Yesterday, Heavenly and I recieved our economic stimulus payment. I recently went through our finances for the year so far to see how on target we are with our budget and it appears that our expenses are projected to be about $2,000-$3,000 over last year’s expenses due entirely to food and gas cost increases, even though we have made significant cuts where possible. Therefore, we will most likely keep the entire stimulus payment in our savings (or add it to our investments) to help compensate for the increased costs.
I have argued that one of the biggest reasons for these increased costs is inflation caused by the federal reserve's policies. I believe that the action of dispensing the economic stimulus payments themselves is making inflation worse as it is further increasing the money supply, without any reduction in other government spending, thus reducing the value of each individual dollar in the market.
The economic stimulus payments, bank bailouts and mortgage holder bailouts will most likely cause both gas and food costs to continue to increase over the near future.
Therefore, I would suggest that keeping the money to pay for everyday expenses, paying off current debt, buying something that will save you more money over the long run, or investing it in some sort of income producing asset would be the best and most responsible choices at this time.
Posted by: Jeremy Ryan
Date/Time:
5/9/2008 10:22:50 AM
This week Tom Licata formally announced that he is running for Vermont state
senate on the Charlie and Ernie Show.
As I mentioned in my blog entry, New
Website: VermontTaxRevolt.org, I expected that Tom would run for office in
the near future. Tom has been planting the seeds for this campaign for
some time by giving talks and meeting with people about the economic problems
facing the state.
Tom was a guest speaker at our Vermont Libertarian Convention this year. He
gave his presentation and engaged in a good discussion regarding the problems
with members.
Tom is very knowledgeable on the problems and he's not afraid to speak is
mind and say what people may not want to hear. I believe he will be one of the
most principled candidates running in that he will not play populist
politics. He will stick to the facts as he believes them and fight for
what he believes to be right.
Another great possible Libertarian candidate for
president...
"Burnet, TX — Two months ahead of its national convention in Denver, the
Libertarian Party's already crowded field of candidates grew by one on Friday as
Dr. Mary J. Ruwart announced her candidacy for the LP's 2008 presidential
nomination. Responding to an informal draft effort conducted by party activists,
the author of Amazon.Com #1 bestseller Healing Our World in an Age of
Aggression launched her campaign web site and announced plans to begin
addressing state party conventions and other political events with the intent of
challenging Republican candidate John McCain and the Democratic Party's as yet
unnamed nominee for the support of America's voters."
Come celebrate with like minded Vermonters on March 29 at the Orchid in South Burlington at the Vermont Libertarian Party state convention.
When: March 29, 2008, starts at 11:30 a.m. (registration starts at 11 a.m.)
Where: Orchid Restaurant, located at: 5 Market Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, Tel: (802) 658-3626
Cost: $7.95 per person, paid the day of the convention to the Orchid Restaurant.
To RSVP or more info contact: Jeremy Ryan, chair@vtlp.org, (802) 865-0111.
Current Schedule:
MORNING SESSION
11:00 a.m. Registration Opens
11:30 a.m. Party Business - Chair's Welcome - Nomination of Delegates to the National Convention - Adoption of VTLP 2008 Platform (current platform) - Member/ Candidates Presentations - Other party business
12:30 p.m. Break
AFTERNOON SESSION
12:30 p.m. Luncheon
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Guest Speakers: - Frank Bryan, Libertarian-Green Alliances (more information) - Tom Licata, Vermonters for Economic Health (more information)
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Social Hour
Reservations: Seating for meeting/lunch is by reservation only. Reservation may be placed with Jeremy Ryan by calling (802) 865-0111 or emailing chair@vtlp.org. The price is $7.95 per person paid on the day of the convention directly to the Orchid Restaurant The $7.95 price includes buffet lunch and usage of meeting space for the convention.
Directions: The Orchid Restaurant is located at: 5 Market Street, South Burlington, VT 05403. From US-2/Williston Rd, Turn right at Dorset St. Turn left at Market St. For more detailed directions please try maps.google.com. The phone number for the Orchid is (802) 658-3626
Posted by: Jeremy Ryan
Date/Time:
3/19/2008 11:39:39 AM
I am not comfortable with the current Moran Plant proposal on the city ballot, which is a $21 million project including:
a multi-purpose entertainment and sports complex with new restaurants, skating rinks and an observation deck overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks
a new Children's Museum
expanded Community Sailing Center
The Ice Factor -- which developers say would be the largest indoor ice and rock climbing facility in the world.
First, let me state that it doesn't really matter to me what happens to the land/moran plant building itself. I personally feel that there is already plenty of green space on the waterfront, parks and other recreation in Burlington. I would know, as I spend many hours during the summer months at various parks and the waterfront biking, walking, swimming, playing Tennis and basketball, and picnicking. I don't feel that there isn't enough room for me or anyone else to do what they want to do, when they want to.
My concern with the project is the financing and government management of the project. It appears that the financing is shaky. Bill Keogh, who has opposed the project, has cited that the federal government doesn't intend to provide around 7 million that would be needed from them in order to complete the project. Nothing is set in stone regarding who pays if goals are not met and we are talking about a lot of money here and now is really not the time for the city to be risking more of our money in big development schemes. We already have Burlington Telecom and Burlington Electric that are on shaky financial ground and need to be managed to sustainability.
Then, there's the fact that the government really shouldn't be in the business of starting and running businesses. It is simply not there place in my mind. I do not believe that the council is qualified enough to manage big real estate development deals such as this as the last I knew, no one on the city council is currently a real estate developer or in the hospitality, entertainment or property management industries.
I appreciate Kurt Wright's motives for supporting the project when he says that it will help boost the local economy by creating jobs and making the waterfront a more enticing place for people to frequent, which should help reduce the property tax burden on residents in the future. However, I don't believe the city council members are qualified enough in real estate development to manage a project of this size, nor is it there job to do so, especially when there is already a lot on their plate with current financial obligations and deteriorating city infrastructure.
I would much prefer the city council to sell the land to the players involved and let them take the burden of financing and developing the project. The city then would be free from burden of this property and be able to collect property taxes on revenue generated by it. This would have a similar affect as the current proposal, but without the burdens of managing it and the financial risks.
Again, my beef is not with the project, just the city managing and financing it. I know that some will argue that the city cannot transfer the land under land trust rules, but when have the rules stopped the city or the state from doing as they pleased... they break the rules all the time. The only time they care about the rules is when they can be used to benefit their cause. Remember, the reason we had the zoning rewrite was to better represent our current development in Burlington, meaning that the city has not been following the zoning laws in approval of development projects for years!
Posted by: Jeremy Ryan
Date/Time:
2/26/2008 10:35:54 AM
It appears that Ron Paul is winding down is campaign and does not intend to run as an independent or Libertarian if not nominated by the GOP.
Therefore, Ron Paul supporters should be looking for another liberty oriented candidate and I believe the next best choice may be Wayne Allyn Root, who is currently seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party.
Below is a blog post by Root regarding Ron Paul scaling down his campaign...
Ron Paul all but bowed out honorably a few days ago- not only as a GOP Presidential candidate (announcing he is now focusing his energies on retaining his Congressional seat), but as a third party candidate as well. That shocked and saddened his supporters- many of whom are dedicated Libertarians.
But I say BRAVO! Doctor Paul waged a long and courageous battle – raising more money; generating more media attention; attracting more committed and passionate supporters; and attracting more voters than any political expert or Beltway insider ever imagined possible.
Ron Paul certainly created more energy, enthusiasm and passion than any 72 year old in American political history! And, more than any Libertarian ever.
God bless him.
He’s quite a hero. But now the onus falls on the Libertarian Party and its Presidential candidate to pick up the ball and cross the goal line. This is no time for a fumble. This is no time for indecision. This is no time to concede defeat. Ron Paul was the starting quarterback. He got the ball past midfield.
Now that he’s out of the game, it’s up to all of us to push the ball over the goal line for a touchdown. We must work together to do so.
Our goal must be success- not just gaining small amounts of progress, but to carry on the Ron Paul Revolution.
Bush's stimulus plan includes tax rebate of $300-$1200 for most households. The IRS estimates that more than 130 million Americans will benefit from this plan.
While I applaud the government giving us back our money, we will need to pay it back later as it will add another $150 billion dollars to our national debt. It would be better if the plan included cuts to the budget to compensate for this, instead of further increasing the size of the budget.
However, the goal of the plan is not to reduce the size of government and to give us back our money, it's to stimulate the national economy. It is their hope that people will take the money and run out and buy a bunch of stuff they wouldn't usually buy. However, I believe that the economy will most likely be improving by the time the money is dispersed like the last time the government gave a tax rebate so it won't really matter anymore by the time it comes, but I'm sure they will take credit for it.
If the government really wanted to make a difference that would stimulate the economy for the long term, they should make it easier for people to participate in the economy...
1. Lowering taxes such as the death tax, capital gains taxes, and income tax rates.
2. Remove trade barriers that prevent free trade with other nations.
Of course in order to lower taxes, the government should reduce spending so that taxes don't need to be increased in the future on us or our children.
However, I don't see this happening anytime soon with our current administration and I wouldn't expect much from Obama, Clinton or McCain (one of which is most likely going to be our next president).
Personally, I plan on using the tax rebate to increase my investments, which will help provide capital to businesses who will use the money to invest in more products/services.
How do you plan on using your tax rebate? (Feel free to use the comments to post what you plan to do with yours)
Posted by: Jeremy Ryan
Date/Time:
2/18/2008 7:13:09 PM
As you may know, the income taxes will soon be due. I will be working on my mine over the next few weeks and getting back to something far more productive.
I will be using a great service called TaxFreedom.com to complete and file the forms. This will be my 4th year using the service and I must say it's great. The site is run by Intuit and site utilizes their TurboTax software. The site allows you to file your federal income taxes free of charge if you made under $30,000. They also allow you to file state income taxes for free in many states including Vermont.
The service does all the hard work for you, it allows you to store all your past returns on their system, and submits all the forms electronically so you don't have any paperwork to mess with.
I strongly recommmend TaxFreedom.com. It makes the tax filing process less... taxing. :)
Posted by: Jeremy Ryan
Date/Time:
2/17/2008 7:25:31 PM
Below is a great little cartoon being circulated by Ron Paul supporters about the benefits of freedom. The video is a Cold War-era cartoon that used humor to tout the dangers of Communism and the benefits of capitalism.
Posted by: Jeremy Ryan
Date/Time:
1/6/2008 11:38:24 AM
Vermont Libertarian Party Reorganizes, Elects New Leadership
I'm pleased to announce that the Vermont Libertarian Party has successfully reorganized! We held our biannual reorganization meeting on Saturday, Dec 22 in Burlington.
Delegates at the meeting elected Jeremy Ryan of Burlington as Vermont Party Chair, John Christensen of West Glover as Vice-Chair, Glyn Wilkinson of Burlington as Secretary, Heavenly Ryan of Burlington as Treasurer, and Benjamin Mayer of Burlington as Assistant Treasurer.
For a complete list and contact information of officers and town chairs please go to the following url:
As you may know, the income taxes will soon be due. I will be working on my mine over the next few weeks and getting back to something far more productive. 
