Libertarian Candidate for NY Governor, Larry Sharpe, Joins the Show!
Main Discussion Topics
Why Run for Office in a Hostile Political Environment
Larry explained his motivations despite the brutal nature of political campaigns, comparing the liberty movement to military combined arms operations where different people play different roles.
Larry stated: "The thing that I'm good at, that I will put up with is I'll run for office. And most people in the Liberty movement will not do it. They won't do it because of what you just said. It's a disaster. You get backstabbed. You get attacked. You're never good enough."
He emphasized that ballot access is the party's only valuable asset: "Ballot access across this country is a $30 million asset. That only right now, Republicans, Democrats have, Libertarians have had it in the past."
New York State Ballot Access Challenges
Larry detailed the extreme barriers New York places on independent candidates, providing stark examples of how the system crushes competition.
Larry noted: "New York State was the only state in the entire union that did not have any independent candidates on the ballot for president. The only one. There was states that had 6, 7, 8 on the ballot president. New York had zero."
He offered further evidence: "RFK Jr. couldn't get ballot access in New York State... He spent a million dollars and he's a Kennedy. If he can't get on the ballot, nobody can."
Education Reform and the New York State Social Trust
Larry outlined his flagship policy proposal to create a sovereign wealth fund modeled after Singapore and Norway that would fundamentally restructure education funding.
Larry explained: "I wanna create a sovereign fund for New York State, which is a New York State Social Trust... Once that happens, there's no need for school tax. School tax goes away. That cuts property tax across New York State, depending upon where you are in a state, about 50%."
He connected this to local control: "Right now they can't. And people go, it's 'cause they're leftists. That's not why. It's because the federal government says, all I care about is your test, and your test is ELA and math. So just do ELA and math. Shop is not in the test. So don't put shop. Civics is not in the test. Don't do civics."
K-10 Education Model
Larry proposed eliminating the final two years of high school and offering five pathways for students at age 16-17, funded by a $20,000 voucher with five years to use it.
Larry argued: "The average kid takes six years to graduate college because they're not ready for it. Because it's 13th grade. It's disastrous."
He outlined the five options: early college for gifted students, two-year prep school for the undecided, trade school, immediate employment, or military service, emphasizing that letting 16-17 year olds work teaches them essential skills: "One of the things you find people who are hiring, I hear this all the time, Larry. I will hire anybody with a work ethic. I'll train the rest."
Tax Reform Strategy
Larry explained his pragmatic approach to eliminating income tax gradually rather than immediately.
Larry stated: "Make it a flat 4% period across the entire state. 4% no matter what. No deductions, no nothing. 4% period. Simple how much you make times 0.04, you owe that. Done... Next piece after that, it goes down half a percent every year for eight years down to zero."
On business tax, he proposed: "Business tax across New York State is around 6%. Again, flat fee, 6% period. Flat fee, 6%, bring it down half percent every year for eight years down to 2%. It will be the lowest in the entire country."
Small Business Support Policies
Larry detailed two key reforms to help small businesses compete against larger corporations.
Larry explained: "If you are a small business owner and including farmers, and you decide that you will sell only in New York State... then you will be immune from all federal regulatory bodies. All federal regulatory bodies. You're immune."
He also proposed incentives for hiring felons: "If you hire a felon in New York State, you don't pay any payroll tax on that felon for two years. If more than 50% of your hiring is felons, you pay zero. Zero payroll tax for two years."
The UBI Threat and Ownership as the Solution
Larry warned that without intervention, Universal Basic Income combined with Central Bank Digital Currency is inevitable, and proposed ownership-based alternatives.
Larry explained the progression: "As they go on unemployment and they're gonna be like, oh, you know what? Let's just extend unemployment for a year or whatever... And all of a sudden all three of us are getting some kind of check... And all of a sudden I stop working too. And more people come in and come in and before you know what? Everyone's getting some kinda check."
His solution: "We are a consumer driven society. We must be an ownership driven society. Ownership is everything."
Nuclear Power and Community Ownership
Larry proposed co-op ownership of nuclear power plants as a way to control AI development, provide local revenue, and build community.
Larry outlined the structure: "50% owned by the company. The land is only leased by the government. That's it. The government does not own the facility at all. It just leases out the land... 50% owned by the local community and municipality."
He connected this to AI control: "The only way to control AI is someone has to be able to pull a plug. And I don't want six of the wealthiest, most powered people on the planet be the only people who can pull a plug. I would rather have a whole lot of people being able to pull a plug."
New York State Judicial Corruption: The Dexter Taylor Case
Larry discussed the case of Dexter Taylor, a Brooklyn engineer sentenced to 10 years in prison for assembling legal gun parts.
Larry recounted: "When he was being sentenced... the judge said, don't bring this Second Amendment in my courtroom... His punishment, 10 years in prison, no victim. No selling, no nothing. He's a father."
He condemned the judicial system: "Our judges are demigods. They are not held accountable by anybody, and they're not even loyal to the constitution. They don't have to be because of how our system works. They are loyal to the party infrastructure."
Potential Republican Primary Run
Larry discussed the possibility of also running in the Republican primary following Elise Stefanik's withdrawal, which would give him multiple ballot lines.
Larry explained: "If I win that primary, I get the Republican line. And by default, 'cause the conservative party in my state is a puppet party just does what Republicans do. If they'd gimme that line, I'd get Republican, Conservative, Libertarian, We The People. I would have four of the infinity stones before I become inevitable."
Matching Funds and Getting on the Debate Stage
Larry explained New York's six-to-one matching funds program and what it would take to qualify for debates.
Larry stated: "If I'm able to raise $500,000 from 5,000 New Yorkers, then New York State will write me a check for $3 million. I am not joking. And then for every hundred thousand dollars I raise, New York State will give me 600,000."
Key Policy Proposals
New York State Social Trust (sovereign wealth fund) to fund education and eliminate school tax
K-10 education model with $20,000 voucher for five post-secondary pathways
Flat income tax starting at 4%, decreasing to 0% over eight years
Flat business tax starting at 6%, decreasing to 2% over eight years
Federal regulatory immunity for small businesses selling only within New York
Payroll tax elimination for businesses hiring felons
Co-op ownership of nuclear power plants (50% private, 50% community)
Rent-to-own conversion of public housing
Notable Quotes
Larry on Political Courage: "I'm the only guy who both can do it and will do it, and because I'm the only guy I should do it."
Larry on Libertarian Politics: "Libertarians. Winning arguments and losing elections for 50 years."
Larry on Politics as the Mob: "In politics is it's the mafia. It's the mob. That's what it is. You don't enforce contracts by legality. There's no legality in this. There's none. They do whatever they want whenever they want. Legality means nothing. There's no courts to go to, no cops. You enforce your contracts via leverage, just like the mob."
Larry on Saving Civilization: "What is going to save us from AI is community. What is gonna save us from the world ending is community. What's gonna save us from the loneliness that's destroying us is community. What's gonna have us stopping to beg for some strong man, some socialist, some authoritarian is community."
Larry on the Bill of Rights in New York: "The judge said, don't bring this Second Amendment in my courtroom... Well, where should the Bill of Rights be, if not in a courtroom? Is there some other place it should be that I don't know about?"
Key Themes
Ballot access as the critical barrier to political competition
Federal control through funding strings and regulatory capture
Ownership versus consumption as the path to freedom
Community building as the antidote to authoritarianism
Pragmatic policy reform versus ideological purity
Judicial accountability and constitutional violations
AI as both threat and opportunity requiring local control
Capitalist Thought of the Day
I love principles, I love ideals, and I love ideas. They're very important. But at the end of the day, if we're ever going to get capitalism implemented, we need to get people elected. We need to get people in office that can change the laws, that can make the appointments, that can get the right judges in there. That's what we need. Unfortunately, politics, as dirty as it is, is necessary. So if you're watching, get out there, run for office, donate to the best candidate you can. Help out and join the American Capitalist Party. Because we are going to eventually become the most popular liberty-based party. - Michael