George Phillies - Libertarian

 

George Phillies was born 23 July 1947 in Buffalo, New York. Growing up in Kenmore and Williamsville, New York, he finished as salutatorian at the Williamsville Central High School. He went on to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, he earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in both Physics and Life Sciences, and also a Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees in 1973. He then joined the staff at the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program, doing research.

Interspersed with his academic activities, he joined the United States Army Reserves in 1971, where he achieved the rank of Specialist 5th Class. He took an honorable discharge in 1977.

In 1975, he moved to California, where he began working as a postdoctoral fellow in the Chemistry department at UCLA. In 1978, he moved again to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he worked for seven years at the University of Michigan as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Relocating once again, he moved to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and there he attained the rank of Professor of Physics. There, he has attained international fame for his research work in many aspects of physics, amongst them light scattering, soaps, and polymer solutions. He has been elected to several committees within the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he has been hailed as the "conscience of the WPI Faculty".

George Phillies began his political interests in 1994, by organizing efforts in Central and Western Massachusetts on behalf of the Libertarian Party. He was elected to Executive Director of the Massachusetts Libertarian Association in 1996, and was the party nominee for United States Senator from Massachusetts, however, he stood no chance of defeating incumbent (since 1962) Ted Kennedy. In 1998, he made a run for a seat in the House of Representatives as a Libertarian. While he pulled third place, it was noted by the news media that he did well in the debates. In 2004, he was elected as the Regular member of the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts State Committee, and was elected again in 2006 to the same committee, this time as Vice President.

His other activities include editing two national Libertarian newletters, "Let Freedom Ring!" and "The Libertarian Strategy Gazette". He also chairs both the Pioneer Valley Libertarian Association and the Worcester County Libertarian Association, whose motto is "Domestic Spying, Rendition, Torture, Secret Prisons - Is This Your America?". In addition, he has also written and published an e-book, titled "Stand Up For Liberty!", which is a manual for Libertarian strategy.

It seems a shame that the Libertarian party has not won greater acceptance, because when it comes to the issues, George Phillies takes many of the same stands which voters are heard to bitterly complain are missing from the agendas of mainstream candidates. He opposes the war and wants the troops home, as the majority of candidates do. He is pro-civil-liberties, so supports gay marriage, rights to privacy, and contends that we should have a President, not an Emperor. He is in favor of moderate, but effective, tax cuts and spending cuts, without any radical schemes behind it. He is pro-education, supporting privatized schools, in a time when our country's public schools receive such a failing grade that it hardly seems worth the bother.

He is pro-Second-Amendment, so the gun owners have something to like. He has ideas for fixing health care, immigration, and property rights, which should be favorable views with most Americans. And he's for ending prohibition - not so popular with some, granted. But in this day when mere marijuana offenders, jailed just for possessing less than an ounce of the drug, make up the overwhelming majority of our prison population and are even forcing violent criminals back out into society to make room for more harmless marijuana users, one has to admit that there may be a point to this view.

In 2006, George Phillies announced his candidacy for President of the United States for the 2008 election. Given the utter vacuum of attention that American society pays to the Libertarian party, there is a long struggle ahead. However, more and more every day, voters are expressing their contempt for the existing monoculture in American politics, and George Phillies represents the most serious candidate to get the Libertarian ball rolling. His stance on the issues provides an excellent opportunity to draw voters from both the Liberal and Conservative line.