LPM Online

September 23, 2003

Contents

  1. Upcoming Events
  2. Campaign Finance Complaint Filed Against Pontiac Schools
  3. Nominations for the Defender of Liberty Awards
  4. 2003 LIBERTY FEST
  5. Operation Balance of Power

  1. Upcoming Events

    September 23, 2003 - 7:00 PM
    Libertarian Discussion Group. Open to the Public.
    Location: Denny's Restaurant, 3817 E. Cork St., Kalamazoo (at I-94 & Sprinkle Rd).
    Contact: Gerald Phillips Phone: (269) 382-0927 E-mail: gaphillips@jasnetworks.net

    September 24, 2003 - 7:30 PM
    Libertarian Party of Oakland County general membership meeting. Optional dinner starts at 6:30. Business meeting starts at 7:30.
    Location: Sila's Restaurant on 12 Mile Road, 2 blocks east of Greenfield, in Berkley
    Contact: Leonard Schwartz Phone: (248) 546-3569 E-mail: schwartz@michiganlp.org

    September 25, 2003 - 7:30 PM
    Libertarian Party of Washtenaw County weekly meeting. Speech by James Hudler about the "History of the LPWC, Ann Arbor Libertarian League (College Libertarians), and the LPM."
    Location: Cubs' AC Restaurant (located in the Colonial Lanes Bowling Center) 1950 S Industrial Hwy, Ann Arbor.
    Contact: Jeff Weber Phone: (734) 434-6486 E-mail: humanism@comcast.net

    October 2, 2003 - 7:30 PM
    Libertarian Party of Washtenaw County monthly Business Meeting. Also the planning for the Ann Arbor City elections and the planning for the Sam Adams dinner will take place.
    Location: Cubs' AC Restaurant (located in the Colonial Lanes Bowling Center) 1950 S Industrial Hwy, Ann Arbor.
    Contact: Jeff Weber Phone: (734) 434-6486 E-mail: humanism@comcast.net

    October 5, 2003 - 1:00 PM
    Libertarian Party of Michigan Executive Committee Meeting. All dues-paying members are welcome.
    Location: LP of Michigan Headquarters 619 East Nine Mile Road Hazel Park, MI
    Contact:  Bill Gelineau Phone: (616) 897-0488 E-mail: wgelineau@firstam.com

    October 6, 2003 - 7:00 PM
    Kalamazoo-St. Joseph Valley Libertarian Party Regular Meeting (Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo & St. Joseph Counties). Order to eat (otional) at 6:30. Open to the public.
    Location: T.G.I. Friday's Restaurant, 5650 W. Main, Oshtemo (at Main & Hwy 131)
    Contact: Gerald Phillips Phone: (269) 382-0927 E-mail: gaphillips@jasnetworks.net

    October 8, 2003 - 7:30 PM
    MACOMB COUNTY Libertarians monthly meeting. Drinks and dinner are optional starting at 6:30pm.
    Location: Miles World Restaurant 17689 Masonic, Fraser MI 48026 (586)415-4500
    Contact: Keith Edwards Phone: (586) 777-7468 E-mail: keithmarni@aol.com

    October 9, 2003 - 7:00 PM
    Libertarian Party of West Michigan’s monthly membership meeting,
    drinks and dinner at 6:30 PM, meeting begins at 7:00 PM
    Location: Club North (Banquet Room)1359 Plainfield Ave NE
    Grand Rapids, MI 49505
    Contact: Tom Horan Phone: (616) 887-2428 E-mail: tomh@lpwm.org

    October 9, 2003 - 7:30 PM
    Libertarian Party of Washtenaw County weekly meeting. Video night with political tapes from the archives.
    Location: Cubs' AC Restaurant (located in the Colonial Lanes Bowling Center) 1950 S Industrial Hwy, Ann Arbor.
    Contact: Jeff Weber Phone: (734) 434-6486 E-mail: humanism@comcast.net

    October 11, 2003 - 8:00 PM
    Sam Adams Dinner - traditional twice per year event for Washtenaw County Libertarians.
    Location: Location TBD. Possibly Creekside Inn in Scio Twp. Time TBD too.
    Contact: James Hudler Phone: (734) 475-9792 E-mail: aguli@provide.net

    More
    For more events, see the online calendar at:
    http://www.michiganlp.org/lpmonline/events.php

  2. Campaign Finance Complaint Filed Against Pontiac Schools by LP of Oakland County

    West Bloomfield, MI--After receiving complaints from Libertarian Party members in Pontiac, the Libertarian Party of Oakland County (LPOC) launched their own investigation into the actions of the Pontiac School Board regarding the board's activities in support of the $455.4 million school bond ballot proposal scheduled for a vote on September 23rd. The bond issue is the third largest ever in the state of Michigan.

    "We investigated newspaper ads, direct-mail advertising, and their web site, then consulted with our attorney," said chair Nathan Allen. "We have determined that there are grounds to request an investigation and civil action from authorities within the state of Michigan, and possibly grounds for criminal action against the school board members themselves."

    Libertarians mailed letters to both Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Attorney General Mike Cox on September 16th. A copy of the letter can be found on the LPOC web site at http://www.LpocMi.org/NewsRels/PontiacBond.php.

    Libertarians allege violation of MCL 169.257(1), which says "A public body or an individual acting for a public body shall not use or authorize the use of funds, ... computer hardware or software, ... or other public resources" to support or oppose a ballot question. The material in question goes beyond merely presenting factual material, but also presents opinion and conjecture.

    "If school boards cannot be trusted to handle their budgets properly, perhaps they should be prohibited from participating at all in these kinds of campaigns," remarked chair Nathan Allen. "Grassroots organizations have neither the time to form nor raise the funds necessary to demand fiscal accountability from bureaucrats run amuck. It is virtually impossible to compete with the multi-million dollar budgets of the school boards. Who is going to question the illogical arguments that the school board is using in their slick campaign literature?"

    Libertarians urge all Pontiac School District residents to perform their own investigation and also send letters to the Secretary of State and Attorney General. Multiple complaints will provide additional support for an investigation.

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  3. Nominations for the Defender of Liberty Awards by Bill Gelineau

    Please take a few minutes to nominate worthy recipients of this year's Defender of Liberty Awards to be presented at LibertyFest on November 8. Look around at those in your affiliate and your community whose efforts are deserving of recognition.

    Your efforts on this are simple. Provide a maximum 100 word nomination and e-mail it to chair@michiganlp.org . I will confirm by e-mail that I've received your nomination. The committee needs to have your nominations by Oct. 20, 2003, but the sooner we can begin the review process, the better.

    There are three categories in which the Defender of Liberty Awards are made.

    ==>Spokesperson for Liberty - a member of the community whose patriotism and conviction have inspired contributions to the cause of liberty.

    ==>Promoter of Liberty - a Libertarian whose efforts have done the most to promote the Libertarian Party and Libertarian Principles.

    ==>Producer of Liberty - A dedicated behind-the-scenes Libertarian whose quiet labors over the years exemplify the backbone of the Libertarian Party.

    The latter two awards are given to members of the LPM only. The spokesman award can go to any Michigan resident, whether a member or not.

    If you have any questions, please contact Bill Gelineau at: 616-254-2878

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  4. 2003 LIBERTY FEST by Brian Goluska

    2003 Liberty Fest Okemos – Michigan When: Saturday, November 8, 2003 5:00 – 6:00pm Registration 6:00 – 7:30 pm Program 7:30 – 8:00pm Reception (cash bar) 8:00 – 9:00pm Dinner Buffet 9:00 – 10:00pm Awards Presentation Program: Media & Third Party Politics Moderator: Bill Ballenger, Editor Inside Michigan Politics (confirmed) Panel: Mickey Hirten, Lansing State Journal (confirmed) Hugh McDiarmid Sr., Free Press-Retired (invited) Pending W. Michigan Journalist, Grand Rapids Press or other Where: Hampton Inn Suites – Okemos – 2200 Hampton Place, Okemos, MI (north of I-96 exit 110 Okemos/Mason) (517) 349-6100 Rooms at $74.95/night Cost: $25.00 pre-paid by November 1 $30.00 at the door Credit Cards Accepted through White Bros. Until November 1 (to charge call Will White at (517) 349-3806) For More Information Contact Will Tyler White, (517) 349-3806,whitewi5@msu.edu Send check or money order to: LPMM PO Box 1402 East Lansing, MI 48826 Name: Number of people: . Address: x $ 25 each = City, State, Zip: Amount enclosed: Phone Number: Or, bill my credit card: E-mail address: Card #: Ex. date Hosted by the Libertarian Party of Mid-Michigan P.O. Box 1402, East Lansing, MI 48823

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  5. Operation Balance of Power by Greg Stempfle

    Every 12 years in Michigan, there are no major statewide races on the ballot. There will be no Governor, Senator, Secretary of State, or Attorney General. Apart from the Presidential election, there will be little happening on a state level in 2004.

    The LPM needs to develop a strategy to make the most impact on the 2004 elections as possible given the circumstances. Challenging all of the State House races that were decided by a few percentage points could garner the LPM some much needed publicity as well as a project for the entire state membership to participate in.

    In 2002, there were two house seats in Wayne County where the LP candidate earned enough votes to prevent either major party candidate from getting a majority. In both cases, a Democrat was victorious over a Republican. While it can be debated which major party Libertarians are more likely to draw off votes from, the point is that those votes potentially could have cost the Republican the race. There was a Green Party candidate in Macomb County who prevented a majority in that race, possibly tipping the hat to the Republican victor.

    If LPM candidates are consistently run in these races, the major party candidates would be pressured to start adopting some libertarian ideas or court potential voters if the do not want to lose these close races. If a Republican is in a tight race with the Democrat, the Republican might have to push tax cuts or gun rights issues a bit more. If a Democrat wants to pull ahead in a close race with a Republican, they may have to address issues personal freedom and civil rights.

    Pressuring the older parties to adopt Libertarian Party issues is the next best thing to winning races ourselves. Affiliates in these areas should identify potential LP candidates in these districts. If you are interested in putting your name on the ballot as a Libertarian in one of these districts, please contact Greg Stempfle (stempfle@hotmail.com) or Bill Gelineau (chair@michiganlp.org).

    Republicans hold the majority in the House by 63-47 seats.

    The following are the 17 State House seats decided by less than 10%. The first three were those where no candidate had a majority.

    District 17 Wayne Co (Dearborn Heights, Redford) Democrat Paletko beat Republican Handy 49.6-47.3% while LP candidate Christopher Gonzalez earned 3%.

    District 23 Wayne Co (very southern end) Democrat Law beat Republican Jones 49.5-48.5% while LP candidate Rick Secula earned 2%.

    District 51 Genesee Co Republican Robertson beat Democrat Lockwood 49.9-48.4% while Green Party candidate Ponzetti earned 1.6%.

    The rest of these districts were won with less than 55% of the vote.

    Dist. 97 Clare, Gladwin, Arenac, Bay Counties

    Dist. 106 NE Lower Peninsula

    Dist. 91 Muskegon Co

    Dist. 108 South Central UP

    Dist. 37 Oakland Co, Farmington

    Dist. 43 Oakland Co. Waterford

    Dist. 55 Monroe Co

    Dist. 62 Calhoun Co

    Dist. 52 W Washtenaw Co

    Dist. 24 Macomb Co, St. Clair Shores

    Dist. 21 W Wayne Co

    Dist. 75 Grand Rapids

    Dist. 101 NW Lower Peninsula

    Dist. 84 Huron, Tuscloa Counties

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