Until recently, Nazareth resident Jake Towne was an engineer in Shanghai. He now calls himself a "freedom writer" and intends to challenge Charlie Dent in the LV Congressional race. He tells me he is "unaffiliated and definitely not with either of the major parties." What this means is that he will lose. This Nazareth High School and Lehigh University engineering grad explains why he's running.
"I have been personally outraged by what Congress, our Presidents, and the Federal Reserve has done over the last few decades and I deem their collective actions as oppressive and tyrannical. As there is no hope for my concerns and grievances to be addressed by the current government, I’ve decided to make myself available and talk and discuss ideas with whoever wants to consider me to represent them."
Jake appears to be a Ron Paul acolyte. He opposed Israel's recent military maneuvers in the Gaza strip, the result of constant missile attacks aimed at civilians. He supports an audit of the Federal Reserve. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest he probably opposes Obama;s stimulus package.
I hope to sit down with Jake soon and find out what is motivating him. In the meantime, he explains his campaign's principles in an email.
1. Government exists to protect liberty, not to redistribute wealth, nor to grant special privileges, nor to interfere with the lives of individuals and their actions. The government of a free country, properly speaking, rests not in its elected officials but in its laws.
2. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Therefore, transfer of American sovereignty to supranational organizations, even if “benign,” is not permissible without a constitutional amendment.
3. The United States Constitution was written under the principle of "positive grant." This means the federal government is authorized to exercise only the powers which are specifically given to it by the Constitution, and nothing more.
4. Each individual is fundamentally equal under the law with all other individuals. The rule of law's framework of liberty ensures the greatest opportunity for individuals to explore their strengths and surmount obstacles.
5. A limited and decentralized government with inherent checks and balances results in more self-rule by local communities, and hence providing local diversity and overall greater satisfaction for individuals. Individuals can always vote with their feet, and move to areas not affected by laws they strongly disagree with.
6. Individuals have the right to live their own lives in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal rights of others.
7. The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression.
8. Rights belong to individuals, not groups.
9. Rights are not privileges, they are derived from the natural state of being human.
10. The Constitution merely acts to forbid the infringement of the federal government upon these rights.
11. The government's monetary role is to mint money and maintain the integrity of the monetary unit, not to commit fraud by debasement or to substitute counterfeits of paper for the constitutionally-specified forms of lawful money, coins of gold and silver.
12. However, individuals should be free to trade and exchange as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item as they wish.
Jake also has a Facebook page.
24 comments:
Jake is a familiar sight among his generation. I have noticed that many of them have drifted towards lumping all Presidents since Kennedy as one and the same, equally responsible for the same mess, regardless of the dramatic differences in their Administration's policies. They also repel any Party label (R,D,I) or if they take a label they seem to deliberately choose the Party least appropriate for their ideaology (I'm pro choice that's why I'm Republican) which helps effect the breaking down of Party lines as much as choosing no Party at all. I have no idea if this is good or bad or how it will change the future. I can say that it's a result of a lot of disillusionment with the last 40 years. This guy might seem to you like a wacko but you'd be surprised how many think like him in his generation, for better or for worse.
I don't consider Jake a wacko but don't think he has a prayer unless he belongs to one of the two major parties. I wish that were not so.
"... but don't think he has a prayer ..."
He does know!
Peace, ~~Alex
Sounds like he ate the tainted blowfish.
He sounds like a very nice young man, unfortunately he does not realize that he is espousing what most all of us believe, including Charlie Dent.
He needs some seasoning and a healthy dose of reality.
If he coul go to work NOW trying to do some good locally he might have a chance to work his way up the learning ladder.
Lest anyone question Jake's motivation (or sanity for that matter), please note that the U.S. Treasury will be auctioning approx. $500 bill. worth of 10 yr. Treasury notes this week. If the usual (foreign) suspects don't gobble them all up, the Federal Reserve may step in and buy them rather than allow interest rates to rise. Debt monetization, anyone?
Anyone care to guess what currency devaluation, massive inflation and high unemployment has led to historically? Hmmmmmmm?
But that's right, Ron Paul and his ilk are all crazy. Right?
Unfortunately, we will never get the level-headed economics of the Ron Paul platform because it is so damn goofy on almost everything else.
Jake's platform seems based on one very simple principle: FREEDOM. I don't understand how that makes him a "wacko."
Does not being affiliated with either major party hurt his chances? Of course. He seems quite intelligent, so I'm sure he is aware of this. So, does this mean he is running based on his principles instead of a desire to win at all costs? I hope so. This country needs more representative like that.
The establishment will do everything they can to marginalize Mr. Towne. They may succeed. They may not. But eventually, tyranny always crashes. In the name of Liberty, good luck Mr. Towne.
Bernie,
I am really looking forward to reading your column after you've sat down with Jake and had a chance to "get the sense" of him face-to-face. When do you expect that to happen?
Troubled times bring about an influx of new energy. Washington has become stale. Why do you condemn a man before he even gets started? Over the last year I have read Jake's writings and what he says makes sense. I may live in Rochester, NY but I have pledged to help him in the campaign. As a Veteran who served overseas as a piece of the empire, I believe we need to reevaluate our priorities. We build huge complexes in countries that don't want us there, while we let our own infrastructure crumble. We sell off our Gold and Silver ,(gone already), and borrow billions from a nation who has no sense of the value of humanity. Is this what the founding fathers had in mind? We are looking more and more like the nations our ancestors left. Let's stand up and support the men and women who believe in the ideals this nation was founded on. I wouldn't underestimate Jake Towne and the people who believe in him.
Running unaffiliated has one advantage: You can truly represent yourself and what YOU believe. Most people see a candidate's Party and ASSUME things about him that may not be true at all. For example, not all Republicans are anti-abortion rights. And not all Democrats opposed the Iraq War. A party platform tells you nothing about the actual candidate, since local or state conditions may differ from the position a national party make take to win at the national level.
I support Jake because I want to see as much damage done as possible to the dying Republican Party. Let us bury it!
http://circleh.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/vote-for-jake-towne-for-congress/
After I wrote that, I learned that Jake is actual a libertarian by ideology, but not by party membership.
Jake lives close by and i expect to sit down w/ him in the next few days.
What more can you ask for in a candidate ? Jake supports the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy. Principles that when followed lead to peace, prosperity, and freedom and when not followed lead to the problems we now face in this country.This country needs many more Ron Pauls and Jake Townes.
I guess Jake is a "wacko" along the lines of Thomas Jefferson and his ilk who felt that individual liberty superceded the rights of the monarchy or the collective.
The USA was not founded by Democrats and Republicans, nor was the constitution written by them (although some amendments were). Other than turning down the enormous funding and influcence that these parites control, how is disagreement with their policies "wacko" or "goofy"?
I also sense some generational bias in these posts. I would hope that ability would be more a marker of success than age. I also remind you all that our current president was a first-term junior senator.
I am a baby boomer and I agree with much of what Jake stands for. He is an intelligent, earnest, Patriot. I also think he doesn't have a chance against Congressman Dent, but I will definitely support him.
"What more can you ask for in a candidate ?"
How about a winner, for starters? Let's face it. If Ron Paul's message was accepted by voters, he'd be President today.
Jake is giving voters a choice, and I give him a lot of credit for that. He seems very sincere, too, but I agree w/ Patti. He does not have a shot, especially against Dent.
When I speak to Jake, I'll ask why he doesn't aim a little lower. When Craig Dally is elected judge and his seat opens up in the state house, Jake could run for that and do a lot better. But that's up to him.
I respect him for trying to make things better.
Bernie,
I think somebody agrees with Ron Paul's message otherwise he wouldn't have spent parts of 4 decades in congress. His biggest problem is lack of recognition. That requires money and influence to produce. For example, the $400 million that put Obama in the White House.
Lack of awareness and money brings down many a campaign, not necessarily lack of message. Being popular and being right are not one and the same. Real change will not occur by flipping the same coin over and over again. Jake seems to provide a reasonable alternative with historical ideals. It has to start somewhere, why not with Jake?
One answer O'Hare, EGO. These guys want the world to hear their 'NEW" ideas. They know if they run for Congress or more they get instant press conferences and some wierd celebrity.
This dude is no different. Yada, yada, yada, I have a better idea.
I really wish voters would get over the "if you aren't from one of the two main parties you don't have a chance" way of thinking. That is exactly why we are in the mess we are in, people continuously vote for the lesser of two evils. I think a lot more voters than people realize feel this way and I believe Jake has a shot at winning the 2010 election. Regarding the Ron Paul comments, there are several reasons Dr. Paul didn't do better in his Presidential campaign. His fiscal policies are not popular because they involve cuts for almost everyone, he is not the most eloquent speaker, and he isn't a "rock star" candidate. Take a look at the last three Presidents; Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. All were young and photogenic when elected. Of course, electing rock stars with no substance is part of the problem. I don't know if Mr. Towne will attract the rock star groupies, but I believe he is a candidate of substance. And he certainly isn't in his 70s.
I'm familiar with all the third party arguments. I was a Green myself. But I've seen how useless third parties are in America. You cannot change the system, unless you belong to a major party ... like Ron Paul. You may not like it. Neither do I. But that's the way it is.
It's completely ridiculous to think some well-meaning guy can come back from China, refuse to affiliate with either party and expect to win Congress. Even if Jake were an R, I really doubt he'd take out Charlie Dent.
Like I said, if he really wants to make a difference, he should set his sights much lower for now.
I have several friends like Jake. They want to change the world and that's great. But running for high office is not the way to do it.
Jake's essays might help influence public opinion, but look where they are posted. Thet are at sites that already promote Ron Paul beliefs instead of more mainstream sources.
Don't get me wrong. I'm very interested in what he has to say and will give him a fair shake and this media outlet is a little more (not much) mainstream that Ron Paul central.
Look at his platform. Now think about what the rest of us are thinking about. Where is Jake on the stimulus? Health insurance? Oil? People are much more interested in that than the gold standard.
Thanks for your comment.
It would be kind of cool if people who registered Independent, ran as an Independent for various seats. Start local. The Indeoendent with the most primary Independent votes, would then be the Independent candidate in the Fall.
I know, I know, there a hundred reasons why that may not make sense but it allows someone who is not aligned to either of the big two Parties to compete in the Fall.
When everyone can vote for anyone in the Fall, who knows?
Dear Bernie -
I look forward to meeting you and discussing one day. Until then, please permit me a reply to the following:
"Where is Jake on the stimulus? Health insurance? Oil? People are much more interested in that than the gold standard."
Both stimulus plans I have been vehemently against. The one that the incumbent voted for directly led me to considering running for office.
You may read about my view on the "Bank Bailout of October 2008" here
http://www.nolanchart.com/article5079.html
and on the Obama Stimulus plan here
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=3
On health insurance I submitted an open letter to the incumbent here
http://www.nolanchart.com/article6499.html
I used a common sense argument on health care in The "50 Laboratories" Model here
http://www.nolanchart.com/article6514.html
On oil, I perhaps should wait to hear your specific question.
Also, I would like to tell you that I do NOT promote a return to the gold standard. I do however, consider monetary policy a critical issue. If you read my May master presentation it directly states this on slide 35
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15909415/Jake-Towne-for-US-Congress-PA15-May-2009
In liberty,
Jake Towne
jaketowne AT gmail DOT com
Better tell Dent and whichever Dem that is running against this guy to watch out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Rr-H34hDM
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