LP State Fundraising Massachusetts is Number Six

by: AuMass

Tue Mar 01, 2011 at 05:00:00 AM EST

Illinois           $64371.85
Indiana          $47907.39
Florida          $12177.51
Texas            $  5696.00
Nevada          $ 5411.32
Massachusetts$ 3497.04

Some states also have separate non-Federal accounts.  For example, Massachusetts files its state reports with the State government, and raises more money for Non-Federal purposes not shown here than for Federal purposes as shown here. 

Between 2007 and 2010 we more than doubled our income.   That's great!  Now we need to keep improving.

Closet Libertarians in the New Hampshire Legislature?

by: AuMass

Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 05:00:00 AM EST

Libertarian Party Condemns Arizona Attack

by: AuMass

Sun Jan 09, 2011 at 08:24:31 AM EST

For Immediate Release
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Libertarian Party condemns shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

WASHINGTON - Mark Hinkle, Chair of the Libertarian Party, issued a statement condemning the shooting of Congressional Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and others in Tucson, Arizona. According to reports, federal Judge John Roll and five others were killed in the shooting, and several others were seriously wounded.

"The Libertarian Party condemns the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others today. We are saddened by the loss of life, the suffering of those who survived the shooting, and the grief and sorrow of their family and friends.

"This shooting was wrong, and is the kind of abhorrent political violence that threatens our freedoms.

Reaching Our Limits

by: AuMass

Sun Sep 19, 2010 at 22:19:02 PM EDT

In fact, we are doing more and more.  Despite weather-driven interruptions, your State Association does more and more.  Our State rep candidates emptied our nonfederal candidate support funds.

That's why we are about to do another fund drive.  All that outreach costs money.  Money for admissions.  Money for materials.  Money for ads.

Money is not everything.  We need more volunteers, too.  We have great people working for the party, but we are putting in all the time we can. If you want more out of the state association, you need to put more in.

Yes, we can replace manpower with machines.  We are probably about to by a paper folding machine to do our trifold and letter folding - that's about $350-$400, all told.  Money isn't everything.  For one task that is likely going to drop unless you volunteer, read below the Fold.

Libertarian State Platform

by: AuMass

Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 11:09:44 AM EDT

PEACE
Libertarians support non-intervention in the affairs of foreign nations. Our foreign wars should end; our armed forces should be brought home from around the world. The Cold War is over; the vast military machine that the Cold War justified is no longer needed.

FREEDOM
Libertarians stand for protecting your Federal and State Constitutional Rights, all of them without any exception or omission. There is no National Security exemption to the Bill of Rights. Politicians who ignore our Constitutional Liberties are the chief threat to our country.

OPPORTUNITY
America should be a land of opportunity for every citizen. Massive expansions of the Federal Budget and Debt are strangling those opportunities. We need massive cuts in government spending or our grandchildren will be crushed by their grandparents' wastrel extravagance.

New Libertarian Activities and Events

by: AuMass

Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 22:41:36 PM EDT

Van's Warped Tour
Van's Warped Tour is a musical event that passes through Massachusetts every year.  The offer a location for a  large-scale OPH effort.  If we get a table as planned, we will get two free wristbands, but we will need additional volunteers who, alas, will need to buy admission - there is some possibility of State Committee reimbursement.

The message I have on this from Jeff Orrock of Colorado reads:

Hello everyone!

The Van's Warped Tour Pre-Sale has begun.  They say that pre-sale ticket prices are $15 off the regular price.  I'm not sure if there is a standard price for all cities, but for Denver, the pre-sale is $20.24 + $8.75 per ticket, and then there is shipping.  Keep in mind that as a non-profit, you will get two free wristbands, but to make the most of the event, you will want a team of around 6 to 8 activists.

Pre-Sale sells out fast, so don't delay!!! The calendar and pre-sale info is available at http://warpedtourtickets.music...  Note that it says you have to register with their fan community.  Don't worry, they send only a few emails in an entire year.

New State PAC
Following a discussion with the Office of Campaign and political Finance, we have made a change in our state PAC arrangements.  It seems that there is no legal path to renaming our State PAC; we will spend its contents to zero and it will vanish.  Instead, at the recommendation of the OCPF, we have adopted the Liberty Tree Small Government Low Taxes Political Action Committee as our own, and future non-Federal donations will be placed in its account.  We will then have a State PAC and a Federal PAC as planned.

Cloud on CD
Long-time member Michael Cloud's famous Libertarian lectures The Essence of Political Persuasion are now on CD.   LPTN Vice Chair Charles Wilhoit recommends them as the most valuable tool every new TN county chair should examine.

The supplier is the Advocates for Self-Government 800-932-1776 info@TheAdvocates.org.  I picked up a copy at the NHLA symposium; the disks are so new that I did not find price or shipping information on The Advocates web site.

New April Meetups!

March 31, 7 PM Dedham, Mass. Second Amendment Sister Jenn Coffey of New Hampshire speaks at the Endicott Estate, 565 East St. Dedham, MA on "Freedom and the Right to Self Defense".  Event sponsored by the John Birch Society, not the Libertarian Association.

April 14 6:30 PM Pioneer Valley Libertarians    
     Dr. Deegan's Restaurant    
     510 Burnett Road Springfield, MA 01020

April 28, 7 PM Boston Area Libertarians
   Papa Razzi  271 Dartmouth St
   Boston, MA 02116
   Note Change of Location...the old site closed.

Libertarian candidates pursue ballot access

by: AuMass

Mon Mar 29, 2010 at 23:27:28 PM EDT

We have four more-or-less Libertarian Party candidates running for State Representative, which is a recent record. We have four more-or-less libertarian candidates for U.S. Congress, an all-time record.  Political Party Status has created challenges in terms of choice of ballot line.

More below fold:

Republican Death March Continues

by: AuMass

Sun Feb 14, 2010 at 22:49:09 PM EST

The Republican Party death march is advancing:

State Senate:

Scott Brown...out of office
Bob Hedlund..running for Congress
Richard Tisei...running for Lieutenant Governor

These changes drop the Republicans to two seats in the Senate.

State House

Lew Evangelidis...running for Sheriff
Robert Hargraves...retiring
Jeff Perry...Running for Congress
Karen Polito...running for Treasurer, it appears.

These changes drop the Republicans to twelve seats in the House.

In addition, one Republican State Rep is running for the vacant State Senate seat, but this is a special election: His own seat is not at risk, so win or lose he is still a Republican state legislator.

A few more years of this, and we will become the number two party in Massachusetts.  (Cynics will says we will actually become the new Number Three Party, behind the liberal Democrats and their only mortal enemies, the machine Democrats.)

In more good news, we are starting to get candidates for State Legislature:
  Bob Underwood in Springfield
  Jonathan Loya in mid-state
  perhaps a State Senate candidate near Hull.

Positive Libertarian Coverage for Libertarian Positions

by: AuMass

Sat Jan 02, 2010 at 08:51:22 AM EST

It's a bit unusual, and a welcome sight, but the Boston Globe two days back picked up a Libertarian National Committee press release and treated it at positive news.

http://www.boston.com/news/pol...

The Globe has historically focused its coverage on Democratic and Republican party positions.

Republicans Continue Their March Toward Death

by: AuMass

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 21:23:00 PM EST

In a certain sense, we are seeing the divergence of political opinions between different parts of the country that we have seen before.  This time, the differences with a few exceptions are less likely to lead to violence than they were in 1840 or 1850, but the divergences are still there.  One radical difference from 1850, from what we know of that distant time, is that in 2009 a major dividing line is generational more than geographical.  The people who support Republican social-conservative thinking against abortion and gay marriage, and for the war on drugs, are in substantial part an older generation that is preparing to depart this earth without being replaced, at least politically.