Libertarian Party Weekly Newsletter Open Carry Celebration Do Libertarians make a difference? Professor Liberty on Capitalism   With so much in the news about the NSA, government over-reach, and snooping everywhere, it is easy to wonder if Libertarians actually make a difference ... anywhere. Is it even possible for our voice to be heard?  We’ll address the pervasiveness of government snooping in a future missive. This week, we will concentrate on how LPKS actually makes a difference for Liberty in Kansas. But, first we want to look at the results of our Open Carry celebration in Lenexa. It was phenomenal! Volunteers Mike Kerner and Grant Nelson did a fantastic job of organizing the event. Three TV stations from the KC area were on hand. Mike and Earl McIntosh did many interviews and Channel 41 did a live broadcast on location. You can see that interview here. Amazingly, with so many people openly carrying a loaded weapon, no one got shot! There were no reports of criminal activity either. We wonder if there is a correlation? Prairie Village and Leawood, cities within Johnson County, have been slow to get the message. They both still have ordinances banning Open Carry, counter to State Law. LPKS plans to file suit against both of them. While our attorney is giving his time for the cause pro bono, he is not underwriting the out-of-pocket costs.  To file these lawsuits will cost about $500 each. The good news: We received donations at the Open Carry Celebration to nearly cover the costs of one of these lawsuits. The bad news: We still need about $600 before we can file both suits. If this is important to you, you may make a generous donation on-line, or you may mail a check payable to Johnson County Open Carry or JOCO Open Carry to: Grant Nelson, Johnson County Chair; 7932 Dearborn Drive; Prairie Village, KS 66208. Questions: email grant_m_nelson@hotmail.com This campaign illustrates a major difference between Libertarians and two other political parties. R’s and D’s use a large paid staff to implement policy which is based, not on principle, but some unknown and changeable criteria. Their party organization is not unlike the governments they hope to lead. To pay for this oppression, they both employ (and pay) an army of fund-raisers. Libertarians, on the other hand, have a philosophy that has changed little since it was founded 42 years ago. We favor smaller government, more personal freedom and individual responsibility. We use volunteers to promote our policies. If our policies do not resonate with our followers, we won’t have the volunteers or the funds to move it forward. We rely on contributions given freely by our supporters. Although our expenses are minimal, we do have expenses. If they are not met, our message of Liberty will not reach others and we will forever be a ‘third party’ ... just a thorn in the side of the R’s and D’s, but never a threat to either. We want LPKS to be more than a debating society. Just over 200 days into this year, we have been extraordinarily successful in many areas. To name just a few: We promoted a drone resolution in Douglas County We overturned Open Carry bans in five cities (so far) We saved open carry in vehicles in Topeka We defeated a tax increase in Lawrence to pay for enhanced security measures in public buildings We got HB2111 (open carry) passed out of committee WOW! That’s a lot for any political party to accomplish ... particularly a small party with no major office holders and a very limited budget. Last week, we explained the FOR campaign. It is coordinated with both print and FaceBook and presents a positive message for Libertarians. Hopefully, it will be on U-Tube soon if our supporters believe it is worthy. For the past several years, we have established a credible track record of positive accomplishments in the face of strong opposition. As a result, we’ve seen the largest increase in LP registrations in the history of Kansas ... and we still have half a year to go. We are working hard to expand our county groups into all 105 counties so every Liberty-minded Kansan can be involved. This is something no other political party even tries to do. Rapid expansion like this is expensive. If those who claim to favor Liberty do not support these accomplishments, they will become much more limited. While we dislike having to ask, your support is critical to maintain this level of success. Please consider a one-time gift of $25 or $50; or a monthly pledge of just $10 or $20. Just click here. County Fair season is upon us once again. Libertarians in Gray County had their first experience with their County Fair recently. They were extremely pleased with the success and interest in their first booth. Welcome nine new followers from Gray County. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. LPKS encourages county groups to have booths at these. We still need volunteers to help with Leavenworth County (July 30-Aug 3). We believe we have enough volunteers for both Osage and Shawnee County Fairs. Unfortunately, our Jackson County booth was cancelled because of inadequate volunteer support. If you can or want to help, please reply to this email. And, don’t forget the Kansas State Fair coming up in Hutchinson.  Professor Liberty says: Capitalism, an Overview  Capitalism (good) is advocated by libertarians while crony capitalism (bad) is advanced by politicians both on the left and the right in bed with big business. Frequently, the two are confused, most commonly by critics who mistakenly confuse capitalism with its corrupt, unjust cousin.  Capitalism is like a well-earned victory. Crony capitalism is cheating in order to win.  Capitalism entails the exchange of goods and services by free persons. Contracts are entered into, currency is exchanged, and bartering may ensue. You choose to buy or sell goods and services in a free market system – you, a free person, choose to trade with other free persons.  Individual freedom is the essence of libertarian thought. Ultimately, transactions are based off the choices of individuals in a free market. If you buy a hamburger for $2 it means you would rather have the hamburger than the $2 and the vendor would rather have the $2 than the hamburger.  An economy is created around this simple concept. Consistent with human nature, disagreements will happen, some people will perpetuate fraudulent endeavors, and even commit thievery. When this happens, the legal system, by way of government, will assist in the name of justice.  Government has a place in a capitalist system: To ensure that Natural Law thrives. Otherwise, capitalists/libertarians generally believe that government should stay the heck out of the way. That is a free market, and the really good news is a truly free market system (a capitalist economy with government in its rightful, small place) has yet to exist (sort of like world peace), so a worthy goal grounded in liberty is set and ready for libertarians to work towards.  Unfortunately, while libertarians work towards a free market economy, a crony capitalistic system is alive and well. Next week the marriage of government and business known as crony capitalism will be explored. Russell Fulmer, Ph.D.

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events.... Libertarians are the fastest growing party in Kansas. We seek to maintain our momentum by keeping everyone informed. If you have an event scheduled, please let us know so we can help you get the word out. We owe much of our success to local groups that meet to organize and promote the message of Liberty in their communities. We are working to establish at least one local group in each Kansas County. Does your county have a group yet?  If not, should consider organizing one!  Contact the state chair at Chair@LPKS.org for more information or assistance organizing your county for Liberty. A list of LPKS County Chairs can be found HERE (click on the "County Chairs" tab). Other events can be found on the LPKS page on Facebook HERE.