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——Michigan Libertarian—— December 2015, Volume 44:12 |
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In This Issue
Welcome to the December 2015 issue of the online newsletter of the Libertarian Party of Michigan, the Michigan Libertarian. The newsletter is our main vehicle for sharing what's happening for Libertarians in Michigan. You may manage your subscription by going here or visiting our Website www.michiganlp.org).
LeCureaux Wins and is Sworn In
by Greg Dirasian
On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, Andy LeCureaux was re-elected as a Hazel Park City Councilman. That's 8 elections in a row that Andy has won.
Andy was originally elected to the Hazel Park City Council in 2001. Those were dark days in Hazel Park. Finances and spending were out of control and the city would have been facing financial difficulties if something weren't done quickly. Andy aligned himself with other fiscally responsible members of the council and helped to pull the city back from the brink of financial collapse. There was some pain -- city employees were laid off. It bothered Andy that people were losing their jobs, but he knew that if the city wasn't quickly put on the path to financial stability, even more people would lose their jobs.
Some Libertarians may be cheering the reduction in the number of city employees, and there is no doubt that government is bloated at all levels, but laying off people is not usually the type of thing that makes for good campaign literature at re-election time.
Andy and his fiscally responsible co-council members shepherded the city through some of the most turbulent economics times since the Great Depression. And, while other cities the size of Hazel Park were having their finances taken over by the state, Hazel Park remained fiscally sound, and is now getting new businesses to move into their community.
Andy is also a graduate of the SVSU (Saginaw Valley State University) Certified Public Management Program (2010). Andy is the only city councilman in Hazel Park to have made the effort and earned the designation. Working full time and being a city councilman is like having two jobs, but Andy went the extra mile and went to school so he could better serve the needs of his constituents.
On Tuesday, November 10, 2015, Andy was sworn into office for the eighth time. Although there was never an official campaign website, the campaign did have a special web page where supporters could learn more about the campaign. That site is: http://bigstrat.org/LeCureaux2015/. On behalf of Andy and myself, we would like to thank everybody who helped with this campaign.
A Home for the New Year
Notice by Kimberly McCurry, Chair
Libertarians support the efforts of those who attempt to work with others to form charities that do not require state assistance. Jennifer Spaulding, a disabled veteran, who works with Roll the Vote is one such person.
Jennifer is working with Homeless Veteran shelters in Flint and Lansing, and she’s trying to establish a shelter in Detroit. There is an old school downtown that’s abandoned. It sits without having taxes paid on the property, and repairs are being paid for by residents. Ms. Spaulding’s plan consists of taking the school off the city’s hands, along with taking a couple hundred homeless veterans off the street. This shelter would provide a system to educate and medically care for these veterans, along with giving them something they could call their own, as they would be directly involved in keeping it operational. It would also be a bonus for the city as it would increase tax revenue.
Several companies and organizations are willing to help with setting everything up and keeping it running. However, Jennifer is hitting a roadblock. She’s been to several Detroit City Council meetings. What she needs from them is the donation of the school building (that is not being used and costing taxpayers money) the longer it sits vacant.
The Council is concerned about letting the homeless veterans in the downtown area. During the last few years, the city has worked to clear the city of homeless by making it more difficult to live there. Though it may appear homelessness is down, the issue still persists; the homeless simply moved to the suburbs. The problems for them still exist, just in a different location.
The city could give at least some of its homeless a secure place to be. Instead, the Council, it seems, would rather have a picture-perfect city instead of showing compassion and dealing with the actual issue.
Ms. Spaulding will be keeping us informed when the City Council meets. I would encourage everyone who would like to speak up for the people who are suffering to attend the next Detroit City Council Meeting and let the Council know that you support the transfer of this school to Ms. Spaulding.
For more information, please contact Chair Kimberly McCurry at chair@michiganlp.org and she will get you in contact with Jennifer Spaulding.
Candidate Intro: Arnie Davidsons
Dear Patriot,
My name is Arnie Davidsons. I am the Libertarian Party candidate for the March 8th special election that will fill the open seat for State Representative, District 80. My campaign is all about giving voters a true alternative. My candidacy is a chance for district 80 to say enough is enough and vote for a real liberty candidate instead of another “big money” establishment type.
I am 58 years old and live in Martin Township on the same family farm where I spent my childhood. I am proud to call Allegan County my home. I grew up here, raised 4 sons here, and retired here. While I have lived in other areas of the state, West Michigan has always been my true home.
I am in no way a career politician. Unlike my opponent, I do not have “big money” backing nor do I have endorsements from political organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce. My campaign is 100% grass roots and strictly for the people of West Michigan. Like many here, I am not happy that we currently have no representation in the Michigan House nor am I happy with the choices before us. This is the motivation behind my candidacy.
I enjoyed a 30-year career with General Motors and worked in Kalamazoo, Grand Blanc, and Grand Rapids. I endured three separate plant closings and had to relocate twice to keep my job. I know how job insecurity feels and also how devastating it can be for a family. During my time at GM I held a variety of positions including production, material handling, shipping/receiving, and quality control. In that time I worked with great people at all levels in the company, from line workers to department managers.
Among the useful skills I learned in my time at GM was how to work with people from different backgrounds and beliefs. I learned problem-solving, and how to build a strong team that gets the job done efficiently. The art of negotiation, thinking fast in a changing environment, and finding the best ways to turn a chaotic situation into a productive one are also key life lessons I picked up over my career. I also learned that it is not practical or necessary to know all the answers all the time. In fact, those that believe this can make a bad situation much worse. One key to solving complex problems is to know when is the appropriate time to seek an expert for advice.
Shortly after retirement, I got involved in the Libertarian Party of Michigan. I currently serve as the Chair of the Libertarian Party of West Michigan and was formerly an elected member of the LPM Executive Committee. I continue to be active in several affiliates across the state. I support the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. Liberty belongs to ALL people, not just party-approved groups or those that can purchase influence. As a Libertarian, I am not beholden to the Republican or Democrat party bosses in Lansing. This means that I am free to vote what is RIGHT on any issue. I can work with either side when appropriate, but will never vote against my principles.
There has never been a better time to send a clear message to Lansing. The political establishment needs a reminder that Michigan’s representatives work for the citizens of Michigan, NOT special interests, and NOT the Democrat or Republican parties. My name is Arnie Davidsons and I am standing by to deliver that message. Can I count on your support?
In Liberty,
Arnie Davidsons
Medical Marijuana & Caretakers Under Attack
Notice by Kimberly McCurry, Chair
In the next few months, Michigan will be attempting to change the Caretaker aspect of the Medical Marijuana bill. Because of “unregulated” dispensaries, they are discussing regulations. Many of these regulations would directly affect the dispensaries and “quality” of what they sell.
To illustrate this point, I’d like to talk about some personal experience I’ve witnessed with this so called “needed” regulation. Even people who use medical marijuana are saying they see the point of suggested changes because patients don’t know what they are actually getting from certain dispensaries.
The truth is, state-run regulation is not necessarily needed. The reason people cannot find out where the bad suppliers are is that even though illegal, discussing medical marijuana in Michigan is still deemed unacceptable. How can something legal be silenced in discussions? People are all too willing to say nobody has the research, so why should they listen? This is creating a black market-type of society where people still discuss the dos and don’ts of medical marijuana in the dark. This means that when someone finds out about a sketchy dispensary, you may never find out about it because it’s all whispers. If we empowered the patients and families to more openly discuss the treatments they are using, even with their doctors, we wouldn’t need government involved in telling us who to buy from.
Worse than this though is that the government is thinking of removing caregiver status because if there are legal dispensaries, then why are they needed?
Why are they needed? Maybe because the patient is bed-ridden, or blind, or has some other major disability where they are unable to get into a vehicle and get to a dispensary themselves! We need to make sure as many people are aware of when the next committee meeting discussing this topic is, and we will share it on Facebook.
Chair Letter, December 2015
Happy Holidays,
This year has proved fast and furious! We’re already approaching a new year, a year that will bring a new President-elect. A year where directions of a country, parties, businesses, and individuals will be decided, and we as Libertarians look forward to it! Every election cycle, the people become more disgruntled with the way our current elected officials represent the voters of America. Every election cycle, the Libertarian Party grows stronger because of that stress, and we will continue making progress.
Liberty Fest 2015 was a great success this year. We filled our room and our speaker, Roger Butler, was excellent discussing the ways to subtlety approach abrasive topics and using a step process to reach out to people. We had three exceptional people take home the Libby Awards this year.
Producer of Liberty Award: To a dedicated, behind-the-scenes Libertarian whose quiet labors over the years exemplifies the backbone of the LP: Raymond Warner
Spokesperson for Liberty Award : To a member of the community whose patriotism and conviction have inspired contributions to the cause of liberty: Glenn Wilson
Promoter of Liberty Award: To a libertarian whose efforts have done the most to promote the LP and Libertarian principles: Bradley Hunt
As mentioned last month, our Vice Chair, Karl Jackson, stepped down in October. At our November 22, 2015 Executive Committee meeting, we elected Jeff Wood to Vice Chair. We also elected Will White to the vacated At-Large seat (vacated by Wood), and Jim Fulner as our National Platform Delegate. Congratulations everyone.
Unfortunately, we have some not-so-great news also. A few new tax bills have passed the State House, and now the corresponding State Senate bills can be adapted to get these taxes pushed through.
Being Libertarian, all tax increases tend to perturb us; but these do so even more. Why? Because these bills should make most Michigander’s blood boil! Back in May of this year, the people, the voters, of this state, overwhelmingly voted “no” on increases in taxes to support the neglected roads in Michigan. Our roads could have been repaired with the money already set aside for roads, but was used on other “transportation” items. Roads could have been repaired by companies hired to do proper maintenance and warranty upkeep.
We understand that looking toward other methods of doing business can be difficult at first; it is evident that the traditional tax-and-spend does not lead to proper use of funds as they are always asking for more. Every voter in Michigan should be taking note of these bills, and taking note that the party (Republicans) that claims it is for small government and fewer taxes is the one, who by a wide majority, voted for these bills to give a new tax to you. Remember, 2016 is another year you can give the Libertarians a chance to show you what we can do for you.
Speaking of 2016, we are working on getting two events together. We’ll be inviting the Libertarian Party Candidates to a special forum as well as to our own Convention. Please keep in touch to see when and where these events will take place as we will be electing delegates for the National Florida Convention. We’ll also be electing a new Executive Committee.
There are a few other things we’ve worked on this month, and I hope you take time to read them. Thank you all for your support and I hope to meet you soon!
Kimberly McCurry, LPM Chair
Sympathies to Long Time Activist Scott Boman
Obituary Submitted by Scott Boman
Last month long time member and activist Scotty Boman lost his mother and he wished to share her public service with us.
BOMAN (Jackle), SYLVIA ANNA departed on November 15th. She was preceded by her former husband Ray Howard Boman. Survived by her son Scott Avery Boman and sister Elenore Benzoni. Surviving niece and great niece are Lisa Latchford Bridges and Amanda Bridges. Surviving nephew and great nephew are Christopher Benzoni, Devlin Bridges Jerry Boman and Jason Boman. Also surviving are her cousins Courtney Joseph, Carol Cole, Jean Merleanne Javier, and Luise Abbey as well as her Aunt Ingrid Joseph. Surviving in-laws include Jerry Boman, Larry Boman and Arlene Boman.
Sylvia was born in Detroit on September 17th 1937 to German immigrants Wilhelmine and Joseph Jackle. She grew up in Harper Woods (originally Gratiot Township), Michigan and lived in the Metro Detroit area nearly all of her life, with a few years spent in Albuquerque New Mexico.
She graduated from Harper Woods as Salutatorian for the class of 1955. She went on to study English, Spanish, Social Studies, and Education at Wayne State University, receiving a Master Degree in English Literature in 1964. Also, she studied Elementary Education at Mercy College between 1970 and 1973. Sylvia was a member of Mensa.
Her calling was to be a teacher at the Detroit Waldorf School and in the Detroit Public School system, but her passion was art. She was a prolific painter who’s preferred medium was water colors, and was a member of the Lakeside Palette Club. She also studied at the Center for Creative Studies and painted at the Scarab Club.
She loved Tango dancing.
In her early life she was a member of Immanuel United Methodist Church of Harper Woods, and later as member of the Unity Church of Today.
Memorial Arrangements are pending. Plans will be announced at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sylviaboman
Interested persons may contribute flowers or refreshments at the memorial service.
If you feel compelled to gift the memorial fiscally monetary contributions can be made at this Go Fund Me page: http://gofundme.com/sylviaboman
More... For all events, see the full online calendar on the Website:
http://michiganlp.org/?page_id=61. Note for those who do not have online access, please contact your local affiliate representative or call the office at 1-888-FREENOW (373-3669) to get a description of events in your area. The Michigan Libertarian ONLINE is distributed on the first of each month. Send calendar events and news articles by the 25th of the prior month to: e-newsletter@michiganlp.org
Note: The final print edition of the Michigan Libertarian is available online at http://www.michiganlp.org/Past%20Newsletters/
Michigan%20Libertarian%2038.2%20summer%202009.pdf
About the Michigan Libertarian |
The Michigan Libertarian is published/posted on the first of each month. Send calendar events and news/articles to e-newsletter@michiganlp.org by the 25th of the prior month. The Michigan Libertarian is one of the longest-running Libertarian newsletters in the country, debuting in 1973 shortly after the founding of the Libertarian Party of Michigan. The "new" Michigan Libertarian (a predominantly online version) debuted on October 1, 2009 and replaced the weekly LPMOnline and the printed-and-mailed ML. We will post the newsletter on the Website and deliver via email on the first of every month. A printed version of the new Michigan Libertarian will be sent free to anyone who signs up, which you may do at the LPM web site www.michiganlp.org (or www.mi.lp.org).
LPM members who need a hard copy may request one be mailed to them by contacting
e-newsletter@michiganlp.org or calling the LPM toll-free number 888-Free-Now (888-373-3669).
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