LPM Online

Contents

1. Upcoming Events
   
   

   July 17, 2001

   Libertarians of Allegan County.

   Location: No meeting this month, see you at the August meeting.

   Contact: Rick Dutkiewicz Phone: (616) 673-5503 E-mail: rdoogie@datawise.net

   
   

   July 18, 2001

   Monthly meeting of the St. Clair County affiliate.

   Location: Figaro's is located at 1503 11th Street, Port Huron, MI 48060. TX: (810) 987-3588. Join us for dinner at 6:00 PM. Business begins at 7:00 PM.

   Contact: Richard Friend Phone: (810) 982-7178 E-mail: rfriend@advnet.net

   
   

   July 19, 2001 - 7:00 PM

   The Van Buren County chapter would like to invite everyone to their monthly meeting. Dinner will be available at 6:30.

   Location: CT's restaurant, South Haven on the corner of M-43 and Blue Star Highway

   Contact: Bill Bradley Phone: (616) 637-4525 E-mail: free@cybersol.com

   
   

   July 25, 2001 - 6:30 PM

   LP of Oakland County General Membership Meeting. Public welcome. Meet for dinner at 6:30pm, business begins at 7:30pm.

   Location: Sila's Restaurant, 4033 W. 12 Mile Rd, Berkley. Sila's is 2 blocks west of Greenfield on Twelve Mile Road.

   Contact: Chris Pellerito Phone: (248) 373-9411 E-mail:  LpocChairChris@aol.com

   
   

   July 26, 2001 - 7:00 PM

   The Ballot Access Restoration Committee meets the second and fourth Thursday every month -- until we submit petition signatures to the Bureau of Elections to be certified to once again be able to run Libertarian candidates in partisan races. All LPM members are welcome to attend and help with both the planning and execution of our petition drive.

   Location: LPMHQ, 619 E. 9 Mile, Hazel Park (just east of I-75)

   Contact: Nancy O'Brien Phone: (313) 562-5778 E-mail: nobrien321@home.com

   
   

   July 31, 2001 - 6:00 PM

   Fundraiser for the Andy LeCureaux For Hazel Park City Council Campaign. This is a family event. $25 for adults, $12 for kids includes 3 games of Cosmic Bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soft drinks.

   Location: Hazel Park Bowl & Lounge, at Hughes and Woodward Heights. (From the HQ, go east on 9 Mile, turn left on Hughes, go north about 1/2 mile until you see the bowling alley.)

   Contact: Dave Collver Phone: (248) 542-9274 E-mail: DCCollver@aol.com

   
   

   August 6, 2001 - 7:30 PM

   Meeting of the Andy LeCureaux for Hazel Park City Council Campaign.

   Location: LPM HQ, 619 East Nine Mile Rd., Hazel Park

   Contact: Dave Collver Phone: (248) 542-9274 E-mail: DCCollver@aol.com

   
   

   August 8, 2001 - 6:30 PM

   Libertarians of Macomb County monthly meeting. Drinks and dinner at 6:30 PM, business begins at 7:00 PM.

   Location: Miles World Resturant, 17689 Masonic, Fraser, MI 48026, 810-415-4500.

   Contact: Diane Barnes Phone: (810) 774-1625 E-mail: dbarnes98@aol.com

   
   

   August 9, 2001 - 7:00 PM

   The Ballot Access Restoration Committee meets the second and fourth Thursday every month -- until we submit petition signatures to the Bureau of Elections to be certified to once again be able to run Libertarian candidates in partisan races. All LPM members are welcome to attend and help with both the planning and execution of our petition drive.

   Location: LPMHQ, 619 E. 9 Mile, Hazel Park (just east of I-75)

   Contact: Nancy O'Brien Phone: (313) 562-5778 E-mail: nobrien321@home.com

   
   

   August 13, 2001 - 7:00 PM

   CLARE-GLADWIN LIBERTARIAN PARTY MEETING, turn in signatures, get new petitions, review FAIR success, get ready for Freedom Banquet 2001, refreshments provided.

   Location: Grant Twp. Hall, one mile west of Jay's Sporting Goods on Surrey Road.

   Contact: Ghazey Aleck Phone: (989) 386-2699 E-mail: aleckfamily@voyager.net

   
   

   More

   For more events, see the online calendar at:

   http://www.michiganlp.org/lpmonline/events.php

   
   

2. E-Tax Plan Derailed by Press Release

   
   7/13/01
   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   CONTACT: Tim O'Brien
   (248) 591-3733
   (313)562-5778
   
   HAZEL PARK. Governor Engler and the Republican hierarchy in the state legislature were dealt a stunning setback yesterday in their plans to facilitate collecting Michigan's 6% tax on Internet purchases.
   
   And the Libertarian Party, long-time champion of free trade and lower taxes generally, opponent of the stalled "Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Administration Act" particularly, is celebrating the success of its first, concerted, coordinated, multi-pronged lobbying effort, as the legislature adjourned for the summer without taking any action on the bill.
   
   The LP began its campaign against Internet taxation more than a year ago with two weeks of radio advertising opposing the idea when it was first being advocated by Republican Governor John Engler.
   
   In recent months party officials testified against the current bill at both senate at house committee hearings. A few weeks ago an op-ed opposing the bill was distributed to newspapers across the state. Party members were encouraged to call or write their legislators. And the LP-sponsored but nonpartisan SpeakOutMichigan.org web-based petitioning utility was also activated, generating more than 300 e-mails to legislators.
   
   "Of course," O'Brien hastened to add, "credit for this victory must be shared with state representatives Robert Gosselin (R-Troy) and Leon Drolet (R-Clinton Township). They may not be Libertarians," he said, "but they are certainly champions of liberty."
   
   The two Republicans both serve on the house Tax Policy committee (which never reported out the bill). "Representatives Gosselin and Drolet were unflagging in their commitment to smaller, less expensive, less intrusive government," O'Brien praised, "and tireless in their efforts within the legislature to rally opposition to SB-433. We are grateful for the courage they have shown in standing up to their party's establishment."
   
   This success by the LP and the two maverick Republicans represents a substantial embarrassment to Michigan's Governor, a vocal proponent of the idea of adopting a reciprocal sales tax compact among the states. Engler is poised to assume the chairmanship of the National Governors Association in August, unable to sell his pet proposal in his home state -- with his own party in control of all three branches of government.
   
   The Michigan Libertarians have vowed to make Cyberspace a free trade zone and joined this fight against Internet taxation with an almost religious zeal. "We know this is just one battle," O'Brien said, "essentially, only a holding action. The Republicans have already promised to bring [SB-433] back as soon as the legislature reconvenes in September. But they will find us still standing our ground, throwing sand in the gears of the government juggernaut. We think back to our grandparents' time and wish they would have stood firm back then against the income tax proposal. Well," he concluded, "this is our time. We will not let our grandchildren down."

   Back to Contents
   
3. BARC Update by Nancy O'Brien

   As of July 14, 2001, we have 11,818 signatures checked and logged in at headquarters. Only 38,182 to go!
   
   We have contracted for 10,000 signatures from paid petitioners to make up the shortfall we experienced in Phase I of the petition drive. The good news is that I am cautiously optimistic we will gather the 17,000 signatures necessary to complete Phase II entirely with volunteers. If all of the affiliates come through with the signatures they have promised, we will exceed our Phase II goal.
   
   Want to know what your affiliate’s “fair share” is?
   
   At the beginning of the petition drive we divided the number of signatures needed for success by the number LPM members. We then multiplied the quotient (27) by the number of members in each affiliate. The following is the resulting signature goal for each affiliate and how each is doing so far:
   
   Affiliate Sigs. Goal % of Goal
   
   
   Allegan County 43 560 7.7%
   Berrien County 107 560 19.1%
   Clare-Gladwin Counties 69 320 21.6%
   Ionia County 11 240 4.6%
   Kalamazoo County 36 1013 3.6%
   Lapeer-Genesse Counties 16 1413 1.2%
   Livingston County 69 1732 4.3%
   Macomb County 1026 5784 17.7%
   Mid-Michigan 421 2852 14.8%
   Midwest Michigan 79 560 14.1%
   Oakland County 1974 10688 18.7%
   Ottawa County 56 800 7.0%
   South Central Michigan 43 1652 2.6%
   Shiawassee County 1145 293 390.8%
   Saint Clair County 11 693 1.6%
   Traverse Bay 7 773 0.9%
   Tri-Cities 355 1173 30.3%
   Upper Peninsula 39 1119 3.9%
   Van Buren County 45 426 10.6%
   Washtenaw County 2870 2799 102.5%
   Wayne County 588 8422 7.0%
   West Michigan 65 2799 2.3%
   
   
   Congratulations Shiawassee and Washtenaw! You guys really know what it means to kick butt and take names!
   
   It should be noted that the above totals do not reflect monetary contributions from members of each affiliate, although these will ultimately be counted toward their signature totals. Remember: if you don’t have the time or inclination to collect signatures, you may always make a contribution instead, and we will contract for your “fair share” from paid professionals. Every dollar you donate to the BARC effort counts as one signature toward both your individual and affiliate goals. Send checks to: LPM-BARC, 619 East Nine Mile Road, Hazel Park, MI 48030.
   
   Volunteers Needed for Special BARC Project
   
   Do you hate to petition? Would you like, nevertheless, to help the ballot drive by doing something equally important? Are you at least moderately proficient in word processing technology? Can you commit to working at HQ for a few hours between now and November 1?
   
   If you answered yes to all of these questions, BARC needs you to help with a project that may save us thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of petitioning during Phase III of the campaign.
   
   We have obtained the state’s voter registration list on CD ROM. If we can verify a high validity rate for the signatures we have, it will reduce the number of signatures we had intended to gather as a “cushion” against the inevitable bad signatures collected in every petition drive.
   
   It will require you to work on a special database at HQ, entering names and addresses of signers to see if they live where they say do and are really registered to vote.
   
   If you are interested in helping with this project, please email me at nobrien321@home.com, or call me at (313) 562-5778.
   
   
   
   BARC Announcements
   
   Washtenaw County needs volunteers to work their booth at the Ann Arbor Street Fair, Wednesday July 18, through Saturday, July 21. This is one of the best petitioning opportunities in the state. For more information contact James Hudler at (734) 475-9792 or aguli@provide.net.
   
   The BARC meeting set for Thursday, July 26 has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. The next BARC meeting will be Thursday, August 9 at 7:00.
   
   Please submit your petitions as soon as they are completed. We can't check and log them, nor give you credit for the signatures you have collected until we have them in the HQ. If you don’t trust the U.S. mail (a prudent concern), mail them certified to my address: Nancy O’Brien, 17015 Cicotte, Allen Park, MI 48101. To mail a stack of 300 or so petitions certified mail will cost approximately $7.00. I will sign for them and let you know they have arrived safely.
   
   Remember: the submission deadline for Phase II is Saturday, August 18. All petitions, even those with only one signature, must be returned to HQ so we can assess what we need to do in Phase III. This is crucial to the effort, so please don’t let us down on this. Keep petitioning, but send in what you have collected up to that point.

   Back to Contents
   
4. Late Entries to Affiliate Contest by Ben Steele III

   Three Affiliates sent goals to me for the Affiliate Contest-- just a little too late. While I can't accept them as entries into the contest (I said "No Exceptions," -- and that is why I published the deadline date many times), I think it would not be proper for me to fail to announce their goals and follow their progress as they try to acheive them. The three Affiliates and their goals for 2001 are as follows:

   The Libertarian Party of Mid-Michigan (six goals):

   1. To exceed their "fair share" of petition signatures

   2. To increase their membership by ten percent

   3. To publish six letters to the editor which include the word "libertarian"

   4. To produce three candidates pledged to run for local, state, or national offices

   5. To produce three candidates pledged to apply for appointed positions in a local government

   6. To have at least one Libertarian appointed to a local government position

   The Tri-Cities Libertarian Party:

   To get 1,000 signatures for the ballot drive

   The Libertarian Party of Washtenaw County (three goals):

   1. To get 1000 or more ballot petition signatures

   2. To get attendance of 100 or more at the Sam Adams Dinner

   3. To start business meetings on time

   Those are some good goals! I believe that if Washtenaw succeeds with their last goal, they may be the first LP Affiliate in history to acheive such an accomplishment!

   Watch this newsletter for updates as these affiliates work to acheive their goals and bring us all closer to a more free society.

   Back to Contents