On March 15, the 5th circuit refused to rehear Libertarian Party v Dardenne, 09-30307. Earlier the 5th circuit had ruled that the dispute is moot. Oddly, though, another panel of the 5th circuit had ruled a few weeks earlier that a similar lawsuit from Mississippi is not moot. The Mississippi case involved Brian Moore’s being kept off the ballot because of late paperwork. The Louisiana case involves Bob Barr, Brian Moore, and Ted Weill (Reform Party 2008 presidential candidate) being kept off the ballot because of late paperwork.

The 5th circuit did not explain why it won’t rehear the case. The Libertarian Party will probably ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

Montana has four ballot-qualified parties: Constitution, Democratic, Libertarian, and Republican. All four nominate by primary. Filing for the June 2010 primaries closed on March 15.

The Libertarian Party has a candidate for the only statewide office on the ballot, U.S. House. The Libertarians also have one candidate for State Senate, five for State House, and one for Sheriff.

The Constitution Party has six candidates for the State House, but none for the only statewide office (U.S. House), and none for State Senate. Because the party is not running for a statewide office, it will lose its spot on the ballot after November 2010. When a party meets the vote test it remains on for the next two elections. It met the vote test in 2006, which kept on for 2008 and 2010, but it did not meet the test in 2008. However, the party has successfully completed the party petition four times before, so presumably it can do so again in 2011.

Montana requires independent candidates (for office other than President) to submit petitions in March. Out of the 125 state legislative races, only three independents filed. Two chose the label “independent” and one, Cheryl Wolfe, chose “Green.

Dear Friend of Liberty,

I gave a speech to the Libertarian Party of Maryland state convention on
Saturday about how “Libertarians Candidates Make a Difference.” Maryland
has a nice slate of Libertarian candidates for the 2010 elections.

See our entire list of candidates sorted by state.

Please note that in some cases, state parties choose to list all filed

candidates prior to the final nomination (for example, Texas lists five
candidates seeking the LP nomination for Governor), while other states
wait until after nomination to list their candidates.

If you don’t see any candidates in the districts where you live, then
please visit this page to see how Libertarian candidates make a difference, and consider signing up to be a possible candidate.

Deadlines vary by state, but the sooner you express your interest, the
better. If you’ve already expressed interest and gotten no response, you

might try again.

While the media sometimes ignore Libertarians, that’s definitely not always the case. Libertarians often get lots of coverage. Here’s a recent example from Austin, Texas.

On a separate note: Health care is big issue right now. Please read this message again. It would not hurt to call your congressman again, and repeat every so often until we elect Libertarians.

Thanks for being a Libertarian.

Sincerely,
alt=”" height=”49″ width=”216″>

Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not yet become a member of the Libertarian Party and
wish to do so, please click here and join the only political party
dedicated to free markets and civil liberties. If you need to renew,
please click here. If you would like to make a contribution separate

from membership, please click here.

Towne has held ”Towne hall” meet and greets and began circulating nominating petitions last week in a series of public appearances at local pizza and sandwich shops, hoping to gather the 3,629 signatures a third-party or independent candidate needs to place his name on the ballot in the race for Lehigh Valley’s 15th Congressional District.

”I’m out-gunned and everything, but a lot of times, people like an underdog,” Towne said. If he succeeds, he’ll face Democratic Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and three-term Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, or his primary challenger Mat Benol, a tea party activist from Palmer Township, in the general election. . . .

Towne’s down-to-earth approach and fiscally conservative politics have made a fan of 43-year-old Center Valley real estate broker Bob Dandi, a conservative who backed Mike Huckabee in the last Republican presidential primary but has grown disillusioned with the party as a whole. ”At this point in time, I can’t see voting for any candidate of any political party that has been in power for the last 17 years because they are the ones who got us into this mess,” Dandy said . . .

While voters seem hungry for an alternative to the status quo, third-party candidates face serious obstacles obtaining funding and convincing voters they’re contenders, said Muhlenberg College political scientist Chris Borick. ‘It’s pretty clear there’s interest in candidates who represent something fresh,” Borick said. ”What remains to be seen is if that translates into support for candidates outside the normal party structures.”

Cross-posted from Poli-Tea.

Ballot Access News

Rand Paul, son of Congressman Ron Paul, is leading in polls for the Kentucky Republican Senate nomination, according to this story. Rand Paul, like his father, is a friend of the ballot access reform movement. He was active in 1988 when his father was the Libertarian Party nominee, and he is well-informed about unjust ballot access laws. Four states kept Paul off the ballot in 1988: Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and West Virginia.

The Kentucky primary is on May 18.

The web page “Join California” has made a strenuous effort to learn how many candidates filed for partisan office in the June 8, 2010 California primaries. This information is not official. Each candidate files in his or her own home county, so “Join California” had to contact each of the 58 counties to gather the data this early in the cycle. The filing deadline was Friday, March 12.

Estimates are: 325 Democrats, 316 Republicans, 32 Libertarians, 23 Peace & Freedom, 18 Green, 18 American Independent. There are also 50 candidates for whom the records don’t show which party. California has 165 partisan offices up in 2010.

See “Join California” at this link. The tally of candidates is on the upper right corner.

Currently among the two major parties the selection of pro liberty candidates is pretty slim. Both Andrew Cuomo and Rick Lazio are well known gun grabbers and at this time I can’t find any information on potential Democrat candidate Steve Levy in regards to gun rights. Other candidates with unknown gun rights positions include [Kristin] Davis who is seeking the Libertarian nomination and Carl Paladino a potential Independent candidate being drafted by a Buffalo based Tea Party group.

Don’t fret fellow New Yorkers there is one candidate so far that is committed to the right to bear arms and his name is Warren Redlich. David Codrea a gun rights writer for Examiner.com has put out a simple questionnaire for gun owners to ask politicians who want their support. Redlich was kind enough to provide answers to the questionnaire and it shows that Redlich is committed to the Second Amendment for all New York citizens.

Answers to the questionnaire are here

Meanwhile, posted at Huffington Post:

On Tuesday, the Daily Caller profiled the newest entrant into the New York Governor’s race: Libertarian candidate and former madame, Kristin Davis. Here’s a quick description of her:

Davis built the most successful escort service in world history. She had more than 100 girls and operated in 5 countries, with a call center in Uruguay. She could dispatch a $1,000-plus-an-hour call girl to a hotel or residence in Paris, Berlin, Gstaad, Rome, New York, L.A., Miami, Dubai, Montreal or elsewhere within minutes. She personally recruited her girls at bars, clubs, resorts and restaurants.

Davis claimed that the former governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, was her service’s most famous client and she spent four months in prison after the Spitzer scandal broke.

In the interview, Davis discusses her libertarian platform, her ideas about legalizing pot and prostitution and her relationship with Roger Stone, a Spitzer nemesis who was suspected of setting up the former governor and now serves as the primary backer of the Davis campaign. When the Daily Caller asks Davis whether she can really get her name on the ballot in New York, Davis says she is “confident.”

I’m a Libertarian. Barry Goldwater is a personal hero. I believe in free men, free women and free markets. I distrust government. I believe in the individual. I think a woman must control her own body when it comes to abortion or choosing to rent it for an hour. I like Ron Paul and much of what he stands for. I support gun rights…

Either way I an confident that I can collect more than enough signatures from cadres of escorts, ex-escorts, strippers, dancers, dommes, gays, lesbians, Libertarians, Ron Paul supporters, U.S. Marines, rappers who revere the pimp or other lovers of freedom moving my petitions under the direction of my communications consultant Frank Morano.

(Emphasis added).

Ballot Access News reports that Davis will attend the New York Libertarian Party convention in Albany on April 23-24, and says she has not yet decided whether she will run as a Personal Freedom Party candidate or a Libertarian. Previous stories stated that she had settled on the Personal Freedom Label, while earlier stories said she would run as an independent and, before that, as a Libertarian.

Redlich is running for the Republican and Libertarian nominations, and has described himself as a “Tea Party” candidate on his website.

Alta Loma, CA: When the LNC granted a single Chair candidate the opportunity to speak at a luncheon immediately before elections, California delegate and activist Mike McMahon took action.

“It is inappropriate for the LNC to grant such an obvious advantage to a single candidate. The choice of who leads this Party must be left to the delegates without top-down meddling in the political process” he said, “and I would say the same thing no matter which candidate they’d favored this way.”

After the LNC failed to address this perceived inpropriety at the February LNC meeting in Austin, McMahon decided to organize his own luncheon at a venue close to the convention site to allow the other candidates time to speak.

“To any Libertarian, the solution is obvious,” McMahon added, “If the LNC and the convention committee aren’t willing to provide an opportunity for the other candidates to speak, then it falls to party members to make sure the delegates get to hear from all sides. My goal is to give every candidate for Chair a similar opportunity to address the membership immediately before elections, and this luncheon is that opportunity.”

McMahon stated further, “While I don’t approve of the course of action the LNC and the Convention committee have taken, I don’t want this to turn into more of the same petty squabbling. I engage in positive politics.” To that end, he says that he will be providing donation cards at his event to raise for the Libertarian Party.

Chair candidates Ernie Hancock, Mark Hinkle, John Jay Myers and George Phillies are already confirmed to speak.

When: Sunday, May 30, 2010 from 12 to 1:30pm
Where: Holiday Inn Select, 811 North 9th Avenue (less than a quarter mile from the convention site)
Tickets: $20.75, available in advance via PayPal

A vegetarian option is available.

For more information, please visit the luncheon website: http://sites.google.com/site/stlcandidateslunch

Also, posted in comments on another thread and elsewhere:

*From:* lnc-discuss-bounces@hq.lp.org
[mailto:lnc-discuss-bounces@hq.lp.org] *On Behalf Of *Michael Colley
*Sent:* Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:06 AM
*To:* Bill Redpath; lnc-discuss@lp.org
*Subject:* [Lnc-discuss] Convention speakers ….

It has become apparent to me that there is some *gross misinformation* adrift regarding the slate of speakers at our Convention.

For the record, please note (and please tell your colleagues and friends!):

– *Although some tentative slates may have been circulated, the
_real slate_ of speakers is still evolving; it should come together soon*

* – No person running for an LNC office will be placed on the
Convention speaker slate _prior to_ nomination and election for that
office – to do otherwise would be manifestly unfair, of course*

* – Those who have suggestions about who might be a good speaker to
be considered for the slate, please tell me*

You are welcome to forward this email to whomever you think might be
interested.

Michael C Colley
Chair, Convention Oversight Committee

The speaker lineup as it currently stands:

Gary Nolan (Master of Ceremonies)

Gary Nolan of the Washington, DC-based Radio America Network, is a major syndicated radio host.

He joined the Libertarian Party live on the air on Tuesday, January 12, 1999, during a show with Libertarian Party National Director Steve Dasbach.

Mr. Nolan also heads Capitol Watch, a conservative, budget-cutting group in Washington.

Bob Barr (Keynote Speaker)

Bob Barr represented the Libertarian Party as our 2008 candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America. On November 4, 2008 he received 523,686 votes, 0.4% of the national vote. This was the second highest number of votes nationwide that a Libertarian Party presidential candidate has received.

He is a former federal prosecutor and a former member of the United States House of Representatives (1995 – 2003). In the 2004 presidential election, Barr left the Republican Party and publicly endorsed our Libertarian Party presidential nominee Michael Badnarik. In 2006, he became a member of the Libertarian National Committee, serving as the Representative for Region 4 until 2008.

As one of his numerous projects, Bob is currently a weekly columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Neal Boortz (Sunday Dinner Banquet)

For those of you who don’t know, Neal Boortz has been a Talk Show Host (What any good Democrat would refer to as a “Preacher of Hate”) in Atlanta, Georgia since 1969. He is now in his 40th year of talk radio. Since 1993 Neal has been holding forth on News Talk 750 WSB, a radio station with a 50,000 watt afterburner. Since early 1999 his show has been syndicated on radio stations from Maine to California and from Alaska to Florida. The program airs live from 8:30 to 1:00 pm each weekday. The Neal Boortz Show has about five million listeners nationwide and is carried on around 230 radio stations.

Jeff Davis (Saturday Lunch)

Jeff Davis, a North Carolina native and descendant of the Confederacy’s President Jefferson Davis, lives in Hollywood and among other things produces ‘The Thought Zone’, a series of radio spot commentaries frequently mentioning Libertarians and championing libertarian sentiments. The accompanying website is dedicated “to the great thinkers, few of whom aspire to run for public office. The Thought Zone (is) creative commentary for the common sense mind.”

Mr. Davis, an actor, writer, composer and graphic designer, runs Jeff Davis Productions serving the television, radio and film communities. He had designed book covers and billboards and appeared in movies with Tom Cruise, among others. His contributions were directly responsible for Gold Medals at the New York Festivals, he won an International Broadcaster’s Association Golden Ollie form the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, and voiced the TV Infomercial of the Year for Rotozip.

He is a graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

David F. Nolan (Sunday Breakfast)

DAVE NOLAN was the prime mover behind the formation of the Libertarian Party in 1971. He holds a degree in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his career has included work in publishing, advertising and marketing.

Aside from his role in founding the LP, Mr. Nolan is best known as the originator of the “Nolan Chart,” a two-dimensional map that shows how different political systems relate to one another. This map has largely replaced the old left-right linear political spectrum, and is the basis for the World’s Smallest Political Quiz. Its impact on political thinking led to Mr. Nolan’s being selected for inclusion in 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th Century, a reference work published by the International Biographical Centre (Cambridge, England) in 2000. A recent Google search using the phrase “Nolan Chart” turned up more than 30,000 references.

Mr. Nolan was a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in California (2000) and Arizona (2006). He is currently chairman of the Pima County, AZ Libertarian Party.

Wayne Allyn Root (Sunday Lunch)

Wayne Allyn Root is one of the most charismatic, colorful, passionate, fiery, and outspoken political personalities in America today. Wayne was the 2008 Libertarian Party Vice Presidential nominee. A college classmate of Barack Obama at Columbia University (Class of ‘83), he is now the face and voice of Libertarian politics in the mainstream national media. The media calls him “the Anti-Obama.” Wayne calls himself a REAGAN LIBERTARIAN- modeled after his heroes Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater and Thomas Jefferson.

He is regular guest on many of the biggest television and radio networks in America including: FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, CNBC, and radio shows like Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Jerry Doyle and Mancow Muller. Wayne has also been Guest Host for 3 nationally-syndicated shows- G. Gordon Liddy, Jerry Doyle and Larry Elder.

Wayne’s political and business careers have been profiled by CNBC, CNN/Money, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, Newsweek, Fortune, Equities, The Financial Times, Millionaire, Success, Entrepreneur, Worth, The Robb Report, and even Emmy magazine (among many others).

Mary J. Ruwart, Ph.D. (Saturday Breakfast)

Mary J. Ruwart, Ph.D. is the author of the award-winning libertarian primer, Healing Our World. A free download of the 1992 version is available at her website at ruwart.com. Dr. Ruwart also wrote Short Answers to the Tough Questions, based on her popular e-zine column with the Advocates for Self-Government.

Dr. Ruwart currently serves as an At-Large Representative on the Libertarian National Committee. She also serves on the Board of the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) and was elected Chairman of the ISIL in January of 2010.

Bob Sullentrup (Welcome to Saint Louis)

St. Louis’s own Bob Sullentrup will welcome the delegates to the Gateway City. Bob has been the Party’s National Secretary since 2004 and Missouri State Chair from 2001 through 2005. Aside from the 1970’s when he attended college and graduate school at the University of Chicago, Bob has lived, worked and run marathons in and around the St. Louis area. Accordingly, Missouri’s Favorite Son will welcome Party delegates to St. Louis and take the Convention’s opening moments to point out the spots of local interest, history, culture and cuisine.

In March of 2004, the members of the Libertarian Party of Virginia voted to endorse a national retail sales tax. Here is the language adopted in 2004:

WHEREAS taxing wages, earnings, investment, savings and, death destroys individual freedom and initiative; and

WHEREAS eliminating the Internal Revenue Service is a positive step in the right direction to restoring individual liberty; and

WHEREAS the 16th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States should be repealed; and

WHEREAS passage of H.R. 25 would change the direction of government confiscation of private property in the favor of the citizenry; and

WHEREAS the complexity of the current tax system causes arbitrary government enforcement and denies equal protection under the law; therefore be it:

RESOLVED that the Libertarian Party of Virginia (LPVA) endorses the passage of H.R. 25 as a step, and only a step, in the right direction; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the LPVA encourages all members to contact the Virginia delegation for their support; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the LPVA encourages all members to attend the first national rally to eliminate the Income Tax on May 1st in the Hampton Roads area of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

HR 25 was the “FairTax” legislation that was in congress in 2004 (I do not know if it’s been reintroduced under that same number).

I have offered resolutions to overturn this endorsement at every state convention ever since. This year, 2010, was no different. At our March 6, 2010 state convention, I introduced the following resolution:

Whereas, the Libertarian Party has historically held the position that all involuntary taxation, regardless of form, function, or method of collection, is forceful and coercive in nature; and therefore represents legalized theft, and,

Whereas, the state and national governments are collecting revenue even in these depressed economic times that are double or triple what was collected just a few years before, in most cases just 7 to 8 years, and,

Whereas, this ‘revenue’ represents property stolen from individuals in mass quantities,

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Libertarian Party of Virginia hereby calls on all governments, to repeal the income taxes to serve as a real ‘economic stimulus’ for these tough economic times; and,

Further, be it resolved that at no time should repealed taxes be replaced with new taxes, regardless of source, such as “sin”, corporate, trade, licensure, or sales taxes; and,

Further, be it resolved that governments should operate under balanced budgets at all times, without incurring any debt, and should reduce expenditures to reflect current real revenue.

During debate, I outlined just a bit of the many reasons I believe advocating any new tax, particularly the FairTax, is simply bad business for the LP. Fortunately, there is a great library of excellent articles about the FairTax. Here are a few:

http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0704d.asp

http://www.fee.org/Publications/the-Freeman/article.asp?aid=5911

http://www.mises.org/story/1975

There are of course many more.

Surprisingly, at the convention this year, the question went further than it had at both of the two prior conventions — it was only two votes shy of success in a (very) slightly amended form.

Here are a few relevant facts.

The individual income tax typically brings in about 40% of federal revenue. Last I heard, 2009 federal revenue was on-track to be about $3.2 trillion. The Individual Income Tax brought in $915 billion. Federal spending just TWO years earlier was almost that much (spending increased $500 billion in FY 2009 over 2008; $250 billion 2008 over 2007.

I don’t want the tax system to be revenue-neutral. I want it to be coercion-free. When you have a $915 billion theft going on, it is simply wrong to allow that theft to continue.

I intend to keep trying, until my colleagues learn that we cannot play the FairTax game. We’re not Republicans. Nor are we Democrats. We must be eternally vigilant against any stew they cook up — and the FairTax is a thoroughly Republican stew.

I never thought I’d witness LP candidates openly advocating new taxes (some promote the FairTax, others promote carbon taxes). Yet here we are. How’s that working for us? Seems like the promised land hasn’t gotten any closer — the LP is still exactly where it was a few years ago, before we started hearing Libertarians proposing any new taxes.

I do not believe promoting the FairTax gets us any closer to a free society. If I’m going to spin wheels, I’d rather spin them with a clean conscience. Advocating a new tax does not leave me with a clean conscience. The sound-good idea of the FairTax should be recognized for what it is: never-ending federal tax enslavement.

If Libertarians are afraid to walk the libertarian talk, there’s not much point in working via a third party.

On Tuesday, March 9, Brendan Kelly, former state chair of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, was re-elected as a selectman of the town of Seabrook. He faced three opponents in the election.

The Libertarian Party congratulates Mr. Kelly on his re-election.

Read the announcement from the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire.

Below is a schedule of Libertarian national and state conventions occurring in 2010 (including some that have already taken place). Click on the links to get more information.

Friday, February 12 – Sunday, February 14
LP California Convention

Saturday, February 20
LP Nevada State Convention

Friday, February 26 – Sunday, February 28
LP Kentucky State Convention

Saturday, March 6

LP Delaware State Convention
LP Missouri State Convention
LP Virginia State Convention

Saturday, March 13
LP Maryland State Convention
LP New Jersey State Convention

Thursday, March 18 – Sunday, March 21
New Hampshire Liberty Forum

Saturday, March 20

LP Colorado State Convention

Saturday, March 27
LP Pennsylvania State Convention
LP Tennessee State Convention

Saturday, April 3
LP North Dakota State Convention

Friday, April 9 – Sunday, April 11
LP North Carolina State Convention
LP Ohio State Convention

Saturday, April 10
LP Mississippi State Convention
LP Oklahoma State Convention
LP Wisconsin State Convention

Saturday, April 17
LP Maine State Convention
LP New Mexico State Convention
LP South Carolina State Convention

Friday, April 23 – Sunday, April 25

LP Indiana State Convention

Saturday, April 24
LP Georgia State Convention
LP Iowa State Convention
LP Minnesota State Convention
LP New York State Convention
LP Utah State Convention
LP Vermont State Convention
LP Wyoming State Convention

Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, April 25
LP Florida State Convention
LP Washington State Convention

Saturday, May 22
LP Michigan State Convention

Friday, May 28 – Monday, May 31
Libertarian Party 2010 National Convention

Friday, June 11 – Sunday, June 13
LP Texas State Convention

Saturday, June 26
LP Idaho State Convention

Friday, September 10 – Sunday, September 12
LP Illinois State Convention

Robyn Burwell, an English professor at Abilene Christian University and Libertarian candidate for Texas State Representative, District 85, is quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

“My position, at this point, is that the only constitutional part of it is for them to do a head count,” she said. “The bottom line is, I feel like the government has been trying to find ways to get information they don’t necessarily need.”

Read the entire article.

Dear Friend of Liberty,

I need your help to get the Libertarian Party on the ballot in Illinois.

The Illinois LP has developed a great slate of candidates this year. But Illinois voters won’t get the chance to vote for them unless the Illinois LP gets ballot access. To do that, the state party needs our financial help, and that’s why I’m sending you this email. Please make a contribution today.

Our national party frequently helps state parties get ballot access. That’s why we are the only third party who gets our presidential candidates on the ballot in almost every state — thanks to financial support from Libertarians like you.

You may remember some of our recent drives in North Carolina and Texas. Thanks to financial help from our national party, those ballot access drives were successful, and now millions of voters in those states can vote for many Libertarian candidates.

The great news in Illinois is, if the petition drive is successful, we may not have to petition again in 2012. If Illinois Libertarian candidates get enough votes this year, we will automatically be on the ballot in 2012. I think we stand a strong chance of making that happen.

As a side note, the New Mexico LP is finishing up its petition drive soon. Thanks to the support of Libertarians like you, we have been able to provide financial assistance to the New Mexico LP, which has greatly increased the chance that their petition drive will succeed.

Please visit our contribution page and make a generous contribution to help our ballot access efforts. We can’t do it without you.

Sincerely,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not yet become a member of the Libertarian Party and wish to do so, please click here and join the only political party dedicated to free markets and civil liberties. If you need to renew, please click here. If you would like to make a contribution separate from membership, please click here.

“Hopefully Tea Party candidates will run in respective primaries and they will either win or lose. And if they win, they will go into the general. If they lose, they won’t, and they will get behind the more conservative of the two finalists.” . . . “I’m really pleased that the silent majority is silent no longer,” he said, predicting that the movement “will have have an impact on this election.”

Alexander Snitker, the Libertarian candidate for US Senate in Florida, has responded to the former governor in the form of an open letter:

Mr. Romney,

I saw you speak on NewsMax about the tea party movement and tea party candidates who are running outside the Republican Party. I do not think you understand the tea party movement, so allow me to educate you.

This movement was started because politicians like you failed the American people. The Republican platform seems to be less about protecting the liberty of individual Americans, and more about regaining power at all costs.  Regular Americans are turning to tea parties as an alternative to politicians like you, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Mike Huckabee.  Regular Americans are running for public office as third-party candidates, not because of a lust for power, but because of a sense of duty to preserve liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

Your focus of late has been to blame Obama for taking us down the wrong path. He may be taking us more quickly, but both the Republicans and Democrats have blazed the trail.

As you pointed out, the bailouts (TARP 1) were started under a Republican president. It was the Republicans that delivered one of the greatest blows to the 4th Amendment in the form of the PATRIOT Act. It was Republicans who spent roughly $700-billion on Medicare expansion.

You have dismissed the rise of the true Constitutional conservatives (libertarians) in your party.  You imply that libertarians just do as they are told, and show up when summoned. You could not be further from the truth.  I believe your attempt to marginalize the tea party movement is an extension of the deep concern you have for its implications.

Americans are beginning to vote principle before party.  Republicans shoulder much of the blame for our problems, and a growing number of Americans no longer trust the GOP to do the right thing.

Your party does have some good candidates that should be supported.  In races that the best Constitutional conservative is running as a Republican, the people should vote for that candidate.  By the same token, in races where the best Constitutional conservative is running as a third-party candidate, the people should vote for a third party.  Voting for the lesser of two evils put us in the position we are in today.

Sincerely,

Alexander Snitker

Libertarian for U.S. Senate, Florida

Christina Tobin Announces Schedule of Speaking Events and Launch of the “Stop Top Two” Website

Tobin, Libertarian Candidate for California Secretary of State, Continues to Advocate Against Proposition 14 with Ralph Nader’s Support

MILL VALLEY, CA (March 11, 2010) – Christina Tobin, Libertarian Party candidate for Secretary of State of California, today announced two speaking engagements scheduled for Friday, March 12. Tobin also announced the launch of the Stop Top Two website. Both initiatives are focused on fighting Proposition 14.

On Friday, March 12, Tobin will be interviewed on antiwar.com radio at 11:15 a.m. PST. Also on March 12, Tobin will speak to the 11th Annual International Conference of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy in San Francisco at 5:30 p.m. PST.

The Stop Top Two (www.stoptoptwo.com) website launched today. The website will be the leading site for Californians opposed to Proposition 14, the “top-two open primary.”

Ralph Nader, leading advocate for third-party candidate and full voter rights, stated, “Unless defeated, Proposition 14 would establish a two-party tyranny that prevents other candidate choices for California voters from the November election ballot. In short, Proposition 14 wants to shut you up if you disagree with the arrogant, big two-party politicians.” Nader continues, “I am pleased that Tobin is taking the lead on stopping this legislation with the Stop Top Two website.”

Proposition 14 includes the following: (1) increases the requirements for minor parties to remain ballot-qualified; (2) abolishes write-in voting for both Congress and state office in November; (3) treats candidates unequally by permitting members of “qualified” parties to have their party affiliation next to their names on the ballot, but not permitting that label for members of unqualified parties, like the Reform Party; (4) makes it virtually impossible for minor party and independent candidates to appear on the November ballot for Congress and statewide office; and (5) makes it impossible to implement Proposition 15, Senator Loni Hancock’s measure for public funding for Secretary of State candidates. Further, Proposition 15 has received extensive support. If Proposition 14 is passed by the voters, then Proposition 14 will obliterate Proposition 15.

“Proposition 14 adversely damages voters’ rights in numerous ways, yet the mainstream media in California has not publicized this information,” stated Tobin. “Ironically, media outlets have discussed how the American people are outraged with the top two parties. Imagine a law that allows only the top two newspapers or magazines to hit the newsstands. This legislation would make these parties dictatorial, which is why we are going to great lengths to get the message out. No on Prop 14.”