Why not a vote for Pat McCrory?

(First posted on 11/1)

In response to Libertarian Mike Munger for NC Governor and Munger for Governor commenter, another Anon commenter said:

It's a shame you are wasting your vote in such a close race. I'm Libertarian in viewpoint, though I don't care for the party. [Charlotte mayor and Republican candidate Pat] McCrory needs every conservative/libertarian vote he can get. [Lt. Governor and Democratic candidate Beverly] Perdue is a continuation of [Governor Mike] Easley's cronyism.

The last month or so I thought a lot about the commenter’s main point that voting for and endorsing Munger at the blog could take votes from McCrory, someone who, from what I know, has been a very effective mayor and some of whose policies I’m more in agreement with than Munger’s.

From watching her work in Raleigh for more than 20 years, I never considered Perdue.

As between McCrory and Munger, I went for Munger in part because of some first-hand exchanges I’ve had with him at our blogs. Also on radio and TV he’s impressed as an excellent listener who carefully considers what the other person is saying, rather than just responding with canned answers and bromides. (I’ll post linking to our blog exchanges later today. You can also search my archives entering “Munger.”)

That Munger carries the Libertarian label was the biggest factor in my decisions because if Libertarians stand for anything they stand for: the least amount of government using the taxpayer’s money as wisely as possible; and government which leaves to individual citizens as much individual liberty and personal responsibility as possible consistent with a civil, humane society.

In North Carolina and at the federal level, governments are now much too big and irresponsible and both major parties are responsible for that.

Examples: Freddie and Fannie the past 10 years with the problems being not only those agencies' indifference to sound lending, but the collusion in what they were doing by those in government who were supposed to exercise oversight.

I blame the Dems for most of that, but the GOP was a big part of the problem, too.

As for “fixing” the mortgage mess, Sen. McCain’s “solution,” offered in the second debate, is for the government to take on the mortgages that are in default.

As two of the 95+% of mortgagors who are paying our mortgages on time, my wife and I would like to say to McCain: “Thanks, Senator. But you didn’t say how those of us paying our mortgages on time can qualify for your program.”

Folks, have you noticed how many politicians want to “give” us money?

Sen. Obama wants to “give” college students $4,000.00 each; McCain wants to “give” families $5,000.00 per for health insurance.

Americans are now so immersed in a “government give-way and entitlement” mentality that our presidential candidates no longer even bother saying things like: “If elected, I’ll ask the Congress to appropriate from tax revenues . . . ”

If you’ve followed the Duke lacrosse case, you saw flagrant, transparent criminal abuses of the government’s powers to investigate, arrest and prosecute; abuses which took the form of a vicious, elaborate, thirteen-month-long framing of three obviously innocent Duke students.

And you saw much of the country’s media and almost all of the innocent victims’ university leaders and faculty cheer on the framing attempt or remain silent.

Regarding government threats to our individual safety and liberties, if you haven’t already read them, please readBarone: The coming Obama thugacracy and Obama's attack on free speech today.

Bottom line: This year in NC I have a chance to vote for a candidate for governor I respect whose party says it wants to stop the kinds of things I’ve touched on here. So I’m going with Munger.

I can understand why people would disagree with that and vote for McCrory. He’s an impressive candidate with an impressive record.

Thanks to the Anon commenter and all others who've commented on- and off line. They've all been civil and thoughtful.