Do the Libertarians Have the Credibility to Lead the Fight on Abolishing the Income Tax? January 2003 Print Edition MassNews Staff
Carla Howell, this year's Libertarian candidate for governor, will spend the next four months taking stock of where to go from here.		Michael Cloud addressed supporters on the campaign trail during his recent campaign against Senator John Kerry for the U.S. Senate.

"We've nothing specific yet, but anything is possible," Howell tells MassNews. "Whatever we do, it will be geared toward making government small. The only way libertarians, constitutionalists, and pro-family voters can get what they want is to make government small." Howell contends that the issues that trouble social and cultural conservatives, such as abortion, drug abuse and pornography, are the byproducts of big government.
		Carla Howell discussed Second Amendment rights with patrons of Blue Northern Trading Co. in Ayer.

Howell contends that the issues that trouble social and cultural conservatives, such as abortion, drug abuse and pornography, are the byproducts of big government.

"These problems go away when we get government out of the way," Howell says. "Big government is inherently unaccountable and corrupting. It encourages people to make bad choices.

"A large percentage of the voters do not buy the Big Government rhetoric of the Boston Globe," she says. The passing of Ballot Question 1 would have forced exposure of what is in that $23 billion budget. Nobody knows except a very small number of insiders.

"What was their charter? What were they spending it on? If it was a poverty program, did they reduce poverty or did they increase poverty? People say that government spending is wasteful. They don't have a clue how bad it is. If the Globe actually exposed how that money was spent, Ballot Question 1 would have won by 80 or 90 percent."

Most conservatives, however, are motivated by a belief that there is something larger than themselves, whether they believe it is God or an evolutionary "force." Either way, they have reservations about the Libertarianism they see in this state, with its primary emphasis on freedom. But Howell sees no need for conflict.

"Small government encourages personal responsibility, so that people gravitate toward good behavior and integrity," Howell insists. "When we don't rely on government, we rely on strong family bonds."

Howell tells MassNews that "because of government's natural corrupting tendencies, when we give government moral authority, we end up with people like Bill Clinton as our leaders. Government should be less a part of our lives, so that we can look to community and spiritual leaders, leaders of our choosing."

Howell has taken a stand against the Protection of Marriage Amendment because she opposes "any infringement on the right of citizens to enter into contracts of their choosing."

However, Sarah McVay Pawlick, President of Massachusetts Citizens for Marriage, says that Howell is totally wrong that the Amendment infringes in any way on the rights of citizens. She says that Howell has apparently not taken the time to understand the Amendment.

Howell does say it was wrong of Tom Birmingham to gavel away the Convention. She believes a vote should have been taken and it is Governor Swift's duty to call them back for a vote.

She also agrees that sexuality, homo-, hetero- or otherwise, "is not an appropriate topic for public schools. Parents should not be forced to send their children to schools where these topics are even discussed. I am for removing all government involvement in sexuality of any kind."

Some conservatives also feel that Howell has undermined her credibility by appearing at rallies to legalize marijuana. They say that she may have a valid point that today's drug war is much like it was trying to prohibit the use of alcohol during prohibition. But they believe she goes much further and fosters the impression that the use of marijuana is not a serious problem.

They point to her appearance every year at the drug rally on the Boston Common, which, as usual, was attended by many children, who are encouraged to smoke marijuana at the rally. For example, MassNews reported about the rally on the Common on September 17, 2001 right after the 9/11 attack. Howell appeared there and stood on the stage and inserted copies of the drug laws into a shredder to the cheers of the 10,000 in attendance. She pledged that if elected Governor, she would "end the war against 'responsible' marijuana users.

What, asked MassNews, is a "responsible marijuana user"?

"Thousands of medical marijuana users, some of whom were speakers at that rally," Howell answers. Marijuana is sometimes recommended to treat glaucoma and other ailments, she contends.

"When marijuana users don't try to sell it or give it to kids, its use constitutes a victimless, or consensual crime. Harmful drug use is its own punishment.

"When drugs are illegal, when they are sold on the black market, they are not labeled. All that kids know about them is what they are told by an uninformed, irresponsible friend. They don't know the content or the dosage. During the 1920s, when alcohol was illegal, it was poisonous! People died from tainted alcohol and from wood alcohol.

"No system will keep harmful drugs out of the hands of kids, but they will make better choices in an environment of liberty and personal responsibility."

The idea of "forbidden fruit" has a lot to do with adolescent drug use, Howell believes. "Teenagers love to do what they are not allowed to do. Look, some of the kids at that rally were smoking pot, some of them were not smoking pot. They all behave with varying degrees of responsibility. Most of the kids came on the T and went home on the T. They were safer than drunk drivers. The real question is: Are the people fundamentally responsible or irresponsible?"

Howell would distinguish between a 35-year-old selling drugs to a 10-year-old, and two 25-year-olds giving them to each other. There is a very dramatic distinction, she tells MassNews. But when we pass laws making them appear as the same thing, that is a mistake.

Howell contends that, "There are no documented deaths attributed to marijuana. It has the potential to be harmful. For instance, if you are driving, it is a sedative. I don't know that it's ever happened that anyone ever smoked pot and caused a traffic accident. I don't know that it ever will happen, but it has the potential," she says.

"I advise kids not to do drugs," Howell says. "If anyone listens to what I have to say, they will see that it is all about personal responsibility. You are responsible for your behavior."
There are many who disagree with her assessment of marijuana. But what is even a larger problem is that she gives the impression at rallies that smoking pot really is fun.

As far as marriage is concerned, many believe that most Libertarians are really libertines, who wish to lead an unrestrained, immoral life. The problem arises when they have children. Without children, it would be possible to live such a life, they say. But when one has the responsibility of raising children from birth, everything changes. There is no turning back for most people or returning the baby. They bond with the new infant.

Neither Carla Howell nor Michael Cloud, who ran for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts against John Kerry on the Libertarian party ticket, are married.

However Cloud told MassNews last month, in what has been an open secret, that he and Howell are an "item."
Howell's advice to Massachusetts conservatives? "If we want to make headway, we need to work together on issues on which we agree."

Nobody can deny that the Libertarian Party deserves the credit for pushing this issue to the forefront of the political debate. But the answer from many conservatives is that they cannot take this ticket seriously as long as the Libertarians are viewed by a majority of the electorate as being out of the mainstream. They believe this may be evidenced by the fact that the ballot question received 48% of the vote, but Carla Howell only received 1%.