Erica Dahl

Erica Dahl
Cook at Bellaire Lanes & Games
Went to Bellaire Middle/High School
Lives in Bellaire, Michigan
JE: Many libertarians in Michigan?
ED: We have a few. I saw a Veripoll map where the state turned to gold because of so many Jo votes.
JE: Veripoll map?
ED: It’s an online poll that posts their results every few weeks in map form.
JE: I will have to check it out…
ED: It’s veripoll.net
JE: How are you involved in the movement there?
ED: Mostly just sharing stuff on social media. I met with the political director of the northern Michigan chapter and she invited me to meetings but the schedule conflicts with my work so I never get to go.
JE: What kind of stuff do you share? How do you share it?
ED: I’m in Jo Jorgensen groups so I just share stuff from there with Facebook.
JE: Jo Jorgensen Facebook groups?
ED: Yea, there’s a bunch of them.
JE: Then you just share it on your timeline or your wall?
ED: Yea
JE: How did you become Libertarian, Erica?
ED: I first got intrigued during the Johnson campaign in 2016. I was sick of the red and blue choices so I looked into something different and discovered that I aligned most with the ideology of the platform.
JE: What were your concerns about libertarianism?
ED: I guess the biggest one is being able to enforce “equal rights for all” without government interference. I know there’s plenty of bigots out there who enjoy discriminating against others, just not sure how to stop them from trampling on another’s rights
JE: What rights are you talking about? Give me an example?
ED: Equal pay for women, anti-LGBTQ bosses, places refusing to serve people of a certain color.. if we don’t have government protections for those things, how will they be guaranteed?
JE: That is a hard one… what do you think? In a world like that, I would surely hire black lesbians!
ED: I’m all for small government but I do believe we have some laws in place already that help that issue. We would just have to not repeal those laws. My biggest fear is that the civil rights movement will be overturned in extremism
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need those laws because society would come together and boycott any business who tried to run with discriminatory practices and put them out of business.
But that would be in a perfect world. Some of the ideology is just slightly unrealistic, but I still agree with most of it
JE: I’m sure you have heard the “libertarian” arguments. Any other concerns?
ED: Not really. My lack of faith is mostly in the human race, not the party itself.
JE: Do you think we should change the platform, or just make it our lowest priority?
ED: The platform has stayed consistent throughout the years which is one of the things that attracted me to the party in the first place. I don’t like flip-floppers who change their views based on popularity.
JE: Yes, let’s leave that till last… and see what happens. We have enough to keep us busy.
ED: We all know the change couldn’t happen overnight anyway.. liberty is a long slow process from where we are now. Lots of sheep still need to be woken up.
JE: Just what is the process? how do we wake up those sheep?
ED: It starts with winning the election and getting more tripartisan people in Congress, both at the federal and state levels. My ticket will be straight gold this year unless there’s no Libertarian candidate, then I’ll vote Green or some other independent if I have to. The process begins with a systematic overhaul of our representatives.
JE: My best ROI has been voting with my feet. I moved from California to Texas… Texas is freer. There is a difference between New York and Florida! The next move might be New Hampshire or Florida.
ED: I see. Michigan is a swing state because we have a lot of liberals in the metro areas downstate and a lot of conservatives up north in the rural areas. Lately, I’ve noticed a lot more are gravitating towards the middle.
And I believe we get 17 electoral votes so if we capture the middle that’s nothing to sneeze at.
JE: What would you do if you became President?
ED: I could never be president but first I would demilitarize the police, abolish the ATF and end Qualified Immunity. That would solve a lot of the civil unrest. Pardon all nonviolent drug offenders, make Victimless crimes a thing of the past.
JE: Yes, this civil unrest has given us a great opportunity! Only 10% actually get a trial!
ED: That’s not justice.
JE: Not really constitutional, I would guess
ED: No I don’t think it is.
JE: Civil asset forfeiture, bail, plea bargaining, qualified immunity, abolish police unions, an organization called “Cure Violence,” decriminalize drugs or make it a lower priority, Non sworn traffic enforcement. A civilian takes a picture of your license plate… you get a ticket in the mail… fewer traffic stops… “Organic” speed limits, speed limits are artificially low, sometimes to generate income. and Roundabouts instead of traffic lights.
ED: I hate roundabouts. I avoid them at all costs cuz they’re a pain. The rest I can get on board with.
JE: Yes, many folks feel that way, hehe
ED: Luckily there’s only a couple in my area and I don’t go that way if I can help it. My town is so small we have one flashing red and yellow intersection downtown and that’s it.
JE: Whoever voted for traffic lights anyway, T junctions are safer anyway?
ED: No idea but I’m sure there are fewer accidents than before they had them.
JE: I have no idea.
ED: We’ve got a lot of stop signs that work pretty well.
JE: The first electric traffic light using red and green lights was invented in 1912 by Lester Farnsworth Wire, a police officer in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to Family Search.
JE: Do you have any advice for new libertarians or the curious?
ED: I guess once I really think about it I do have some advice for the newcomers. The hardest part for me to get over was the “wasted vote” fallacy. I would tell them to ignore those naysayers and vote their conscience anyway. After all, the only truly wasted vote is one not cast in good conscience.