LPM OnlineMay 25, 1999 |
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Late one night in Washington, D.C., a mugger wearing a ski mask jumped into the path of a well-dressed man and stuck a gun in his ribs. "Give me your money," he demanded. Indignant, the affluent man replied, "You can't do this - I'm a U.S. Congressman!" "In that case," replied the robber, "give me MY money!"
The LMC has found a new meeting location for its June 9, 1999 monthly meeting. The new meeting location is Heinzman's Heidelberg, 43785 Gratiot, Clinton Twp, just north of Mt. Clemens. Join us for dinner at 6:00 PM and business at 7:00 PM.
Only city office races are on the November 1999 ballot. They are almost always non-partisan. They are the easiest races to win. Here’s how simple it is to get started: 1) I called information for the Livonia Clerk’s phone number. 2) Then I wasted 5 minutes wading through a long, worthless automated information system and finally just told the darn thing that I didn’t have a touchtone phone. 3) Then I spoke with a live human being and asked: A) What offices are on the ballot this November? She replied: Mayor, Clerk, Treasurer, and 4 Council Seats. B) What are the requirements to become a candidate for one of these offices? She replied: You must be registered to vote in Livonia and bring a sponsor and $50 to the City Clerk’s office. C) Most cities require petitions signed by 50 or 100 voters, what is a sponsor? She replied: A sponsor is a registered voter in the City of Livonia. We don’t use any petitions. For my own amusement, I recapped: Oh, I get it, bringing a sponsor is kinda like an in-person, unwritten petition of one? She replied: Well, I guess so. D) When is the last day to get on the ballot for these offices? She replied: June 22, by 4 pm. There is a $50 fee for registering. And, if you want signs, there is a $50 fee required by a city signage ordinance. [Apparently, they like to include first amendment violations as an incentive to encourage people to run for office to repeal them.] The whole process took less than 15 minutes. But, time is running out!!! If you want to beat the deadline and get on the ballot for 1999, make that phone call today! The next time you wish to gripe about the local speed trap, the blight inspector, intrusive ‘fire,’ ‘health’ or ‘building’ inspections, etc., remember how easy it would have been for you to get on the ballot and work to end all that. What is the price of Liberty? If you don’t pay your own way, who will? There is no welfare program for Liberty. Mayor, City Clerk and Treasurer are full-time jobs, but city council is not. You can even keep your day job!
In November 1998, the LPM ran 95 candidates. We received more press coverage than ever before. This additional coverage resulted directly from running a large number of candidates. It foretells the emergence of the Libertarian Party as a credible political alternative. But, we’re not there yet … Our political party credibility is determined by the strength of our presence on the ballot. For voters to consider our candidates, we have to show them that we are a large, active, competent, professional force in the political arena. To secure their votes, we must have not only good Libertarian candidates, but also back them up with party credibility. For party credibility, we must have other Libertarian candidates all the way up-ticket (higher level offices), down-ticket (lower level offices), and cross-ticket (each district or seat for multi-seat body, such as city or county council, or the Michigan House). We won’t truly gain political party credibility until we have candidates in every race on the ballot. It is crucial that we expand upon our 1998 successes. So, as Campaign Chair, here’s my goal: Contest a majority of the seats in the Michigan House. This will give voters a REAL alternative. In surveys, over 50% of the population wants a third party. Of these, most want a party which is socially tolerant and fiscally responsible. We are exactly what they want. And, if they wake up on November 7, 2000 recognizing that the LP is exactly what they’ve wanted all along, I want to give them a real option, not a hyped up phoney one! To provide a real alternative, we must contest a majority of the seats in the Michigan House. Be a part of history in the making! Run for State Rep in 2000. If you plan to run for state rep in 2000, please inform me, Doug MacDonald, at 734-591-9117 of your candidacy, so that I won’t waste time recruiting a candidate for your district.
I need to know when, if ever, a third party contested a majority of seats in the Michigan House of Representatives. Changes in election law in 1931 will make the research difficult. If you have time to do this research, please call me, Doug MacDonald, at 734-591-9117. I can give you some help with how to proceed. And, if you happen to be a political science student at a college requiring volunteer experience for credit/your degree, I am sure we can work something out that will help both of us accomplish our goals! |
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