Libertarian Party of Wake County, North Carolina

Report from the NC Libertarian convention held this past weekend

2010-04-17T18:36:00.010-04:00

The Libertarian Party of North Carolina held its annual state convention in Burlington April 10-11 where it adopted platform changes, elected new LPNC Executive Committee members, selected delegates to the Libertarian National Convention to be held in St. Louis and passed a resolution regarding the 2010 Census.

The two-day convention included members from across the state and guests from Tennessee and Washington DC.

The convention adopted several recommendations of the platform committee, including a refinement of the current platform on Crime, a rewording of the platform plank, "End the War on Drugs," and revision to the LPNC Platform's Preamble.

The convention also heard from several of the Libertarian candidates in attendance. Candidates for federal office attending included Mike Beitler of Greensboro, U.S. Senate; Tom Rose of Benson, U.S. House District 2; Darryl Holloman of Goldsboro, U.S. House District 3; Thomas Hill of Concord, U.S. House District 8, and; Lon Cecil of High Point, U.S. House District 12.

Candidates for North Carolina General Assembly included Barbara Howe of Oxford, N.C. House 32 and Stephanie Watson of Raleigh, N.C. Senate 16. Brandon Black of Graham, a candidate for Alamance County Commissioner, and Tom Hohman of Waxhaw, a candidate for Union County Commissioner were also in attendance.

No Libertarian candidate faces any primary opposition, so these candidates will be the Libertarian candidates on the November ballot.

Dr. Michael Munger addressed the convention on Saturday morning on the topic of "State and Local Government Debt in North Carolina: The Next 10 Years." Dr. Munger is an economist who serves as chair of the political Science department at Duke University and was the Libertarian Party's candidate for governor in 2008.

The LPNC presented its Most Outspoken for Liberty award to the late Fernie Williams of Fuquay Varina. Mr. Williams was the past chair of the Wake County Libertarian Party and a tireless advocate for liberty.

The convention elected four additional members to complete one-year terms on the LPNC Executive Committee. David Grimm of Burlington, Tom Hohman of Waxhaw, Michael Shanklin of Erwin, and Aaron Yeargan of Hampstead joined the committee as new At-large members.

On Sunday, the convention passed a resolution encouraging recipients of the 2010 U. S. Census to refuse to answer questions 2-10 of the census, stating that only question 1, how many persons are living at the address, is the only question required to meet the constitutionally-stated purpose of the census.

This article was originally posted at Mountain Xpress. The full text of the resolution is available at http://www.lpnc.org/.

Mike Beitler to speak at Duke tonight

2010-04-08T00:10:00.003-04:00

Mike Beitler is scheduled to speak at Duke tonight, Thursday, April 8. Here's the details I have, but please check the Beitler Volunteers Meetup group for any updates.

Location: The Multi-Cultural Center in the Bryan Center on Duke's West Campus
Date and Time: Thursday, April 8: 8 until 9pm

http://www.meetup.com/Beitlervolunteers/calendar/12995056/

NC Libertarians to hold annual state convention in Burlington April 10-11

2010-04-08T00:04:00.000-04:00

by Brian Irving

The Libertarian Party of North Carolina will hold its annual state convention in Burlington April 10 to 11 at the Quality Inn. The theme is A Prescription for Liberty.

“The prescription is the Libertarian Party and its effort to promote the philosophy of libertarianism,” said Barbara Howe, LPNC chair. “Our prescription for liberty will be to educate people on the benefits of a truly limited government.”

Business will include changes or amendments to the party's platform, election of five at-large executive committee members and selection of delegates to the national convention. The Libertarian National Convention will be held in St. Louis May 29 to 31.

Howe said the annual gathering is a time for liberty-minded friends from across the state to reconnect. The convention also allows the LPNC to adjust their platform to ensure it remains relevant to the issues of the day.

“We want to use the political process to move our state in a more libertarian direction,” Howe said. “That direction would lead us to more personal freedom and individual responsibility.”

Wes Benedict, national LP executive director will be the keynote speaker at a Saturday night banquet. He will share his thoughts on how Libertarians make a difference.

As Texas LP executive director, Benedict made Texas the best performing state chapter, against a trend of declining performance of the LP nationwide. In 2008, he recruited a record 173 candidates for office, 29 percent of Libertarian candidates nationwide.

Benedict earned a master of business administration degree from the University of Michigan and a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas.

Convention speakers will also include some of the 2010 Libertarian candidates in North Carolina.

Register for the convention at www.lpnc.org by April 5, 2010 to guarantee a meal.

To make reservations at the Quality call (336) 229-5203. Be sure to mention you are with the Libertarian Convention in order to receive the group rate.

This article was originally published to the Raleigh Libertarian Examiner.

New health care law is wrong legally, financially and morally

2010-04-07T23:24:00.000-04:00

by Brian Irving

While Republicans are calling for Congress to “repeal and replace” the new Federal health care law, North Carolina's Libertarians want to make more fundamental changes.

Several candidates said the law is unconstitutional and an infringement on individual liberty. They support North Carolina joining the 14 states who are suing the Federal government challenging the new law.

Most are skeptical of Republican opposition, particularly Sen. Richard Burr’s pledge to “repeal and replace” that has become the GOP battle cry.

“Burr's statement ‘repeal and replace,’ tells you one thing: we want our law, not theirs,”said Richard Evey, Libertarian candidate for N.C. Senate District 44.

“Repeal and replace with nothing is what we would like to see,” said Susan Hogarth, Wake Libertarian Party chair.

“The only reform that is needed is for the Federal Government to get completely out of health care programs,” said Thomas Rose, Libertarian candidate for Congress in District 2.

Libertarians believe a completely free market, unhampered by taxation and government regulation, is the best way to insure all people have access to the best health care at the lowest prices. They oppose the new law on legal, moral and financial grounds.

The Constitutional argument, rarely raised by Republicans during Congressional debate, is simply that health care regulation is not among the specific and enumerated powers granted to the Federal government.

Proponents claim that Article I, Section 8, Clause 3, the commerce clause, which grants the Federal government power to regulate interstate commerce gives the Federal government the right to regulate health care. But that interpretation is wrong, according to Herb Sobel, Libertarian candidate for N.C. House District 3.

“The commerce clause of the Constitution which is used so often to justify government regulation of the rights of citizens applies to positive commercial activity,” he said. “If a citizen declines to purchase health insurance, a negative commercial activity, the commerce clause can not apply.”

Even if the U.S. Supreme Court finds the law constitutional, “that will not make it right and Libertarians will still oppose it,” said Hogarth. “Our opposition is not based solely on Constitutional grounds.”

The law forces people to purchase a service they may not want or need, and it forces people to further subsidize that service for others, libertarians say. It also enforces a moral judgment.

“Providing health services for ourselves or for those who cannot afford it is an individual decision based on an internal moral judgment,” said Stephanie Watson, Libertarian candidate for N.C. Senate District 16. “Like all moral decisions, this should be up to the individual, not forced by government mandate.”

Watson said the bill will increase demand for insurance, thus driving up prices from existing insurance companies.

“A compulsory system with higher health insurance rates means healthcare overall will be an even greater cost to the people of North Carolina,” she said. As a state senator, she said she’d work to keep North Carolina free from any costs and obligations imposed by the Federal government which go beyond its Constitutional power.

Evey and Sobel would support her efforts.

“This law will force tremendous unfunded mandates on the state that would lead us down the same economic path as California and dramatically increase the number of government dependents,” said Darryl Holloman, Libertarian candidate for Congressional in District 3.

Holloman said if elected he would work to repeal the bill using every means possible, including defunding administration and enforcement.

Whatever action the Federal government takes regarding health care “should be based on simple, grade school level problem solving skills and limited to the powers given to our Congress by the Constitution,” Holloman said.

He said that the root of the problem is that health care and insurance have been considered entitlements, driving up demand, while government price controls and regulation have driven up the costs associated with medical practice, restricting supply.

Holloman proposes several ways to let the free market to reform the health care system, including ending state insurance monopolies, reduce medical license requirements and ending government intervention in education and making allowing private companies to do drug testing.

This article was originally published to the Raleigh Libertarian Examiner.

About the Libertarian Party of Wake County (2010)

2010-04-06T23:25:00.004-04:00

The Libertarian Party of Wake County (Wake LP) is a county affiliate of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina. Wake LP members participate in a variety of activities, such as supporting Libertarian candidates for elected offices, working with local advocacy groups on state and local issues, and doing the studio work to broadcast the The Libertarian Alternative on RTN-10.

Wake LP Organization
At the 2008 Wake LP Convention, members adopted a Statement of Organization (pdf) for the county party. At the annual convention in March 2010, members elected the following officers for the year:

Chair – Susan Hogarth
Vice Chair – Chris Tate
Secretary – Linda Ellis

In addition to an annual convention, Wake LP holds monthly business meetings. These meetings are posted to the Triangle Libertarian Meetup calendar, along with weekly social meetings in Raleigh and Durham, and other events in the Triangle.

Triangle Libertarian Meetup and Email Lists
For news from the Libertarian Party of North Carolina, sign up for LPNC Announcements. Libertarians all around the Triangle are also encouraged to join the Triangle Libertarian Meetup group. For online discussion relevant only to Libertarians in Wake County, there is also an infrequently used email discussion list.

LPNC Executive Committee Members in Wake County
LPNC Executive Committee members from the Wake LP are Stephanie Watson (Recording Secretary) and Phil Jacobson (Member At Large). Susan Hogarth serves as Outreach Director for LPNC.

Annexation reform is not complicated

2010-03-24T23:46:00.002-04:00

by Brian Irving

The annexation reform bill passed by the N.C. House of Representatives is “insulting to those who have fought for annexation reform,” Daren Bakst, director of legal and regulatory studies for the John Locke Foundation said March 22 at the weekly Shaftesbury Society luncheon.

“When people say annexation reform is really complicated, it's completely not complicated. It's a very simple issue. It comes down to this: annexed property owners should have a real voice in the process and they should be provided just one service they actually need,” Bakst said.

“That's it. We can go home. That's annexation reform right there.”

Bakst said that the key to annexation reform is to focus on the core issues and ignore the tangents on unrelated issues that do nothing but confuse the matter.

“The legislature should pass a bill with the core reforms, like SB 494,” he said. “The legislature should even consider blowing up all the bills and just adding a vote, county approval, or real services protection to existing law.”

The legislation passed by the House, HB 524, uses “smoke and mirrors” to do just the opposite. It actually strengthens the power of municipalities to forcibly annex. Although the bill purports to allow people to vote on annexation, Bakst called this provision “a sham” that “means nothing.”

In order to get a vote Bakst said, “Annexation victims have to get the signatures of 15 percent of the registered voters living in the municipality and affected area.”

“Why would municipal residents want to sign the petition,” Bakst asked. Using the example of Raleigh, that would require just over 38,000 signatures from city residents for anyone opposing an annexation by the city.

“That doesn't include the fact that you are going to have signatures that are rejected, so you have to build in 10 to 15 percent more. There is no way anybody is going to do that,” Bakst said.

Instead of the city council deciding their fate, annexation victims will be subjected to the will of city residents who vastly outnumber them, Bakst noted. To make it even more difficult for annexation opponents, the vote would take place during a general election, when voter turnout is usually greatest.

Bakst said that the biggest problem with the bill is the language on providing meaningful services and benefits to annexed areas.

“HB 524 now makes it official: Municipalities can clearly annex areas without providing one necessary service,” he said. The bill includes specific language designed to preempt a possible court ruling clarifying the existing law.

“There is a real possibility that the N.C. Supreme Court will clarify that these games being played by municipalities are not legal and they can't continue to duplicate existing services,” Bakst said. HB 524 would expressly allow duplication of services. The bill complete ignores whether or not an area needs a service.

HB 524 also guts the requirement that municipalities provide newly annexed areas with water and sewer service within two years of annexation. Under existing law, municipalities can only get out of the requirement if the installation of sewer is not economically feasible due to the unique topography of the area.

Under the so-called reform bill, municipalities would have three years to provide the service and can get out of meeting this responsibility for any fiscal reason. Newly annexed homeowner who request sewer service must pay the total cost up front. They will no longer have the option to pay over time, as under existing law.

“Forced annexation exists to help local politicians. It's a way of them bailing themselves out for their mismanagement,” said Bakst. He compared forced annexation to the Federal government bailout of banks and GM, “except that they (municipalities) can get it every year.”

One of the strongest proponents of forced annexation is the North Carolina League of Municipalities. But as Bakst notes, the NCLM represents local politicians and municipal cities, not city residents or even the interests of municipalities.

“Their basic game plan is to whatever their members, city officials, tell them,” he said. “What's interesting is that there is no pretense about the fact that forced annexation has simply become a financial bailout,” he said. “You'd think they'd be embarrassed and not admit that.”

“Now there's no question. They just come out and say we going to have to raise property taxes unless we annex this area,” he said.

“Municipalities and the League are like drug addicts: they can’t help but need forced annexation to cover up for their mismanagement – not to mention why should they care about people living in unincorporated areas,” Bakst said.

County commissioners are the number one enemy to annexation reform, Bakst said. “For 50 years, counties have sat back and watched their constituents get abused by municipalities,” he said.

This article was originally published to the Raleigh Libertarian Examiner.

First planning meeting of Beitler for US Senate volunteers

2010-03-22T12:57:00.010-04:00

The first planning meeting of Beitler for US Senate volunteers is coming up this Wednesday, March 24. If you'd like to volunteer and haven't yet signed up for the Meetup group, please do so at http://www.meetup.com/Beitlervolunteers/. You can also volunteer for and donate to the Beitler campaign on his campaign website: http://www.beitlerforussenate.org/.

If you need a reason to volunteer, check out the NAACP campaign forum for US Senate candidates from North Carolina. Dr. Beitler is the only one speaking up for liberty while all the other candidates who attended called for more big government "solutions" that will just add to the national debt. While it's available, you can view a video of this forum on WRAL website here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/7230482/. Alternately, you can view this forum on YouTube. Michael Shanklin has provided a YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/user/mikeshanklin#grid/user/28C3B3A2A73C4EA0.

Libertarians say state employee records should be made public

2010-03-21T20:02:00.010-04:00

by Brian Irving

Two Libertarian candidates for General Assembly unequivocally believe that the records, salary and employment history of state employees should be public information. They were responding to the same questions asked of Democratic and Republican elected officials by the News & Observer for a series of articles highlighting Sunshine Week.

Sunshine Week is a national initiative, led by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

"I worked under such an assumption when I was a state employee from 1997 to 1999," said Stephanie Watson, Libertarian candidate for N.C. House District 16. "Personnel records for state employees should be available for review at the request of any citizen of North Carolina," she said.

"After all, the citizens employ them through the agency of government. Each state employee should accept that he or she is subject to public inquiries about his performance in that job," she said.

Richard Evey, Libertarian candidate for N.C. Senate District 44 agreed, saying that it was part of the concept of transparency in government. "This is a part of the job," he said.

Watson said that state employees should accept the fact that they are subject to public inquiries about job performance. Applications, recommendations and hiring reports should also be public.

"Like personnel records, all applications, recommendations, and hiring reports for state employees should be available for review at the request of any citizen of North Carolina," she said.

Watson and Evey agreed, however, that personal data which could leave the individual vulnerable to identity theft should not be available to the public except by subpoena.

While the libertarians gave a straight yes or no answer to all three questions, the major party politicians were a bit more nuanced in their responses.

The first question asked if the personal records of a state employee convicted of a crime or disciplined for misconduct should be made public. Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Democrat, said, "I don't know." House Speaker Joe Hackney, a Democrat, said, "It's a line-drawing exercise, and whether the line is drawn in exactly the right place, I don't know the answer to that."

House Minority Leader Paul Stam, a Republican, said the release of complete personnel records "must be only under specific circumstances." Only Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, a Republican, said yes.

The second question asked if employee applications, hiring panel reports, job candidate recommendations and other information that helps explain why someone won a public job should be made public information.

Basnight said, "As it pertains to the search for (UNC) chancellors, absolutely not." Hackney said he was opposed to it and Stam also said no. Only Berger agreed such records should be public.

Finally, when asked if a worker's state employment history, including job changes, disciplinary action or commendations, and salary adjustments be made public, Basnight responded with a question. "The law today is the current salary, but not what they made previously," he asked. "I do not understand why that would not be public."

Hackney said he wasn't prepared to argue it either way, adding, "I understand it's been that way since 1975."

Berger said this information should be made public, provided the distinction between employment and personal information in the current law be maintained. Stam said, "No. Public employees deserve the same measure of privacy as employees in the private sector."

This article was originally published to the Raleigh Libertarian Examiner.

Posts Organized by Topic

2010-03-20T18:10:00.005-04:00

Recommended Posts and Links from 2008, 2009 and early 2010

Mike Beitler for US Senate

Stephanie Watson for NC Senate

Stephanie Watson to Kick Off N.C. Senate Campaign

Video from EconStories.tv

"Fear the Boom and Bust", a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Battle

Libertarian Party of Wake County Annual Convention

2010-03-12T01:46:00.008-05:00

Please join us for our annual convention on Saturday, March 13, at 1 pm at Edward Mckay Used Books in Raleigh. The address is 3514 Capital Blvd. Cathy Heath, the driving force behind Stop NC Annexation, will be our guest speaker.

Google map to Edward MaKay Used Books: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=3514+Capital+Blvd+Raleigh&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS355US355&ie=UTF-8

Stop NC Annexation: http://www.stopncannexation.com/

Join Dr. Mike Beitler at the Wake County LP meetup

2010-03-06T18:47:00.011-05:00

Mike Beitler will be attending the Wake County LP meetup this Thursday at 6:30 pm at Edward Mckay Used Books in Raleigh, NC. Come on out to meet this Libertarian candidate that wants to be known as Dr. Abolish in the US Senate!

There's also a new meetup group for volunteers for the Beitler for US Senate campaign. Organized by Amanda Owens, the first planning meeting is coming up on March 24. You can sign up for this meetup group at http://www.meetup.com/Beitlervolunteers/.

Mike Beitler on the Brad and Britt Show

2010-02-17T00:58:00.004-05:00

Dr. Mike Beitler, Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, recently made an appearance on the Brad and Britt Show on WZTK, FM Talk 101.1. Follow this link to listen to a recording of the show:

http://bradbrittshow.blogspot.com/2010/02/dr-michael-beitler-libertarian-for-us.html

For Twitter users, here's an easily retweetable link: http://chir.ps/39H

Mike Beitler's campaign website: http://www.beitlerforussenate.org/

Stephanie Watson to Kick Off N.C. Senate Campaign

2010-02-17T00:45:00.003-05:00

Stephanie Watson will kick off her campaign for North Carolina Senate at noon on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, when she visits the Wake County Board of Elections to file her notice of candidacy. Watson, a native of Johnston County and graduate of N.C. State, says her motivation to run is her desire to serve the people of Raleigh, Cary, and Morrisville in the General Assembly. Current filing statuses indicate that Watson will face first-term District 16 incumbent Josh Stein in the general election.

Watson joins several Libertarians in North Carolina who are offering a fresh alternative for voters in the 2010 elections. Read more about Watson’s campaign at GoLiberty.net.

Mike Beitler Interviewed by Mitch Kokai

2010-02-01T00:22:00.001-05:00

Mitch Kokai interviews Dr. Mike Beitler about his campaign for US Senate as a Libertarian. In this short interview, the focus is on the financial condition of the nation, and taking the positive action of auditing federal agencies to discover the "black holes" where resources are being wasted. If elected, Mike Beitler's top priority is to push for an audit of the Federal Reserve.

Learn more about Mike on his campaign website: http://www.beitlerforussenate.org/

Beitler for US Senate TV Commercial

2010-02-01T00:14:00.003-05:00

Dr. Mike Beitler is an announced Libertarian candidate for US Senate. Check out his television commercial below.

Source: Dr. Mike Beitler for U.S. Senate, http://www.beitlerforussenate.org/

"Fear the Boom and Bust", a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Battle

2010-02-01T00:12:00.006-05:00

Hilarious and amazingly information-packed rap video from EconStories: http://www.econstories.tv/

"In Fear the Boom and Bust, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis. Before the conference begins, and at the insistence of Lord Keynes, they go out for a night on the town and sing about why there's a 'boom and bust' cycle in modern economies and good reason to fear it."

Cameo appearance by Mike Munger as the limo driver at 1:11!

Update: Related links

An interesting article about this video and the debate between J.M. Keynes and F.A. Hayek is posted at The Ludwig von Mises Institute website: The Brilliance of That Hayek vs. Keynes Rap by Jeffrey Tucker.

A recent Rasmussen Reports survey reveals that most Americans reject Keynesian economics: Americans Reject Keynesian Economics.

Table of Contents through December 2009

2010-01-10T17:41:00.023-05:00

Contents from December 31, 2009 going back to May 2006

December 2009

Mike Beitler Makes His New Year's Resolutions

October 2009

Appeals Court Rules for State

September 2009

Continue to the full table of contents…July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

Take Back Our State Tea Party

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009

December 2008

Search this Site

November 2008

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

May 2008

April 2008

March 2008

Convention 2008

February 2008

January 2008

Our Day in Court & Forced Annexation Hearing

December 2007

October 2007

State Fair

September 2007

June 2007

April 2007

Wake Libertarians Oppose ‘Smoking Ban’

March 2007

County Convention!

January 2007

November 2006

October 2006

ANTIWAR FORUM / Film Screening

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

June 2006

May 2006

Petitioning can be fun! No, really!

Archives by Month

May 2006 through December 2009 in Reverse Chronological Order

Mike Beitler Makes His New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-31T10:37:00.005-05:00

Mike Beitler didn't have much trouble coming up with his New Year's Resolutions. Ever since he announced he was seeking the Libertarian nomination for U.S. Senate, he knew he'd be spending most of the new year earning the confidence and the vote of his fellow North Carolinians.

"In 2010, I'll be devoting my time and energy convincing the people of North Carolina that it is time for them to reassert their liberty and to send a libertarian to represent them in the U.S. Senate.," Beitler said.

"So these – my New Year's Resolutions – represent my pledge and my promise to the people of North Carolina:

"First, I always vote in favor of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of North Carolina. Every issue. Every time. Every issue. No exceptions. No excuses.

"Second, I will continue to oppose any and all efforts by the federal government to act beyond its Constitutional authority.

"Third, I will introduce, sponsor, and support legislation to repeal laws and regulations that are outside the scope of the powers delegated by the people to the federal government.

"Fourth, I will only vote in favor of a bill that I have thoroughly read, considered and understood.

"Fifth, I will be accountable to voters. I will make public every vote I cast while in office."

"These may seem like radical concepts," Beitler said. "But the only seem radical because the Democrats and Republicans who've dominated our state's politics for so long have befuddled people into thinking that government was the solution to all their problems."

"It is not."

"The time has come to stop talking in terms of reducing the budgets of various government programs and agencies," Beitler said. "The time has come to abolish entire Federal programs and agencies. That's why I am running for U.S. Senate."

Dr. Mike Beitler (pronounced Bite-ler) is a keynote speaker and workshop leader sought after for his expertise in business, politics, and economics. His internet radio talk show "Free Markets"gives listeners insights from leading thinkers into today's business, economic and political issues. In a world of unrelenting free-market bashing by the media and outrageous government interventions, "Free Markets" offers a refreshing libertarian, free-market perspective. Beitler has been recognized as a leading business executive, business consultant, business professor and business author for 30 years. His book "Strategic Organizational Change" is required reading in MBA programs worldwide. "Rational Individualism: A Moral Argument for Limited Government and Capitalism" is widely acclaimed by libertarians and free-market advocates as the leading guide for today's political and economic issues.

Appeals Court Rules for State

2009-10-21T09:10:00.001-04:00

RALEIGH (Oct. 20) – The N.C. Appeals Court decision upholding the state's restrictive ballot access laws is “a shameful day for our state,” said Dr. Mike Munger, 2008 Libertarian Party candidate for governor.

“I am sympathetic to the position the judges find themselves in,” Dr. Munger said. “While we wish that the other two members of the panel had voted with Judge (Ann Maria) Calabria, the core problem here is in the General Assembly.”

Dr. Munger, chair of Duke University political science department agreed that judges properly show substantial deference to the legislature in these sorts of 'time, place, and manner' of elections.

“But at some point our justice system is going to have to take up the cause of the citizens, because right now the General Assembly is letting us down,” he said.

“The North Carolina Constitution guarantees a citizen's right to vote for the party or candidate of their choice. Right now, that right is being denied. The courts are bending over backwards to give the legislature a chance to make this right. So, for now, the ball is once more in the court of the General Assembly.”

“The problem is that neither the Democrat nor Republican power-brokers want to let anyone else in on their duopoly,” said Barbara Howe, Libertarian Party state chair.

Howe said that in the next election cycle, North Carolina will probably have the largest signature requirement of any state, an estimated 90,000 signatures just to be able to put a name on the ballot.

“Our question to the General Assembly is: Are you going to continue to shame North Carolina with some of the most restrictive laws in the nation,” said Howe.

“Or are you going to bring laws in North Carolina into balance with those of the rest of the states? States like South Carolina, which require only 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot? Or Tennessee, which requires only 25 signatures.”

Since this was a 2-1 decision the full court will automatically hear the case if one of the parties requests it. Howe said the Libertarians will almost certainly make such a request.

Howe said Libertarians were heartened by Judge Calabria's dissenting opinion, in which she said, “North Carolina’s two percent statewide requirements for both ballot access and ballot retention place too onerous a burden on the fundamental rights of members of third parties under the State Constitution.”

Judge Calabria noted that the state permits ballot access under far less burdensome requirements for unaffiliated candidates, and thus has proven that it can accomplish its “compelling interest” in ballot regulation in a less restrictive fashion.

The “... compelling interests of the people of North Carolina … are thwarted by the ballot access statutes,” the judge said.

While it is ultimately the role of the legislature, rather than the court, to determine a precise method of ballot access and retention, she said. “However, ballot access statutes must, at the very least, allow both political parties and unaffiliated candidates equal access to the ballot,”she said.

The law is especially unfair because it forces a new or previously unqualified party to either qualify statewide, or not at all, Judge Calabria said.

The majority decision included a comment that Texas’ ballot access law had been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, and that Texas law also requires a party to qualify statewide or not at all. This is an error, according to Ballot Access News.

“In fact, Texas has always had procedures for a party that is not qualified statewide to get on the ballot in a single county,” reported Richard Winger, a nationally-recognized ballot access expert. Winger testified on behalf of the Libertarian Party at the trial.

“This decision, like the original decision by the Superior Court, completely fails to mention any of the other issues we raised, including the issue of whether the state should let voters register with parties that aren't ballot-qualified,” said Howe.

The case was filed in 2005.

LibertyTube TV: Gun Controlled

2009-09-26T20:40:00.011-04:00

This episode of LibertyTUBE TV explores the Second Amendment and the current legislative environment surrounding gun ownership. Paul Valone of Grass Roosts North Carolina speaks about relevant legislation in NC.

Dean Garris produces LibertyTube TV, a program broadcast on The People's Channel in Chapel Hill, currently Mondays at 11:30am and 6:30pm. You can find an archive of past episodes of LibertyTube TV on blip.tv.

2009-09-21T15:11:00.002-04:00

This Weeks Meeting at Napper Tandy's

This weeks meeting 9/24/09 will be at Napper Tandy's Irish Pub on 126 N. West street.

Stop the madness

2009-09-18T08:45:00.002-04:00

Dr. Michael Beitler has announced he's seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010.

“I want you to know, I am committed to abolishing Federal programs and agencies, not to creating new ones,” Beitler told about 100 supporters gathered for the announcement at the PTI Airport Marriott Hotel Thursday.

“Big government is causing more problems than it is claiming to fix,” he said. “Federal Government’s spending is out of control. Total reported – and unreported – Federal Government debt has taken us to the point of no-return.”

“It's time to stop the madness,” Beitler said. He said the time has come to stop talking in terms of reducing the budgets of various government programs and agencies.

“The time has come to abolish entire Federal programs and agencies,” Beitler said. Noting that Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) has become know as “Dr. No” in the U.S. House of Representatives, Beitler said he wants to be known as “Dr. Abolish” in the U.S. Senate.

Beitler is business practice professor in The Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He's authored three business books used in MBA programs and hosts the Internet radio show “Free Markets With Dr. Mike Beitler” on the VoiceAmerica Business Network.

Beitler also wrote a book about his libertarian philosophy, “Rational Individualism: A Moral Argument for Limited Government & Capitalism.”

2009-08-09T12:24:00.002-04:00

This Weeks Meeting

This weeks meeting will be held at the Peking Garden at 126 E. Millbrook road in Raleigh.
A very nice place with great food and should be an excellent environment for our social meeting.
Please come and check out this location and tell us what you think of it. Since we are in the process of checking out different locations to hold our meetings please look at the Meetup calendar for meeting details and location each week. (link at top right of this home page).

Monthly programs

2009-07-27T14:23:00.004-04:00

Next week, we will begin monthly programs. The new venue at Napper Tandy's Irish Pub seems to be working out. We actually have a room where we can block out most of the sound from bar.

The first series of programs will focus on "doing" politics. We will cover things like writing letters-to-the-editor and op eds, lobbying, drafting and promoting legislation, working with groups with which we share a common goal and, of course, organizing and running political campaigns.

Fernie Williams, Phil Jacobson and Brian Irving on working on this series.

Next WakeLP meet

2009-07-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

Just our regular weekly meeting of Libertarians from around the Triangle. Come out for a friendly dinner with Libertarian friends. This weeks meeting will be held at Napper Tandy's Irish Pub.

Napper Tandy's Irish Pub
126 N. West St.
Glenwood South
Raleigh, NC 27603
www.nappertandysirishpub.com/raleigh/raleigh.html