LPM OnlineNovember 23, 1999 |
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The Libertarian Party of Shiawassee County now has t-shirts available. The shirts are Ash Grey 50/50 cotton/polyester and come in Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large. The front features a Statue of Liberty design with the words: "Libertarian Party of Michigan, Shiawassee County." There is no back design. The t-shirts are $15 dollars each; we will cover the cost of shipping. Send check, money order-- or yes, we'll even take cash--to: LPSC, P.O. Box 1072, Owosso, Michigan 48867.
There will be no public meeting of the Libertarian Party of Shiawassee County in December. The LPSC is now holding weekly business meetings in Owosso. Call 517-288-5616 or e-mail bsteele1@tir.com if you want more information about the weekly meetings. Also, we are looking for speakers for our public meetings--contact information is the same if you know a speaker or wish to speak. The officers and members of the LPSC would like to take this opportunity to wish libertarians everywhere a happy and relaxing Holiday Season! Peace and Prosperity!
Richard Friend was elected the Chair of the newly formed St. Clair County Libertarian Party on Wednesday, November 17, 1999! As expected, a set of Bylaws were passed and other officers were elected as well. Now it is time to get down to business and begin to promote Libertarian principles in St. Clair County. If you live in St. Clair County and want to help get this new affiliate off the ground, or if you would like to pitch in and help Richard Friend get elected to congress in the year 2000, please contact us today at rfriend2000@advnet.net and tell us!
LPOC members spoke out at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Public Hearing regarding the proposed 911 surcharge of 4% on Oakland County telephone lines. The public hearing was held at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium on November 18, 1999 at 10:00 AM. In attendance were Lloyd and Jeannie Sherman, Bob Schubring, Al Titran, and Greg Dirasian. The day before the public hearing, the LPOC issued a news release identifying the surcharge as a general revenue raising scheme only partially related to emergency telephone operations (the news release is available at http://www.bignet.net/~gkd/NewsRels/NR19991117.html ). Al Titran, dressed in colonial garb, picketed outside the Board of Commissioners Auditorium, carrying a sign expressing the Libertarian Party of Oakland County's opposition to the proposed tax. A reporter from the Eccentric took several pictures of Al. Greg Dirasian, LPOC Vice Chair, addressed the Commissioners, urging them to be forthright with the people of Oakland County and reject the resolution. Public Act 29 of 1994 enables the Board of Commissioners to authorize a telephone surcharge of up to four (4%) for emergency telephone operations, but over half of the money raised under this plan would be used for something other than emergency telephone operations, specifically, building a new radio communications system for the county. Thus, this is a general revenue-raising scheme, not a surcharge, i.e. it is a tax. As a tax, it is subject to the Headlee amendment and must be voted on by the citizen's of Oakland County. Immediately after addressing the Commissioners, Dirasian was approached by members of the media - the Daily Tribune, the Observer-Eccentric, the Oakland Press, the Metro Times, and the Detroit Free Press. The following day he was called and interviewed by the Metro Times and the Observer-Eccentric reporters. The Daily Tribune published an article on the issue, quoting Dirasian and mentioning the LPOC (the article is available at the Daily Tribune web site at http://www.dailytribune.com ). Many citizens, as well as Bill McMasters of Taxpayers United, spoke out in opposition to the proposal, but the Board of Commissioners approved the surcharge regardless. The favorable response from the media was a clear indication that they are eager to hear Libertarians address the issues facing us at the local level.
DEARBORN. The Libertarian Party of Michigan both approves and disapproves of recent proposals by the two old parties to reform the day care system in Michigan, according to LPM chair, Stacy Van Oast. "Obviously, we all want the best possible day care for our children," Van Oast said. "What parent doesn't what her child nurtured in a safe, intellectually stimulating environment with closely supervised play time and nutritious meals and snacks?" It is most of the Republican and Democrat proposals for ensuring the availability of that kind of environment that Libertarians find at best useless and at worst actually counterproductive. "Changing the rules for commercial day care operations, tripling the number of inspectors who enforce those rules, providing special tax breaks specifically to professional day care employees, all of these and most everything else in the proposals merely serve to further institutionalize the care and nurturing of our most precious and cherished resource -- our children." Which of the proposed reforms do Libertarians like? "The proposal to give parents a $10,000 income tax deduction for every child under the age of 7 is an excellent idea!" Van Oast observed. "This actually addresses the real, underlying cause of our current need for so much commercial day care -- a tax rate that has become so burdensome that both parents are forced to work, one to support the family, the other to support the government." Libertarians have found dramatic support for their position from an unlikely source: a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. "It has just been revealed," Van Oast points out, "that, incredibly, most women now conceive their first child out of wedlock, a rate that has grown from 18% in the early 30's to 53% in the early 90's!" The reason for the dramatic jump, according to Census Bureau analyst, Amara Bachu, is that having children outside of marriage is more socially accepted today. "Exactly," agreed the LPM chair. "And it is also continually subsidized, while maintaining an intact family is continually penalized. Who is more likely to provide a safe, nurturing environment for a child than his own mom or dad? If that kind of environment is what we really want," she concluded, "how about simply making it financially possible to provide it by dramatically cutting the tax rate for families with small children?"
The size and prominence of our state delegation at the Libertarian National Convention in Los Angeles next summer depend on our membership count on 11/30/1999. The current estimate is that our 11/30/99 membership count is now at an all time high of 1519. But we are probably still in 6th place. At the end of last month Georgia was at 1526 and Pennsylvania was at 1548. With a strong push in the next 4 days, we could pass these two states and be the 4th largest State Party, behind California, Texas, and Florida. If you get any renewals before 11/26/99 (we need a few days to process them), you can phone them in to Ben Bachrach at 313-563-1558. First time members must sign the Membership Application, but you can FAX it to Ben at 313-563-5544. Now is the time to act. Those signing up a new or former member are eligible to receive a copy of the new documentary "Waco: A New Revelation" for just the cost of shipping and handling. So far, 45 people have qualified for receiving the video. Don't delay. The deadline is almost here. |
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