National Convention Happening Soon!

Fellow Libertarian Party Member,

You Are Cordially Invited to Attend

40^th Anniversary Libertarian National Convention

Homecoming and Reunion for Libertarians     

May 2-6      Red Rock Resort     Las Vegas, NV

“Why is This Year’s 40^th Anniversary Libertarian National Convention Unlike Any Other in LP History?”

1. Key LP Movers and Shakers of the Last 40 Years Are Coming to this Gala Event
2. These Fascinating Libertarians are already Confirmed  Speakers, Panelists, and Presenters:
Tonie Nathan, 1972 Libertarian Vice-Presidential Candidate AND the first woman to ever receive an Electoral Vote
Ed Clark, 1980 Libertarian Presidential Candidate. Highest Libertarian Presidential Vote Total Ever: 921,128 votes.
David Bergland, 1984 Libertarian Presidential Candidate, author Libertarianism in One Lesson
Dr. Nancy Lord, 1992 Libertarian Vice-Presidential Candidate
Carla Howell, 2000 Massachusetts Libertarian U.S. Senate Candidate Against Teddy Kennedy. 308,860 votes.
Robert Poole, co-founder REASON.
Manny Klausner, co-founder REASON.
Alicia Garcia Clark, National Libertarian Leader and Chair
Michael Cloud, Libertarian Campaign Guru, author Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion.
Sharon Harris, President, Advocates for Self-Government.

Judge James Gray, Libertarian, CA

Judge John Buttrick, Libertarian, AZ

Norma Jean Almodovar, LP Lt. Governor Candidate CA, author, From Cop to Call Girl, featured on ’60 Minutes.’
Elected Libertarians Panel, with names to be announced.
PLUS Friends of Libertarian Heroes Who Have Passed Away Will Share Stories About: David F. Nolan, founder, Libertarian Party. Dr. John Hospers, first Libertarian Presidential Candidate. Harry Browne, Unforgettable 2-Time Libertarian Presidential Candidate. Dr. Murray Rothbard, Austrian Economist. Marshall Fritz, founder, Advocates for Self-Government.
PLUS Several Surprise Libertarian Luminaries.

3. This May be Your First, Last, or Only Chance to Meet These Fascinating Libertarians who created and shaped and developed the Libertarian Party during our first 40 years.
4. Every Living Libertarian Party Member is Invited
5. Libertarian Party Members are coming from all 50 states
PLUS, you’ll get meet and talk with the 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidates – and, if you choose to be a delegate, you will help select our 2012 Libertarian Presidential Nominee.
You’ll Get to Meet and Talk with Libertarian Party Leaders of the last 40 Years – and, if you’re a delegate, help choose our new LP leaders.
PLUS, candidate trainings, activists training, state party leader training.

PLUS, there will be bunches of receptions and parties. Some quiet and friendly. Others noisy and fun. There will be widespread, unregulated fun – and spontaneous laughter.
All for You.
This Convention is a Celebration of You. Of Your Libertarian Principles and Memories and Dreams. Of the Past, Present, and Future of Your Liberty – and Ours.

You’ll remember this 40th Anniversary Libertarian National Convention for the rest of your life. 

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You Are Cordially Invited to Attend

The 40^th Anniversary Libertarian National Convention

     Homecoming and Reunion for Libertarians

Liberty Will Win

Because of who you are and what you have done to support liberty and the Libertarian Party, we are giving you a choice of 4 different Convention Packages: Gold, Silver, Bronze, or TANSTAAFL – each with a rock bottom price. 

Look over all 4 choices. Which do you want? Which fits your situation and budget?

Gold Package

•       Presidential Banquet & Reception
•       Saturday Lunch & Speaker
•       Saturday Wake-up Speaker
•       Gold VIP Post-Debate Presidential Candidate Reception Friday
•       Friday Lunch & Speaker
•       Friday Wake-up Speaker
•       David F. Nolan Reception Wednesday
•       All  Breakout Speakers

PLUS:

These Special Bonuses for Gold Package Buyers

•       Express, First Class Gold Convention Check-In
•       Premium Front Rows Seating at the Presidential Debate
•       Express, First Class Entrance to the Presidential Banquet
•       Reserved Tables at the Presidential Banquet – & more spacious seating
•       Wine at Banquet
•       One or two Libertarian VIP’s Hosting each Banquet table 
•       AND Two Surprise Gifts – one will be shipped to you this week

Base Gold Package Value: $595

Special Bonuses Value: $195

Total Value: $790

Your Price: $445 ($345 Savings / 44% Discount)
Because of Your Support for the Libertarian Party,
Because this is the 40^th Anniversary of the Libertarian Party,
We are offering You this $790 Value for Only $445 – a 44% Savings - if You are one of the first 100 Buyers of this offer. 

$445 Gold Package – Buy Now

Silver Package  

•       Presidential Banquet & Reception
•       Saturday Lunch & Speaker
•       Saturday Wake-up Speaker
•       Friday Lunch  & Speaker
•       Friday Wake-up Speaker
•       David F. Nolan Reception Wednesday
•       All  Breakout Speakers

Silver Package Price at Door: $495

Your Price: Only $395 ($100 Savings / 24% Discount)

Discount Price for the first 75 Silver Package Buyers

$395 Silver Package – Buy Now

Bronze Package 

•       Presidential Banquet & Reception
•       David F. Nolan Reception Wednesday
•       All Breakout Sessions (NO Wake-up or Lunch Speakers)

Bronze Package Price at Door: $395

Your Price: Only $295 ($100 Savings / 25% Discount)

Discount Price for the first 75 Bronze Package Buyers

$295 Bronze Package – Buy Now

TANSTAAFL Package

TANSTAAFL is the minimum required payment for Delegates and Alternates to enter the Convention to participate in Libertarian Party business, and in Libertarian Delegate meetings and activities.
“TANSTAAFL” is longtime libertarian acronym, which means:

“There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch”

Some Libertarian Delegates want to attend only business sessions. They should NOT be required to buy more expensive Convention Packages just to be a Delegate at the Libertarian National Convention.
TANSTAAFL Package allows these to pay only the cost of what they choose.
Each attendee must pay his share of the basic costs of putting on this Libertarian National Convention. The costs of the meeting rooms, the tables and chairs, audio-visual systems, LP support staff, Parliamentarian, printing and shipping materials, and so forth for several days of Libertarian Party National business.=
These costs are included in the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and TANSTAAFL Convention Packages.
Paying Delegates and Attendees will NOT be forced to pay the Convention costs of ‘Free Riders.’
TanstaafC: “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Convention”

$94 TANSTAAFL package – Buy Now

Don’t Miss Out. Act Now.

You Can Buy Your Gold, Silver, Bronze, or TANSTAAFL Package with Credit Card or Debit Card. 

Just Click and Pick.

The True Tea Party Candidate Is Ron Paul!

Libertarian Party Executive Director Carla Howell is quoted in the current issue of the New American which suggests that many Tea Party members remain unaware of Republican Mitt Romney's voting record (as well as that of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich) - all Big Government:

Carla Howell pointed out, "The Massachusetts state budget was $22.7 billion a year when (Romney) took office in January of 2003. When he left office four years later, it was over $25.7 billion — plus another $2.2 billion in spending that the legislature took 'off budget.' (Romney never reminds us of this fact.) The net effect of budgets proposed and signed into law by Mitt Romney? An additional $5.2 billion in state spending — and a similar increase in new taxes. Every year.”

2012 Libertarian candidates for federal office, and especially the eventual Libertarian presidential nominee, have a huge opportunity to inform voters of how Republicans and Democrats are equally guilty of reckless, dangerous high government spending.
Libertarian candidates will offer Tea Party enthusiasts and voters everywhere a real choice for much lower government spending, lower taxes and a more stable dollar - all conditions that promote private sector job growth.

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P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party with a mission to give voters a choice to downsize Big Government, to do so in the most humane way possible, to greatly reduce taxes, and to slash high government spending. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can simply make a contribution .

LP Platform

Dear fellow Libertarian,

I hope you are having a great start to your new year!

I am writing you because I need your help.  I serve as the chair of the 2012 Platform Committee and I need to know some of your opinions about our party platform.

With the 2012 convention just around the corner, our convention delegates will soon be voting on improvements to the platform.

The 2012 Platform Committee met in December and adopted a series of 16 recommendations.  By completing this Survey you will be able to share with us your thoughts on our recommendations, some of which were inspired by comments received on previous-year surveys.

Your responses will be very helpful.  If you identify important factors we overlooked, or if you can think of improvements for the proposals, the Committee will have an opportunity to modify our report when we meet again in Las Vegas just before the convention in May.

Please take a few minutes to participate in the process by completing this survey which allows you to show support/opposition for each recommendation as well as an opportunity to provide comments on each.

If you need to review the current Libertarian Party platform, you can find it at http://www.lp.org/platform on the party's website.

Thank you,

Alicia Mattson

Chair, Libertarian Party Platform Committee

From The Topeka-Capital Journal: Letters To The Editor

Worried Libertarian

Posted: February 20, 2012 - 8:02pm 

 

I am a registered Libertarian and am afraid for our country. Our Constitution was written to set limits on the size and scope of our government. I love my country. It is the government I am afraid of. It is my contention that our government, and its spending programs if left unchecked, will be the downfall of our democracy and our country as we know it.

I feel our country has reached a tipping point in history and is trending toward self-destruction. I watch the two major political parties’ core voters trending in opposite directions as a percentage of the electorate.
The base of the Republican Party is dying. The base of the party consists of wealthier white people, religious folks and conservatives. Their numbers are declining because their birth rate is less than their death rate.
In contrast, the base of the Democratic Party is growing as a share of the electorate. Poorer white people, Hispanic, Latino, African-American and Asian populations are steadily growing in numbers due to immigration and higher birth rates. Demographically, these groups tend to vote as Democrats. As a general rule, the base of the Democratic Party relies on government services, government benefits and government jobs. Almost half of all Americans live in a household that receives some sort of government subsidy — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, welfare payments, disability checks, farm subsidies, food stamps and now even cellphone — creating a dependent class of people. Once someone is receiving a government payment, it is nearly impossible politically to take it away. The receivers of benefits are now beginning to outnumber the producers.
In this current economy, the number of taxpayers is shrinking and the number of tax consumers is growing. Forty-six percent of all Americans pay no federal tax yet consume the majority of federal services. The national debt of more than $15 trillion equals our annual GDP, which means we now spend more than we produce. Federal spending has baseline budgets that automatically increase each year for each department, regardless of a department’s need for an increase.
Government programs were intended to provide a safety net for the poor. Instead, they are evolving into a net to snare, trap and enslave our population. If these trends continue unabated, our government and its programs will be the cancer that consumes our freedom and liberty and kills the pursuit of happiness for our grandchildren. Is a limited government even possible to achieve anymore?

JOE WEIR,
Topeka

Amity Schlaes Is Coming To Wichita!

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
proudly presents a community forum

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study
and love of American history, serving teachers, students, scholars, and the general public.

Underwritten by

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Calvin Coolidge:
The President Who Said "No"
And Led the Country to Prosperity

An Evening with Amity Shlaes

Amity Shlaes is a syndicated columnist for Bloomberg News and author of the
best-selling books, “The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression,” and “The Greedy Hand: Why Taxes Drive Americans Crazy.” She serves as director of the Four Percent Growth Project at the George W. Bush Institute.

Ms. Shlaes was formerly a columnist for the Financial Times and a member of the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, specializing in economics. Over the years, she has published in National Review, The New Republic, Foreign Affairs, American Spectator, Suddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit.

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Event Details:

Thursday, March 1, 2012 5:30 PM Wine and Hors d’oeuvres 6-7 PM Presentation Followed By Q&A Hyatt Regency Wichita, 400 West Waterman Street - Redbud Ballroom Seating is limited. RSVP by February 23, 2012 Please join us for a  book signing following the presentation. 

From Our Friend In The Fight For Liberty, Lynda Tyler!

City Hall needs to end all the tax giveaways
When money is diverted from taxes to individuals, there is always a gap that has to be filled from another source. The Wichita City Council decision to rebate the city property tax to 1,000 new-home buyers sounds more like a used-car commercial than a competent city government (Feb. 15 Business Today).
I understand council members’ attempt to stimulate the new-home market for their campaign donors. But not only does it put those of us trying to sell older homes at a disadvantage, it limits the funds available to the fire and police departments that will be responsible for protecting those 1,000 homes for free for five years. Property taxes were put in place for a reason – to pay for services the property owners will receive.
Same thing with the Ambassador Hotel guest tax. Those guest taxes are meant to help fund the promotion of Wichita and to bring in the very events needed to fill those hotels. New jobs, they say? Spending millions for tourism generally brings only minimum-wage jobs over the long run and a few construction jobs for the short run.
Let’s send a message to City Hall and vote “no” for “no more tax giveaways.”
LYNDA TYLER
Wichita

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/02/18/2220304/letters-to-the-editor-on-tax-giveaways.html#storylink=cpy

We Support A Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy!

February 16th, 2012

Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle: 

End Dangerous Sanctions Now; Peace Through Free Trade

 WASHINGTON - Libertarian National Committee Chair, Mark Hinkle, released the following statement today: 
"As relations with Iran deteriorate, President Barrack Obama and the Bipartisan Senate Committee are making things worse: inciting yet another war in the Middle East through economic sanctions.
"On February 2^nd,  2012 the Senate Banking Committee unanimously approved increased sanctions against Iran. Not willing to wait for a full Senate vote, President Obama increased sanctions by executive order on February 6^th. 
"The United States must stop meddling and return to our traditional libertarian foreign policy of free trade in order to give peace a chance in the Middle East. 
"Trade sanctions are proven failures. In the 1990s, Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton enforced trade sanctions against Iraq which led to the deaths of more than 100,000 innocent men, women and children. 
"Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in an appearance on 60 Minutes in 1996, was asked about the child deaths from sanctions, and replied "I think this a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it." Albright's willingness to sacrifice Arab children to achieve US policy goals was broadcast throughout the Arab world and was cited by Osama Bin Laden as a key motivation for the 9/11 attacks. 
"Now the US government is doing the same thing to Iran, a country that not only has never attacked the United States, but has attacked no other country in over 200 years.
"Sanctions don't work. They unite the people of a country behind their political leaders, no matter how bad that leader may be. By meddling in foreign affairs, U.S. politicians turn foreign citizens - who support the United States - against us.
"Rather than repeat failed policies of past presidents, we must use the successful policies of those who kept us out of war.  Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson kept the United States out of the bloody French Revolution and allowed us to make peace with our archenemy, the British, by pursuing Free Trade and a noninterventionist foreign policy. 
"The Libertarian Party calls for removing all restrictions on trade. Free Trade is the best way to foster peace in the Middle East. 

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GET INVOLVED:

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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Libertarian Presidential Candidates

Dear fellow Libertarians,
Members of the Libertarian National Committee have been debating whether or not to list presidential candidates at our web site, and if we do, whether to qualify those who are posted.
There are good arguments for all sides.
Examples of reasons for listing Libertarian presidential candidates:

• To inform members and, in particular, delegates who must choose our nominee.
• To inform the media and the general voting public, some of whom will vote in primaries.
• To offset the lack of institutional and media support for Libertarian Party candidates.

Examples of reasons not to list presidential candidates:

• To screen out candidates who are not dedicated to advancing our libertarian agenda, or who actually oppose it.
• To exclude individuals who appear to be disingenuously using the LP.
• To disqualify candidates who are running for the nomination of more than one party.
• To avoid publicizing candidates whose presentation is viewed by most Libertarians as embarrassing or inappropriate for a presidential candidate and who could reflect badly on the party.

Many Libertarian National Committee members have struggled with the right approach to balancing these issues. Despite several attempts to come up with objective criteria, no ideal approach has yet been found. Some argue that the disclaimer now posted at LP.org is sufficient to demonstrate that listed candidates do not necessarily meet with the approval of the party and its members. (Note that candidates can still run for the Presidential nomination whether or not they are listed.)
An LNC motion to decide whether to entirely remove the list of candidates is currently pending.
What's your view? Vote today on how you think this delicate matter should be handled.
In Liberty,
Carla Howell
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 with a mission to give voters a choice for much less Big Government, much lower taxes, and much lower government spending. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership

From The Sunday February 5, 2012 Wichita Eagle Op-Ed

Market solutions best for Wichita

By Bob Weeks  www.wichitaliberty.org

In his State of the City address last week, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer spoke on several topics that deserve discussion. As an example, several times he criticized those who act on “partisan agendas.” Partisan refers to following a party line, usually with a negative connotation.
But the Wichita City Council, even though it has four Republican members, almost always votes uniformly with Brewer (a Democrat). The only exception is Republican Michael O’Donnell. The other Republican members routinely vote in concert with the Democrats and liberals on the council.
Also, consider the many members of the business community who appeal to the city for subsidies and increased government intervention: Many of these are Republicans – c onservative Republicans, many have personally told me.
This describes a lack of partisanship. Those such as myself who frequently oppose the mayor and his policies are more accurately characterized not as acting along party lines, but as acting on their belief in economic freedom, free markets and limited government.
The mayor said that the city’s efforts had created “almost 1,000 jobs.” That’s just over one-half of 1 percent of Wichita’s labor force, a minuscule number that is dwarfed by the normal ebb and flow of other economic activity.
Still, the mayor’s plan, in his words, is: “We will incentivize new jobs.” But this active investor policy has produced only a small number of jobs, year after year. While the mayor repeatedly said that the city has been “courageous,” in reality, Wichita does about the same as other cities.
Art Hall, director of the Center for Applied Economics at the University of Kansas School of Business, makes a convincing case that Kansas needs to abandon its active investor approach to economic development, in which government decides which companies will receive special treatment through various forms of subsidy. This is the approach of Wichita, and according to the mayor’s vision, this plan is to be stepped up.
Hall cites research indicating that local officials believe they can influence local economies far more than evidence indicates. He also believes that we can break out of the bidding wars for large employers by employing a strategy of economic dynamism. Government would concentrate on the basics, building a platform where all businesses have a chance to thrive, instead of betting on just a few anointed winners as we currently do. This would truly distinguish Kansas and Wichita.
The mayor criticized those who “provide simplistic answers to very complicated challenges.” He may be referring to those like myself who, like Hall, advocate for free-market solutions. We are criticized for not having a plan for government to implement, but that’s precisely the point. Relying on economic freedom, free markets and limited government for jobs and prosperity means trusting in free people, the energy of decentralized innovation and spontaneous order. A government plan for economic development is the opposite of these principles.
We need business and political leaders in Wichita and Kansas who can see beyond the simplistic imagery of a groundbreaking ceremony and who can assess the effect of our failing economic development policies. Unfortunately, we don’t have many of these – and Brewer leads in the wrong direction, preferring crony capitalism and corporate welfare instead.
Bob Weeks runs the website Voice for Liberty in Wichita.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/02/05/2201900/market-solutions-best-for-wichita.html#storylink=cpy