the additional “woke” clauses that it contained, setting precedents to take that agenda further in Ohio.
Beyond the obvious regulation and taxation issues, there were items in the language of this issue that create special classes of people, defining them as “socially disadvantaged,” and giving them preferential treatment in employment and the issuance of cannabis cultivation and dispensary licenses.
I’m against creating special classes of people and granting them preferential treatment or special rights. That’s why I voted against Issue 2.
Because this is a law, rather than a constitutional amendment, it should be easier to change. We should push for abolishing the “cannabis social equity and jobs fund,” and returning equal rights to everybody.
Javier Milei — A Major Libertarian Win in Argentina
When on the topic of things that happened in November, we cannot forget about Javier Milei. We were observing the antics of Javier Milei in the press over the past few months while he was a candidate for President of Argentina. He had some very entertaining media appearances where he was verbally abusing the Leftists who were running Argentina into the ground. He described himself as an Anarcho-Capitalist and promised to remove a stack of unnecessary government departments, slimming down the size and scope of that government considerably. Milei surprisingly won the election, with at least some libertarians worldwide dancing in the streets. At the same time, some are doubtful about his actual credentials as a genuine libertarian and his true intent. Please check out this great Radio Rothbard episode “Should Libertarians Be Thankful for Milei’s Election?” Hosts Ryan McMaken and Tho Bishop sound hopeful that Milei will be what he claims to be and that he will have success, but they are withholding final judgement to see what really happens. https://mises.org/library/should-libertarians-be-thankful-mileis-election
Ultimately, however, his actions will speak and we will see whether he has the expected positive effect on Argentina. We will be watching!
Conclusion
November was, indeed, a very interesting month. We need to be wide awake and ready to do the following:
- Move forward in our support of local candidates who are seeking to make a change toward liberty in our communities.
- Push back against grooming and return rights and responsibilities to parents.
- Oppose the creation of special groups of people with special rights and privileges.
- Watch Milei’s actions in Argentina, so that we might learn from his successes and failures.
Get Involved!
As a county affiliate of the Libertarian Party, our goal is to make Warren County the freest county in Ohio! When we pull that off, then we can go viral and infect the rest of the state with liberty. Please consider the following actions:
- Are there specific topics and efforts you’d prefer to pursue? Take our survey to share your views.
- Come to our meetings. We meet at Doc’s in Lebanon on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm. We complete our business meetings quickly (30-60 minutes), and move onto the truly important business of our social. It’s a great time for open discussion on issues and to meet with like-minded people.
- Join for our Coffee Socials. We meet at Kala Coffeehouse in Mason on the third Friday of each month at 2:30 pm. The gathering for these is generally quite small and it’s a great opportunity for small, casual discussions with people who want to explore getting involved.
- Share your talents and interests! Let us know what you can do and what interests you. Your unique capabilities can enhance liberty, whether you are out in front of the public or in the background making things work.
- Donate to the Libertarian Party of Warren County
- Join the Libertarian Party of Ohio
- Join the national Libertarian Party