Last week, citizen activists and candidates for office descended upon Richmond for rallies, to gather signatures, and to lobby their representatives. There were several highlights of my day. First, Denver Riggleman brought up the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr applied for a concealed carry permit. This was a relevant point to make on Martin Luther King Day at the Virginia Citizens Defense League rally.
Why did MLK want a concealed carry permit? Well, as it turned out, there were a bunch of angry Democrats that didn’t like King talking about equality under the law and liberty under the Constitution. They made threats against his life and the lives of his family. So he wanted a gun. God Bless Him. Democrats still don’t like equality under the law and liberty under the Constitution and there is a great deal of broken glass and burnt automobiles in Washington D.C. this morning because of this fact.
Secondly, I was approached by anti-gun people who wanted to talk to me about car safety, because liberals really do believe that Republicans are stupid as they are; oops. These people were there to ask Virginia Legislators to place the same kind of safety features on firearms that exist on automobiles. I tried to explain to a lady that guns do have safety mechanisms called, unsurprisingly, SAFETYS! Anyhow….
Denver Riggleman’s speech before Americans for Prosperity Lobby Day Luncheon was incredible. In this speech, Denver speaks about the realities of regulation and taxation in the Commonwealth. Denver, unlike the rest of the folks running for Governor, understands that in business, it isn’t competition that frustrates economic growth, it’s government. As awful as the federal government can be at times, our government in Virginia can be just as bad. Our legislators treat us as subjects, not citizens. Lawyers and Lobbyists have access to our laws, while we the people are ignored. Powerful Timber and Energy Companies write the laws the rest of us live under. Why? Why do we put up with this?
Denver Riggleman’s reasons for running for Governor are the same reasons why I’m a Republican in the first place.
Give this speech a listen and whether or not you decide to vote for Denver or for Ed Gillespie, remember that there are reasons why Virginia is no longer a business-friendly state, why we have fewer high paying jobs, and why small businesses are struggling. We shouldn’t be electing anyone to statewide office who cannot speak to these issues and who cannot assure us that they will represent us, and not the corporations and lobbyists.
I do want to point out that I have nothing against Corporations or Lobbyists in principle; what I resent is their monopoly over our governments and their arrogance in believing that this monopoly is justified.
