Here is another interview with Libertarians who’ll be on the ballot in Wake County.

Bruce Basson, running for North Carolina House of Representative in District 36. He is a biostatistician who works for a major pharmaceutical development services company in Durham.

Bruce grew up in upstate New York on a hobby farm where he learned to love camping and canoeing. We later moved to Indiana. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University and a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Wisconsin.

He moved to North Carolina in 2012 with his wife and three kids.

This is the first in a series of interviews of Libertarians who’ll be on the ballot in Wake County. We’re starting with those running for the General Assembly.

Mike Munger is the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives in District 34.

Mike grew up on an orange farm in rural central Florida. He graduated from Davidson College in 1980 and has lived in North Carolina for most of his life.

Dr. Munger, Mike, is director of undergraduate studies and professor of political science at Duke University. He also directs Duke’s philosophy, politics, and economics certificate program. And he’s a noted author and lecturer. He’s been at Duke for 23 years.

Mike was the Libertarian candidate for governor in 2008 in that race it accomplished two first: he was the first so-called third party candidate to appear in a televised debate. Second, he got three percent of the vote, making the Libertarian Party the first new party to retain ballot access via the ballot.

by David Ulmer
WakeLP Chair

George Floyd was murdered. Whether or not he committed a crime doesn’t excuse the murder. People have a right to protest that crime and demand justice. The fact that some people may commit vandalism and loot doesn’t cancel out the right to protest.

America still has a race problem. We’ve come a long way in race relations, but systemic, institutional racism still exists. All men and women are created equal, but they’re still not treated that way by the justice system.

All your freedoms, all the time is more than a slogan. It is a promise – and a responsibility.

Before African Americans can begin to heal, their outrage extinguished, and they no longer need to protest time and again, we must radically overhaul the criminal justice system. We must listen to them with open minds and hearts. We must understand the despair. Their healing is our healing.

Those who enforce the law aren’t above it. Hold police officers fully accountable for their actions. End qualified immunity.

Abolish laws that criminalize what people consume or what they do with their bodies. End laws that criminalize the economic activity of poor people because the government isn't getting a cut of the money.

These steps are just a start. Groups like Campaign Zero and Raleigh PACT have some good ideas. Let’s talk about them.

We all want peace. So, we all must work for justice.