Munger is a Lib! (I mean, officially and publicly.) The Wake County Board of Elections claims to be very much behind on their paper work. I don’t doubt it, given the many bizarre rules, like the “no updates during run-off campaigns” rule.

We have witnesses: Mike filed to change his official registration as soon as it was feasible for him to do it — June 30th. Yesterday at noon the official, publicly accessible list still didn’t show that. So, yesterday PM, I phoned the Wake Board and found them very co-operative. The nice lady located Mike’s form while I was on the phone and processed it. Go look! This morning, Mike and his wife, Donna, show as Libertarian. Finally.

After discovering a scripting error while working on something else entirely, I am happy to announce that the ability to upload your own profile photo again.  I had miswrote a variable to allow one to upload a photo.

A chat room is almost entirely set up for use, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to make administrators operators. It uses Java, JavaScript, PHP, and goes through an IRC channel. Once all the kinks are smoothed out, frequent visitors of the site will have a place to chill and discuss whatever they’d like. We will also be hosting town hall type meetings in the chatroom if one so desires to take part in such an endeavor.

You can add your favorite music and political heroes without problem now too, just in case anyone was facing difficulties. The methodology of handling all this was streamlined.

Hey, hey, ho, ho!

We’re on the ballot in….Oh HI oH!

I have a good friend here at Duke: John Staddon.

Staddon wrote this extremely cool article for the Atlantic.

And then I guy I admire, John Stossel, picked it up
and wrote this.

Good ON ya!

This radio ad will play tomorrow, in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. And it will
play all week, in a.m. drive time. Just once a day, but five days….

Charlotte: WBT 1110 AM
Greensboro: WZTK 101.1 FM
Raleigh: WPTF 680 AM

RALEIGH (July 9) – Dr. Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for governor released his position on off-shore drilling for oil and natural gas today.

“The proposals I see coming from both the Democrats and Republicans are half-measures and stop-gaps,” Dr. Munger said. “And the sudden support for off-shore drilling by Mayor Pat McCrory and others, is a cheap gimmick. It will have no effect on the price of oil, and will do nothing to affect the prices that NC consumers pay for gas at the pump.”

Dr. Munger has a PhD in economics and experience working in regulatory policy at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. He holds a current joint appointment in Duke’s Economics Department. He believes that only comprehensive energy reform will work to solve the nation’s energy security problems, and help consumers in our state.

“It’s an election year, which means that it is silly season for politicians. The supporters of new drilling are promising miracles, and the opponents are predicting disaster. They are both exaggerating for their own political purposes,” Dr. Munger said.

Dr. Munger’s proposed comprehensive solution would require broad cooperation at the federal and state level. The key points are:

1. End tariffs on ethanol imports.

2. Allow drilling and new exploration for high-yield sources of oil and natural gas on Federal lands and offshore in all U.S. waters.

3. End domestic ethanol subsidies, which waste both energy and money.

4. Allow the increasing price of gasoline and oil to do its job, by encouraging consumers to conserve, and rewarding oil companies for finding new reserves.

5. Allow the immediate development of new domestic refining capacity and cracking facilities, which has been held up for more than a decade by short-run political gamesmanship.

“The key is to recognize that the increased price of oil and gas will solve this problem for us, if we let it,” according to Dr. Munger. “Oil companies with develop new reserves, and new refining capacity. Consumers will choose more fuel-efficient cars, and heating options. Alternative fuels and energy sources will become competitive, and will be developed rapidly in the marketplace.”

As for the current proposals by both Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory, “They will have no effect, and in fact they are not even making any real effort” to solve the problem,” said Dr. Munger.

Dr. Munger is available for interviews. Call him at his direct cell number (919) 369-6453 or email mungowitz@gmail.com.

Munger Won’t Participate in Financial Disclosure Farce

RALEIGH (July 9) – Dr. Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for governor, won’t disclose the personal financial information requested by The News & Observer and the Charlotte Observer unless he’s allowed to participate in the gubernatorial debates.
“I categorically refuse to participate in this farce, unless I’m allowed to participate in the debates,” the Duke professor said. He said he doesn’t object to the request itself because both newspapers have covered all three campaigns fairly.

“They believe the voters of North Carolina — and not some elite group representing the wealthy and the politically powerful — should decide,” he said.

“What I object to is the intrusive scrutiny of financial disclosure when I’m not to receive the benefit of simple fairness. The fact that McCrory and Perdue have excluded me from even one of the debates is an outrage,” he said.

“My opponents have refused to ask I be invited to even one debate,” he noted. “I find it ironic that I’m being asked to disclose anything, when it’s my Sphinx-like opponents who refuse to open their mouths and say, ‘We should include every candidate who qualified under state law.’ ”

Munger has pledged to prepare the financial disclosure packet, believing in good faith that either the sponsors of at least one debate, or the candidates themselves, will awaken to a sense of their obligations in a democratic society.

“I intend to sit by the phone, waiting for their call,” he quipped.

The newspapers are requesting “copies of individual tax returns for the last five calendar years, 2003-07, for the candidate and his or her spouse, if filing separately.”

They are also asking for “records that would give the public a full and accurate understanding of each candidate’s personal health. These records would include the results of the most recent physical examination, as well as details of prescription medications currently taken and any medical treatments that are ongoing. They might also include letters from physicians or records of major health events.”

Hey, you podcastrians!

It’s a new installment of the Russ and Mike show.

For which, I should add, I was paid my full market wage.

We talked about the Transantiago mess, where they took a perfectly adequate private bus system and ruined it with “planning.”

And talking to Russ is always fun.

Lots of folks helped with the Money Grenade, and with getting word out about the difficulties I have been having even getting access to the normal assets of campaigning.

I can’t cite them all. So, for those I have missed: a blanket thank you, and a heartfelt one. In addition to the net postings I have missed, I want to thank Joy Elliott, Paul Elledge, Linda Ellis, Susan Hogarth, Barbara Howe, Tom Howe, Phillip Rhodes, Rob Rose, Rusty Sheridan, John Szamosi, and Richard Schilhavy. (Again, I’m sorry if I left you out, but it’s 6:30 am, and I am at the beach celebrating my anniversary with my wife, and I have to get back to the room; there’s marital work to do…)

As I noted, there were lots of internet mentions, and I appreciate them. But there are some I have to mention specifically.

Bill Anderson, on LR’s site.

Art Carden, with a nice thought piece. Very nice.

Ed Cone helped out. Thanks, Ed!

Greg Dirasian has his little boxer shorts all twisted up in knots.

Last Free Voice posted the announement; thanks!

Scottille News came up big, too.

Third Party Watch posted the info on the Money Grenade. A BIG help; we ‘pree-shayt it, man!

BUT: The main prize, the above and beyond, the hardest working man in the Blogosphere for the Munger campaign, has got to be…. Steve Newton! This post clearly brought in quite a few contributions, and I appreciate it!

OH, AND I SHOULD SAY HOW IT CAME OUT!

–211 contributions

–$7,115

Thanks!  That will do what we need to do, in the near term anyway.

The July 3-4 Money Grenade is halfway home!

We got 150 contributions yesterday, for just over $5,000. That’s a huge help, folks; thanks!

But if you are so nerdy that you are reading this site on a HOLIDAY, fercrissakes, GET THE WORD OUT.

Today is the last day. Post the web site somewhere, and let people know.
http://www.munger08.com

Thanks!

Dr. Mike