Help For Our Building Fund Again?

November 28, 2011

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Please contribute to our building fund.

I want to thank all 328 donors who have given or pledged a total of $201,219. Of that total, $111,644 has been collected and $89,575 is in the form of pledges to be collected later.

At this point, we have not committed to a specific property to purchase, or too a specific time to make a purchase. We plan to continue raising funds so we'll have more for a down payment.

My goal was to raise $248,000 by our December 10 LNC board meeting in Las Vegas.

Please make a donation as soon as possible to help us reach my December 10 goal of $248,000.

Also, on the evening of Saturday, December 10, in Las Vegas, the Libertarian Party is hosting our 40th Anniversary celebration.

The event is a celebration of 40 years of Libertarian Party activism. (The LP was founded on December 11, 1971.) It's also a tribute to the late David F. Nolan, one of the LP's founders.

When:   Saturday, December 10th, 2011 from 7-10 pm

Where:   Veranda Room of the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, 11011 W. Charleston, Las Vegas, NV 89135

Cost:   $40.00 per person includes a wonderful all you can eat BBQ buffet

RSVP:   Please RSVP to RSVP@LP.org with number of guests.

You can also RSVP through Facebook.

Click here for more information (LP website).

Click here for more information (Facebook).

Proceeds to benefit the David F. Nolan Memorial Building Fund for the purchase of our new Libertarian Party Headquarters.

If you are unable to attend and wish to contribute, please click here to donate or send a check to:

Libertarian Party
2600 Virginia Ave NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20037
Attn: Building Fund

In Liberty,

Mark Hinkle, LNC Chair

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

GET INVOLVED:

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2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

If The GOP Won't Nominate Him, The LP Will!

From the Wichita Eagle Letters To The Editor Saturday November 26, 2011:

Paul only sane person at debate

I watched a recent Republican debate. Out of eight candidates, apparently Ron Paul is the only sane person to be found. And out of an hour and a half, he only got about 90 seconds to speak.
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich talk about launching covert attacks and economic sabotage of Iran, for no proven reason, but they accuse China of devious activity and demand that it “play by the rules.” Hypocrisy, anyone?
Also, torture is illegal by American and international law, and it’s against the Geneva Conventions. But Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry all support torture on principle. Are these people seriously candidates for the presidency of America?
Have the Bush years and the Obama betrayal really taken such a toll on our conscience? Do we not know what is right or wrong anymore?
We’ve had more than 10 years of war. I think it’s time for peace to return, and I think we should demand it, loudly and proudly. And Paul is the man voicing those demands. We would do well to support him.

JESSE BRYANT
Galva

 

From our friend, John Todd: Please Sign The Petition!

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY--KANSAS

Stop Developers from taking taxpayer money:

Put the Hotel Guest Tax on the Ballot!

You probably know that Americans for Prosperity’s Wichita chapter is working with other local groups to let voters decide whether to allow the downtown Ambassador Hotel to keep a large portion of the special guest tax it charges for its own use.

Our petition efforts are on-going, and we have until the first week of December to gather the needed signatures. That gives us just over one week!

Registered voters who put their names on the petition are telling the city council that they support a ballot measure asking Wichita residents if the city should refund 75% of the hotel’s guest tax back to the hotel for its own use.

We will be hosting a “drive-thru” petition signing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 25-27). You’ll find us at the Wichita Inn East (8220 E. Kellogg Dr.) and Best Western Airport Inn (6815 W. Kellogg/US-54). Simply drive up to these hotels and our volunteers will bring a petition to your window for you to sign. It’s just that simple.

We believe refunding 75% of the guest tax to the hotel turns the idea of taxation on its head. Taxation is a public function the government uses to pay for public services – public safety, schools and infrastructure. In this case, the city is allowing a private developer to use a public function for its own purposes.

Additionally, this proposal is not compatible with current city policy. According to the Tourism and Convention Fund in the city’s budget, the goal of the guest tax is to “support tourism and convention, infrastructure, and promotion of the City.” Its outlined priorities are to be “debt service for tourism and convention facilities, operational deficit subsidies, and care and maintenance of Century II.” Letting this hotel keep the majority of the guest tax is a radical departure from the city’s policy requiring most hotels to submit their taxes to the city for the aforementioned purposes.

You can learn more about this effort by visiting dtwichita.com. To sign the petition, contact AFP-Wichita volunteer coordinator John Todd at john@johntodd.net or 316-312-7335.

Americans for Prosperity-Kansas

Topeka: 785-354-4237 · Wichita: 316-681-4415

http://americansforprosperity.org/email_headers/Kansas.png
infoks@afphq.org
www.americansforprosperity.org/kansas
www.facebook.com/AFPKansas
Twitter: AFPKansas

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens to support restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP is more than 1.7 million activists strong, with activists in all 50 states.  AFP has 31 state chapters and affiliates. More than 85,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial contribution to AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Stooper Committee!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 22, 2011

Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
E-mail: wes.benedict@lp.org
Phone: 202-333-0008 ext. 222

Super Committee was super dumb

WASHINGTON - Libertarian National Committee Chair Mark Hinkle released the following statement today:

"I'm not sure what to laugh at more: the 'super committee,' or the media's reporting of it.

"We've already started to see one silly article after another about 'missed opportunities' and 'failure,' and an inability to bridge the huge differences between Republicans and Democrats. What a lot of nonsense.

"At best, the super committee was going to cut total projected federal spending over the next ten years by two percent. What an absurdly low hurdle. It never mattered whether they succeeded or failed.

"Even if 'sequestration' proceeds (which it won't, Congress will override it one way or another), that still only means a difference of about 2%. It just doesn't matter. We need to cut spending by 50% or more.

"The federal government currently spends a bigger portion of America's money than it has at any time in history (except a few years during World War II).

"The whole purpose of this ridiculous exercise was to create the illusion of huge differences between Democrats and Republicans. It was all about hype. Keep everyone fixated on the teeny-tiny areas of pseudo-disagreement, so they don't step back and realize that Democrats and Republicans are the same. Both parties want a huge, huge federal government that does everything under the sun. They both want spending to keep going up. Neither party cares much about what's going to happen to our descendants when the huge burden of government spending is compounded with the huge burden of government debt.

"Unfortunately, Washington is not paralyzed by partisanship. I wish it were. Instead, Republicans and Democrats keep getting together, holding hands, and passing massive spending bills. They just passed another one last week.

"The super committee was just another gimmick. There aren't any gaps, or chasms, or gulfs in Washington. If you want to see politicians who actually challenge the status quo, start electing Libertarians."

For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website.

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P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

GET INVOLVED:

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2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

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LP Monday Message

November 21, 2011

Dear Friend of Liberty,

I am serious when I tell you the LNC is on the verge of pulling the plug on the office we're looking at.

I hope to raise $30,000 more as soon as possible, just to help convince the rest of the LNC it is worth going forward.

I hope 100 of you will donate another $300 each as soon as possible.

Please do this. I apologize if this sounds like begging. Our staff actually thought the project was dead last Friday -- even going so far as to mistakenly inform our real estate agent.

Please donate $300 right now.

I want to clear up one area of confusion. The building has not been named yet. I, with help from the chief fundraiser for this project, decided to name the building fund the David F. Nolan Memorial Building Fund a year ago today, when we learned of his death. It's the account name, not the building name.

We're hoping a wealthy family will come forward and we'd be happy to consider naming the building based on recommendations from a major donor. It's up to the LNC as a whole to name the building (or even the delegates at a national convention), but I think they'd name it based on the recommendations of a large, generous donor. The maximum an individual can donate is $30,800 per year. So, a wealthy couple could donate $61,600 today, and $61,600 again in January.

So far we've raised 257 pledges and gifts totaling $183,128. Elizabeth Nolan has pledged $5,000.

Remember, if we ultimately decide not to buy a building, we'll contact you and offer to return your donation. I just want to be honest and clear, I can't guarantee that a decision will be made one way or the other by any particular date.

Email me at chair@lp.org if you would like to pledge a major donation.

Please donate $300, or $3,000 today.

In Liberty,

Mark Hinkle, LNC Chair

P.S. Today is the anniversary of David Nolan's death last year. Read more about David Nolan.

GET INVOLVED:

Building Fund for National Headquarters

Dear Libertarian Party supporters,

Yesterday, 54 people contributed $4,685.00 online for the office building townhouse. That's almost $100 each.

Please go to our building fund page and make a generous donation. Please donate $1,000 if you can. $100 would be helpful as well.

So far we've raised $157,859 in donations and pledges toward buying an office building townhouse in Old Town Alexandria near DC.

Remember, if we ultimately decide not to buy a building, we'll contact you and offer to return your donation. The Libertarian National Committee may make a decision today.

Please make your best donation today!

In Liberty,

Mark Hinkle, LNC Chair

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Paid for by the Libertarian National Committee
2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

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Rent Raised On LPHQ!

Dear Libertarian Party supporter,

I need your help reaching a fundraising milestone to keep our hopes for purchasing a building alive.

As I mentioned in a previous message, the lease on our national Libertarian Party headquarters is up at the end of February 2012, and the landlord has indicated they'll be raising the rates 10% to almost $140,000 per year.

So far we've raised $152,609 in donations and pledges toward buying an office building townhouse in Old Town Alexandria near DC. The Libertarian National Committee may make a decision this Thursday -- and I think some members of the committee won't be comfortable voting to buy a building unless we raise more.

Our contract to purchase this office only calls for $172,000 down payment -- however to get the most savings (over $70,000 a year compared to our current lease) some on the LNC would like to put $300,000 down on this property. That means we are only halfway to where we need to be.

Please make your best donation today. Don't worry, if we ultimately decide not to buy a building, we'll contact you and offer to return your donation.

Our independent outside auditor (see report) recently reported that if we had purchased a building in 2003, instead of renting all this time, we'd own the building by now, and we'd be saving $120,000 a year.

Buying a building now will save us $70,000 over the current lease and $50,000 over a new lease at another location.

This frees up much needed funds for affiliate and candidate support and allows us to make a statement that we are here to stay!

Please make your best donation today!

In Liberty,

Mark Hinkle, LNC Chair

P.S. Please send me an email to chair@lp.org and tell me what you think the LNC should do? In addition, please make your best contribution here today and help us reach our goal of raising $300,000 towards the purchase of our new HQ.

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Paid for by the Libertarian National Committee
2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

From Our Friend John Todd

A call to action on the petition signing drive!  We need your help!

We have until December 7, 2011 to turn in the 2,500 plus petition signatures needed to “let the voters decide” the public policy relating to whether or not the new downtown Ambassador hotel gets to keep a portion of the transient guest taxes it collects, or if these funds, like the guest taxes collected by other Wichita hotels, go into the Tourism and Convention Fund.  The Tourism and Convention Fund pays for the promotion and recruitment for Wichita and the maintenance of Century II. 

Several people are currently collecting signatures on petitions and I want to thank them for their efforts.  If you have been collecting signatures, please be sure to turn them in so we have some idea of the number we currently have and how many more are needed to exceed our 2,500 plus signature goal.

I am concerned with the number of petition signatures we have received so far and can tell you that more petition signatures are needed immediately.  Please let us know if you would like to help by circulating a petition.  We have walking lists available and will make an effort to pair you up with someone else to walk with.

Attached are flyers that explain the petition in detail. 

In addition to AFP, Kansans for Liberty has been actively involved in leading this petition drive project.  You can reach Kansans for Liberty President Craig Gabel at 806-3300 cell phone or craig_gabel@yahoo.com by email.   

Please call either of us if you can help. 

Thanks,

John Todd

john@johntodd.net

(316) 312-7335 cell 

LP Monday Message

November 14, 2011

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Over 90 Libertarian candidates were in the November 8 elections.

We know of at least eight Libertarians who won!

• Susan Bell was re-elected without opposition as Town Judge of Hagerstown, Indiana.
• Joe Calfo was elected to the Wellington Exempted Village School District Board of Education in Ohio.
• Dennis Denney was elected to the Shirley Town Council in Indiana.
• Roger Fritz was re-elected as the mayor of Roland, Iowa.
• Todd Grayson was re-elected to the Perrysburg City Council in Ohio.
• Jerald Robertson was elected to the Elmwood Place Village Council in Ohio.
• Miccah Shepherd was elected as the Clerk-Treasurer of Claypool, Indiana.
• Erik Viker was re-elected to the Selinsgrove Borough Council in Pennsylvania.

(Note, the winners in Indiana and Pennsylvania were in partisan elections.)

Congratulations to these Libertarian winners, and thanks to all Libertarians who have run for office this year.

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

GET INVOLVED:

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From Our Friend John Todd

Wichita Area Chapter Meeting

Guests welcome!

Monday, November 14, 2011

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Alford Branch Wichita Public Library

3447 S. Meridian (Meeting Room)

Wichita, Kansas 67217

MAKING ECONOMICS

COME ALIVE

With John Stossel

Part 1: Economics of Property Rights

Clip 1: Private Ownership and Conservation 3:15

Clip 2: Property Rights and the Status of Native Americans 6:09

Clip 3:

Clip 4: Economics and the Military Draft 1:52

Part 2: Regulation and Unintended Consequences

Clip 5: Regulation: Louisiana Florist 4:37

Clip 6: The Unintended Consequences of the Ethanol Subsidies 4:15

Clip 7: The Unintended Consequences of Minimum Wage Laws 4:35

Part 3: Public Choice Economics and Crony Capitalism

Clip 8: Trade Restrictions and Crony Capitalism 4:15

Clip 9: Stimulus Spending and Crony Capitalism 4:22 Clip 10: Political Versus Market Choices 1:32

Atlis Shrugged: Selfishness and the Economics of Exchange 6:27

Presentation of the DVD Videos will be followed by group discussion.

For additional information on this program please contact:

John Todd, Wichita-area AFP volunteer coordinator at

Or

Susan Estes, AFP Field Director at

john@johntodd.net, (316) 312-7335sestes@afphq.org, (316) 681-4415

Making Economics Come Alive

both macro- and micro- economics concepts to inspire audience interest and promote lively

discussion. Copyright 2011 “Stossel in the Classroom” A copy of this series was purchased for

AFPF classroom use.

with John Stossel. John Stossel uses current events to illustrate

Americans for Prosperity Foundation is a section 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal

Revenue Code. Contributions to AFP Foundation are tax deductible. AFP Foundation’s

focus is to educate the general public about public policy issues, not to support or oppose

specific legislation.

Late Monday Message!

November 7, 2011

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Today is Election Day!

If you haven't already voted, please go today and vote for every Libertarian on your ballot.

Look here to see if any Libertarians are running in your area. The list is sorted by state.

We have a total of 87 Libertarians on the ballot tomorrow. That's pretty good for an odd-numbered year. In November 2009, we only knew of 57 Libertarians on the ballot.

If you click on the candidates' names, you'll see if they have a campaign website listed. (If not, you may need to do a web search for more information.)

If you know of any Libertarian Party candidates on the ballot tomorrow who are not on our list, please let us know at info@lp.org.

Also, contact your friends and family and let them know to vote for these Libertarians. Many of the races are nonpartisan, so it won't say "Libertarian" on the ballot -- they will need to know the candidate's name.

I am grateful to all of our candidates, their families, volunteers, and donors who have given their time, effort, and money to promote liberty.

Vote Libertarian today!

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

Ron Paul! Ron Paul! Ron Paul!