I read with amused interest a column about third party candidates on the U-Wire by Sam Wong. Mr. Wong’s lack of knowledge of Harry Browne, The Libertarian Party and the Electoral College was funny and disturbing.

Mr. Wong stated that Harry Browne wanted to assassinate foreign leaders the United States didn’t like. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Mr. Browne said he would post a bounty on the head of foreign leaders that threatened the security of the United States, but his policy of removing our troops from other countries and bringing them home to defend our shores and opening up free trade relations with any nation that wanted to trade with us would probably make such a bounty unnecessary.

I suppose Mr. Wong likes our current policy of raining bombs on the innocent people of foreign countries ruled by tyrants like Saddam Hussein. But why kill innocent victims when it would be much more effective to take out the tyrant?

Mr. Wong mentioned Harry Browne’s policy of ending income taxes and reverting the government back to its constitutional limits. Yes, Mr. Browne wants to end the oppression of big government. He wants the government out of our lives. He wants the government returned to its original limits of protecting our life, liberty and property. Mr. Browne thinks we can run our lives much better than big government can.

Mr. Wong pointed out Harry Browne’s policy of ending the failure of the war on drugs. Billions of dollars are wasted every year on this “war” we can never win. Why not end this government waste and divert the money to educating people about the dangers of drugs?

Mr. Wong said the Electoral College was established to keep the wacky ideas of third party candidates in their wacky little heads. Mr. Wong obviously has no idea of why the Electoral College was established and why it is now being used to take away the votes of the people.

The Electoral College was established by the First Continental Congress so delegates could represent each state in the election of a president and vice president. The people of each state would vote on the candidates, and the delegates would then go to the Capitol and vote for their state’s winners. It had nothing to do with keeping third parties out of the mix.

Information on Harry Browne can be found at harrybrowne2000.org, and information on the Libertarian Party can be found at lp.org.

James WattsResident

Oxford, Ala.