Happy October Everyone!

Fall is officially here! As you and your kids (grandkids, nieces, nephews) are now busy with all the busyness Fall brings, the Libertarian Party of Michigan has been busy too! We've been attending events and spreading the word about Liberty Fest.

If you're not familiar with Liberty Fest, it's our annual dinner that celebrates the libertarian philosophy. It's also a wonderful place to meet new people! This year's celebration is Saturday, November 14, and will feature a speaker from Hillsdale College. Please spread the word, as we're going into an election cycle and continuing to reach out to members and voters around the state. There's lots more information on our website, so be sure to check it out!

Speaking of our website, after months of searching, we have a new webmaster. Ryan Petrosso will be helping us redesign and update our site to be more user and mobile-friendly. We'll have more on the site updates at the November LEC meeting.

Despite a little rain, the Stop the Violence Rally in Flint went on as scheduled. We were able to meet people who had never even heard of our party, and we opened their eyes on the media blackout of other parties. We also were able to register one young man to vote! A big thanks to the Genesee affiliate for coming out and helping.

Later that day, I swung by the Dally in the Ally to help Wayne County set up their booth. They had a long day! When I saw their Politically Homeless Quiz board again the next week, I knew why they had plenty of visitors to their booth.

We still have information for anyone wanting to help with the MiLegalize Petition, so please send inquiries to chair@michiganlp.org and we'll get you in touch with your local coordinator. As Libertarians, we believe it is your choice to do with your own body what you wish, and highly support the petition action as each voting Michiganian will have a voice in the matter.

In addition to MiLegalize, I was able to attend the Roll the Vote at Wayne State University on September 19 where I sat on the political panel. Though we had more of a video audience than we did in-person, we were able to talk to several people one-on-one who definitely want to learn more about our party. We will also be represented on the panel at the Flint Roll the Vote on October 24 with the Genesee County affiliate.

As always, if you are interested in helping out send the team leaders an e-mail at the following addresses.

• Vice Chair - vicechair@michiganlp.org Are you interested in helping start an affiliate in your area?
• Secretary – secretary@michiganlp.org Are you interested in helping promote the party via marketing & media? Also, send any liberty minded articles to newsletter@michiganlp.org by the 25th of each month.
• Treasurer – treasurer@michiganlp.org How are you at coming up with fundraising ideas? This may be the place for you.
• Political Team – politicaldirector@michiganlp.org Do you like following the bills that are at the state or federal level? What about wanting to run for office? Just send our Political Director and e-mail.
• Membership Team – membership@michiganlp.org Do you just want to help get members in touch with each other and help the party grow. We could use some people on the phones.

Thank you for your time and efforts and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.
Kimberly Moore
LPM, Chair

It's that time of year again in Michigan for the LPM's annual Liberty Fest.

This year's Liberty Fest will be held at Weber's Inn Ann Arbor on November 14th.

• 5:00 pm Happy Hour
• 5:45 pm Dinner
• 6:45 pm Libertarian Party of Michigan Welcome
• 7:00 pm Guest Speaker
• 8:15 pm Raffle
• 8:25 pm Libby Awards
• 9:00 pm End of Program

This year's guest speaker is: Dr. Roger B. Butters, Associate Professor of Economics Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI

Dr. Butters is a dynamic leader, lecturer and advocate for economic education who teaches in both the public and private sectors. The developer of online competitions and assessment websites that are used by thousands or students, educators, and researchers each year, Dr. Butters has extensive experience in applying technology to the classroom, and online education. Roger has taught seminars on economics and international finance at universities in the United States, Europe, and China. His primary research interests are in the fields of economic education and regional economics. A recipient of the "Rising Star Award", in 2009, and the "Philip Saunders Best Research Paper Award," in 2011, he was recently given the honorary title of "Admiral in the Navy of the State of Nebraska" for his work promoting economic literacy. A former equities trader with Fidelity Investments, Dr. Butters holds a Master of Managerial Economics from the Marriot School of Management and a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California – Davis. A Professor with the Foundation for Teaching Economics, and past president of the Nebraska Council on Economic Education.

Also, we're looking to grant the three Libby Awards at the event to three very deserving Libertarians.

• Spokesperson for Liberty Award : To a member of the community whose patriotism and conviction have inspired contributions to the cause of liberty.
• Promoter of Liberty Award : To a libertarian whose efforts have done the most to promote the LP and Libertarian principles
• Producer of Liberty Award : To a dedicated, behind-the-scenes Libertarian whose quiet labors over the years exemplifies the backbone of the LP.

If you'd like to nominate someone for one of these awards please go to www.michiganlp.org and complete the online form.

Public Service Announcements and Special Elections by Scotty Boman, Political Director

In August, a Public Service Announcement was released, and is being aired in the communities surrounding Rose City, Michigan. This PSA emphasizes the non-aggression principle. We are also working on another series of PSAs. This format will educate viewers on the Committee process and feature bills trapped there (one per PSA). One is currently being aired featuring HB 4240. For more information about HB 4240, please visit BrassRootsPlaque.com

Jim Fulner and I have begun to look for Todd Courser’s replacement. Some veteran Libertarians live in that area, but they have clearly indicated that they are retired, and are not interested in running for office. It is our understanding that West Michigan has the Cindy Gamrat seat covered by Arnis Davisons and is still working on the 75th District seat. All of these must have a caucus within the district and paperwork filed by November 3, 2015 to be on the March 8, 2016 ballot. Once we have candidates recognized we will be looking for volunteers to help with the campaigns.

There will be a small private gathering to encourage committee members to move the Brass Roots Plaque legislation out of committee on a future date. This is not a public event, but rather an effort by a few Brass Roots activists and the Bills primary sponsor, Martin Howrylak, to interest committee members in the plaque. Meanwhile, I encourage members to visit BrassRootsPlaque.com and see if you representative is on the Michigan House Operations Committee, or a Co-Sponsor of the bill. Please contact Committee members to express your support, and contact co-sponsors to express your gratitude.

The Todd Courser/Cindy Gamrat affair was a disappointment because of the bills they were stopping, but more importantly, the libertarian (or libertarian-leaning) bills they were sponsoring that ended up locked in committee. We are seeking interested volunteers to take on the task of getting copies of these orphaned bills and either encourage them to be passed out of committee, or tweak them and try to find new sponsors for the modified bills. One such bill would have removed the straight ticket option from ballots. Some orphan bills are itemized here.

In the course of their brief service in the legislature, the expelled lawmakers brought some procedural matters to light that have resonated with the people in their districts. Libertarian special election candidates would do well to emphasize some of these procedural problems, and point out Libertarian strengths in these areas. One matter, that lead to Rep. Gamrat's early expulsion from the Republican Party Caucus, was the revelation that caucus members are required to sign a loyalty oath whereby they agree to vote with the caucus. This places caucus members in a situation where party leaders and representatives of other districts have more control over how they vote then do voters in their own districts. Libertarians can emphasize the fact that, if elected, they would not be part of a major party caucus, so they would answer to the people who elected them and personal convictions rather than party leaders and politicians from other districts.

Another procedural matter to address is the committee process. We should advocate making it easier to move bills to a direct vote on the House floor to bypass committees. Currently Republican Party leadership appoints chairs of committees, and committee members who approve bills their party leadership disapproves of can be removed from committee.

There are significant opportunities for the Libertarian Party to become more relevant. We just need our members to step up and make it happen.

Hundreds Stop By LPM Table at Dally in the Alley

by Scotty Boman

Detroit-MI. Volunteers hosted the annual Libertarian outreach table at Dally in the Alley. Chairwoman Kim (Moore) McCurry, and veteran volunteers Gregory Creswell, Scotty Boman, and Jon Zent were there. The table was set up before the event began, and remained open until sundown. Thousands of people attended this event, while hundreds stopped by the table to take the political quiz. Most people fell into the libertarian or liberal quadrants.

Dally in the Alley is Detroit's largest annual community festival, located in the Cass Corridor district (the north end, close to Wayne State University) in Detroit and is completely organized and executed by a team of community volunteers, "The Dally" gives an offering of live music, visual arts, performance, food and beer. The event is held annually on the first Saturday after Labor Day. Proceeds from the Dally in the Alley benefit the North Cass Community Union.

Liberty Brewing in SE corner of the State

By Keith Butkovich

A new potential affiliate is sprouting up in Monroe and Lenawee Counties! Spearheaded by libertarian Keith Butkovich, the Monroe and Lenawee The group plans on spreading the message to a neglected portion of the state. Monroe and Lenawee Counties are somewhat of an oddity and oversight to some, especially the media. The counties border Lucas and Fulton in northwest Ohio, of which are a portion of the Toledo Metropolitan Area. Parts of it are officially in the Detroit media market, others in Toledo, but are mostly ignored by both. Residents have ties to either or both cities, as well as Ann Arbor. Some even work in one state and live in the other. However, I see these quirks as a huge strength to our group and party as a whole. We can be that voice the larger media outlets are ignoring. People of all walks of life in both counties, from farmers to industrial workers to attorneys and everything else in between. We also have that cross state factor, which brings in additional perspective which in-state residents and members may not see.

Rather than trying to sell you on joining our meetings and helping us organize, why not check it out for yourself? We meet at the Grafton Inn, located at 12601 Grafton Inn in Carleton. Access is easy via I-275, off the Carleton-Rockwood Road exit. All regular meetings are held the first Monday of the month, next meeting will be November 2nd starting at 7PM. The eatery has 50 cent hard taco night as of this writing, and if you arrive before 7, beer specials. That alone is worth the visit! We are a passionate group trying to make a major difference in Monroe and Lenawee, and need your help to accomplish this. I am especially extending this invite to members of the LEC, so they can personally see how passionate we are!

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at sirkeith17@hotmail.com. Keith Butkovich

Liberty On Parade In Allegan

By Mary Buzuma

The most popular event of the Allegan County Fair is the Allegan County Fair Parade. And one of the most popular entries is the Libertarian Party of West Michigan "Lady Liberty" Float. Hundreds of of spectators cheered, whistled and clapped as the float made its way from downtown Allegan to the fairground grandstand on September 14th. There were even shouts of "Where’s Cindy?" (wait...what??) The float was awarded 3rd prize in the political/patriotic group and yes there were more than 3 entries. Many thanks to Arnie Davidsons for acquiring the platform and along with yours truly made it look spiffy.

It was also an opportunity for Arnie to do a little campaigning. He will most likely be the Libertarian candidate for the 80th district House of Representatives in the special election on March 8, 2016 after the Libertarian Party Allegan County Caucus on October 24th. The caucus will be at the Main Street Saloon, 136 N. 10th St, Plainwell.

Beloved husband of the late Nancy. Dear father of Jay Bonnell (Kathleen Train). Predeceased by one brother and one sister. Family and friends will gather Saturday 10 am until time of Memorial Service 11 am at the A. H. Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack Avenue at Vernier Road, Grosse Pointe Woods. Memorial visitation Friday 5-8 pm. Memorial contributions to the family will be utilized to establish a scholarship in Mr. Bonnell's name at Macomb Community College.

A former colleague of Scotty Boman's he was a perennial libertarian candidate for public office.

2004 and 2008 - Macomb County, County Commissioner District 21

2006 - State Senate District 10

2002 - State Representative District 42

Thank you Professor Bonnell for your dedication to the Party and to liberty. You will be missed.

Torch Of Liberty Lights Up Roll The Vote Event

by Scotty Boman

Detroit-MI.

The Libertarian Party of Michigan had an information table at "Roll The Vote." Volunteers included Chairwoman Kim (Moore) McCurry and Bob Broda of the Capital Area Group. Most attendees enjoyed taking the "Smallest Political Quiz." Kim (Moore) McCurry Represented the LPM on a Panel discussion. Michigan Our America Initiative Director Scotty Boman also joined the panel. Other pro-cannabis rights groups and vendors were there.

Roll the Vote has been travelling from campus to campus and plans to bring education, music, speakers, vendors and educate the public on key voting and social issues in the Michigan area. The Michigan event was held at Wayne State University and was hosted by Detroit Change.

Video of the event can be found at https://youtu.be/H9ayw0fMIgc

On October 8th, 2015, Gov. Rick Snyder announced plans to reconnect Flint to the Detroit’s water system, two weeks after a researcher in the area revealed that Flint children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Snyder's appointed emergency manager made the decision to switch the city's water source from Detroit to the Flint River in 2014. Since then, many residents have complained of the water's odd smell, taste and appearance, as well as inimical health reactions. To make matters worse, Flint has the highest rates in Genesee county, charging $35 more per month in water and sewer rates than the next highest municipality in the county, and $90 more than the lowest.

While most Flint residents and liberals across the country are furious at the GOP for allowing an unelected official to poison Americans with a contaminated water supply, one major vulnerability has been greatly overlooked- the monopolization of water itself. Much like the emergency manager, monopolies face little to no accountability or risk. This is the problem with most state institutions and public services. Without competition, risk or accountability, there's no incentive no improve services and lower costs. Flint residents don't need to vote for a new monopoly, they need the freedom to choose their water source, individually. If it's cleanliness, affordability, realiability, and accountability they want, then it's privatization they need.