At one of our LP meetings a couple of months ago, I mentioned I was
going to write a letter to Ed Crane telling him why I discontinued my
relationship with Cato. I finally got around to finishing it and wanted
to share it with you. It's not sent yet so any feedback would be
appreciated.
I am in receipt of your attached letter asking me to reinstate my
support for the Cato Institute. Unfortunately I am unable to do so and
wanted to tell you why.
You may remember our dinner in San Francisco in or around 1999-2000 with
three local Libertarian activists. We spoke at length about the best
political plan of action to advance the cause of Liberty. You advocated
strong support for Republicans and electing George W. Bush as you and
yours "had their ear" and were confident you could "bring them around".
You suggested there were lots of things "going on behind the scenes" you
were privy to that suggested that George Bush would be a strong advocate
for Liberty once he got into the White House.
We Libertarians spoke of the impossibility of moving towards Liberty
from within the Republican Party. We mentioned Norman Thomas who ran for
president for the Socialist Party six times and never won. Yet his
platform was largely adopted by both the Republicans and Democrats. We
invited Cato to join arms with the Libertarian Party instead. As I
remember, you chuckled at what you perceived to be our naivety for such
thinking.
So now we've had 6 years of George W. Bush and a Congress ruled by
Republicans and what do we have to show for it? Mr. Crane, I say you and
your gang at Cato made your bed with these idiots...now go sleep with
them. They may be giving you money to advance the cause of Liberty but
they're getting nothing for it in my view. When Cato gets serious and
stops stupidly thinking they can advance Liberty negotiating with the
enemy while simultaneously living in their tent, then I'll reconsider.
Until then, I suggest you get back to your Libertarian roots, roll up
your sleeves and start doing some hard and practical Libertarian
activism instead of pandering to a party that uses Cato to secure the
votes needed to advance their anti-Liberty agenda. Your direct
association with Republicans discredits you and makes you look silly.
Let me know how it goes. I look forward to hearing from you.
Great letter! Who were the other local Libertarians who had dinner with you and Ed Crane, if you don't mind me asking? Think any of them are still around and might be willing to co-sign your letter?
My one minor editing suggestion concerns your second sentence -- in the interests of writing clearly, you might consider saying you are "unwilling" to support Cato (perhaps also changing the "unfortunately" to "however"), or that you are "unable" to support Cato "in good conscience," rather than simply saying you are "unable" to support them. Technically I presume you *are* "able" to support them should you choose to do so. Nor do I consider your decision to withhold support "unfortunate," considering your reasons for making that decision.
Yours in liberty,
<<< starchild >>>
At one of our LP meetings a couple of months ago, I mentioned I was going to write a letter to Ed Crane telling him why I discontinued my relationship with Cato. I finally got around to finishing it and wanted to share it with you. It’s not sent yet so any feedback would be appreciated.
Michael Denny
Libertarian Party of San Francisco
(415) 986-7677 x123
mike@MichaelDenny.net
www.MichaelDenny.net
www.LPSF.org
March 17, 2006
Mr. Ed Crane
CATO Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20077-0172
Dear Mr. Crane,
I am in receipt of your attached letter asking me to reinstate my support for the Cato Institute. Unfortunately I am unable to do so and wanted to tell you why.
You may remember our dinner in San Francisco in or around 1999-2000 with three local Libertarian activists. We spoke at length about the best political plan of action to advance the cause of Liberty. You advocated strong support for Republicans and electing George W. Bush as you and yours “had their ear” and were confident you could “bring them around”. You suggested there were lots of things “going on behind the scenes” you were privy to that suggested that George Bush would be a strong advocate for Liberty once he got into the White House.
We Libertarians spoke of the impossibility of moving towards Liberty from within the Republican Party. We mentioned Norman Thomas who ran for president for the Socialist Party six times and never won. Yet his platform was largely adopted by both the Republicans and Democrats. We invited Cato to join arms with the Libertarian Party instead. As I remember, you chuckled at what you perceived to be our naivety for such thinking.
So now we’ve had 6 years of George W. Bush and a Congress ruled by Republicans and what do we have to show for it? Mr. Crane, I say you and your gang at Cato made your bed with these idiots…now go sleep with them. They may be giving you money to advance the cause of Liberty but they’re getting nothing for it in my view. When Cato gets serious and stops stupidly thinking they can advance Liberty negotiating with the enemy while simultaneously living in their tent, then I’ll reconsider.
Until then, I suggest you get back to your Libertarian roots, roll up your sleeves and start doing some hard and practical Libertarian activism instead of pandering to a party that uses Cato to secure the votes needed to advance their anti-Liberty agenda. Your direct association with Republicans discredits you and makes you look silly.
Let me know how it goes. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Denny
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Mike Denny <mike@...> wrote:
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } At one of our LP meetings a couple of months ago, I mentioned I was going to write a letter to Ed Crane telling him why I discontinued my relationship with Cato. I finally got around to finishing it and wanted to share it with you. It�s not sent yet so any feedback would be appreciated.
Mr. Ed Crane
CATO Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20077-0172
Dear Mr. Crane,
I am in receipt of your attached letter asking me to reinstate my support for the Cato Institute. Unfortunately I am unable to do so and wanted to tell you why.
You may remember our dinner in San Francisco in or around 1999-2000 with three local Libertarian activists. We spoke at length about the best political plan of action to advance the cause of Liberty. You advocated strong support for Republicans and electing George W. Bush as you and yours �had their ear� and were confident you could �bring them around�. You suggested there were lots of things �going on behind the scenes� you were privy to that suggested that George Bush would be a strong advocate for Liberty once he got into the White House.
We Libertarians spoke of the impossibility of moving towards Liberty from within the Republican Party. We mentioned Norman Thomas who ran for president for the Socialist Party six times and never won. Yet his platform was largely adopted by both the Republicans and Democrats. We invited Cato to join arms with the Libertarian Party instead. As I remember, you chuckled at what you perceived to be our naivety for such thinking.
So now we�ve had 6 years of George W. Bush and a Congress ruled by Republicans and what do we have to show for it? Mr. Crane, I say you and your gang at Cato made your bed with these idiots�now go sleep with them. They may be giving you money to advance the cause of Liberty but they�re getting nothing for it in my view. When Cato gets serious and stops stupidly thinking they can advance Liberty negotiating with the enemy while simultaneously living in their tent, then I�ll reconsider.
Until then, I suggest you get back to your Libertarian roots, roll up your sleeves and start doing some hard and practical Libertarian activism instead of pandering to a party that uses Cato to secure the votes needed to advance their anti-Liberty agenda. Your direct association with Republicans discredits you and makes you look silly.
Let me know how it goes. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Denny
SPONSORED LINKS
U s government grant Libertarian party U s government student loan California politics
At Cato's 25th anniversary there was
a great deal of congradulations that
Cato had managed to move from San
Francisco to Washington without
selling out. I have always suspected
that the journey east was taken on
United Airlines with a layover in
Chicago, where the sellout to
monetarism occured. For Cato to
embrace monetarism is an
embarrasment to libertarian principles,
as central banking is tantamount to
financial central planning, an
enteprise, that every student of Hyak,
Mises and Rothbard, knows is
preordained to lead to untold misery
as is all central planning. The natural
result for Cato was the embarrising
failure of the Social Security Initiative,
as nearly every United States citizen
knows in thier gut that saving money
in a bank or bond is a ticket for
confiscation from inflation and the
stock market is an insiders game, and
a very high risk over considerable
periods of time, inflation adjusted and
flat for the last ten years, when
adjusted for inflation.So all Cato
accomplished was embarassing the
President. Repeted embraces of the
Knighted chief commisar of endless
inflation, Sir Alan Greenspan, were a
humilation to the memory of Mises,
Hyak, and Rothbard, and must have
left a faint oily patina on your suit.
When Cato has the courage to touch
the third rail of access to Polite
Washington Society, the abolition of
Centrally Planned Finance aka the
Fed, then maybe contributions can
begin to flow from this Libertarian. Till
then, Cato is just another flavor of
Republican Statism.