LPM Online
January 8, 2008
- Upcoming Events
- January 08, 2008 - 6:00 PM
- Monthly meeting of the Libertarian Party of West Michigan
- Location: Rosie's Diner, .7 miles East of Interstate 131 Exit 101 on M-57 (14 Mile Road), North of Grand Rapids between Rockford and Cedar Springs; enter through the Bar
- Contact: Steve Nickelson Phone: 616-364-5450 Email: sknickelson@gmail.com
- Location: Rosie's Diner, .7 miles East of Interstate 131 Exit 101 on M-57 (14 Mile Road), North of Grand Rapids between Rockford and Cedar Springs; enter through the Bar
- January 10, 2008 - 6:30 PM
- Organizational meeting for 2008. I will also have literature and yard signs available from a certain Presidential candidate who advocates libertarian positions and is on the primary ballot on Tuesday the 15th.
- Location: Dimitri’s on the Avenue (formerly known as City Tavern) 14316 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn Dinner at 6:30, meeting at 7:00 pm.
- Contact: Greg Stempfle Phone: 313-929-1789 Email: stempfle@hotmail.com
- Location: Dimitri’s on the Avenue (formerly known as City Tavern) 14316 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn Dinner at 6:30, meeting at 7:00 pm.
- January 13, 2008 - 1:00 PM
- VOTERS BILL OF RIGHTS FORUM from 1 to 6 pm. Discussion and debate of the Michigan Third Party Coalition Voters Bill of Rights idea. All parties welcome to participate.
- Location: LPM Lansing office at 2722 E Michigan Ave., main floor conference room. Park and enter in back of the building.
- Contact: Will Tyler White Phone: 517 349-3806 Email: whitewi5@msu.edu
- Location: LPM Lansing office at 2722 E Michigan Ave., main floor conference room. Park and enter in back of the building.
- January 15, 2008 - 00:00 AM
- Michigan Presidential Primary Election. This is your opportunity to send a message to the Republican and Democratic establishment.
- Location: All across Michigan.
- Contact: Libertarian Party of Michigan Phone: 1-888-FreeNow
- Location: All across Michigan.
- January 23, 2008 - 7:30 PM
- Libertarian Party of Oakland County annual convention & election of officers. Optional dinner starting at 7:00.
- Location: Sila's Restaurant, 4033 W. 12 Mile, 2 blocks east of Greenfield, in Berkley
- Contact: Adam Goodman Phone: 248-765-3213 Email: goodman582@hotmail.com
- Location: Sila's Restaurant, 4033 W. 12 Mile, 2 blocks east of Greenfield, in Berkley
- February 03, 2008 - 11:00 AM
- LPM LANSING OFFICE LIQUIDATION
The LPM will be auctioning off its office equipment and furniture by silent auction. Viewing starts at 11 am, bidding closes at 1 pm. No Minimum Bids! Open to the public! See inventory list at www.mi.lp.org. Cash and Carry--bring your checkbook and your truck! Snow date: Feb 10.
- Location: LPM Office, 2722 E. Michigan Ave., Suite 22, Lansing. Park and enter in back.
- Contact: Emily Salvette, LPM Secretary Phone: 734-645-5809 Email: salvette@umich.edu
- Location: LPM Office, 2722 E. Michigan Ave., Suite 22, Lansing. Park and enter in back.
- February 03, 2008 - 2:00 PM
- The Libertarian Party of Michigan Executive Committee will meet to address party business. LPM members are welcome to observe. Park and enter from the back of the building, which has a Xango juice company in front. Proceed up the stairs to the conference room on the right side of the hallway, behind Xango juice company.
- Location: LPM HQ, 2722 E Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI
- Contact: Bill Hall Phone: 616-460-9516 Email: chair@michiganlp.org
- Location: LPM HQ, 2722 E Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI
- March 08, 2008 - 09:00 AM
- 2008 Campaign Conference, free to all interested candidates and activists. Includes assistance completing filing paperwork and training in campaign basics. Will also serve as a forum for signing up and rallying our delegates to the Libertarian National Convention in Denver in May, for a Libertarian Presidential Straw Poll and to announce our Defenders of Liberty Awards. You won't want to miss it!
- Location: Best Western - Livonia
- Contact: Greg Stempfle, Erin Stahl Phone: 313-929-1789, 586-524-6289 Email: MichiganLibertarian@gmail.com , vicechair.lec@earthlink.net
- Location: Best Western - Livonia
- More...
- For more events, see the online calendar at:
- http://www.michiganlp.org/lpmonline/events.php
- http://www.michiganlp.org/lpmonline/events.php
- Wayne Co LP Holds First Meeting of the Year — by Greg Stempfle
- The new edition of the Michigan Libertarian available — by Greg Stempfle
- "Right-to-Work" is Wrong for Liberty — by Scotty Boman
The LP of Wayne County will be holding thier first meeting of the year on Thursday, January 10. This will be our organizational meeting for the year and we will discuss our plans for running candidates in 2008. I will also have literature and yard signs available from a certain Presidential candidate who advocates libertarian positions and is on the primary ballot on Tuesday the 15th.
Dinner 6:30pm, Meeting 7:00pm
Dimitri’s on the Avenue (formerly known as City Tavern)
14316 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn
The January/February issue of the Michigan Libertarian is now available online.
http://mi.lp.org/Past%20Newsletters/Michigan%20Libertarian%20Jan%20Feb%202008.pdf
Print copies will be sent out within a couple of days.
Next Tuesday, people attending the Democratic-Republican presidential primary my encounter people with petitions. There is an effort being launched to make Michigan into a so-called “right to work” state. This may sound good to many Libertarians (after-all we do believe people have the right to work), but don’t judge this initiative by it’s title.
So-called right to work laws intervene in the free market by telling unions and businesses which contracts they may or may not enter into. Specifically, they prohibit or nullify exclusive contracts where in an employer agrees to only employ workers who are members of a given union. Another way to put this is that it bans union shops.
Whether or not one finds Union shops to be oppressive or desirable work environments is not the point here. The point is that it should be up to the parties involved to voluntarily negotiate conditions of employment. It is not appropriate for the government to intervene in the affairs of voluntary economic entities. If an employer make membership in a union a condition for employment, that is it’s right. If people don’t like it, they can take their skills elsewhere. If people in a union wish to make exclusivity (union shop) a condition of their continued service, that is their right. If the company doesn’t like it, the company can look elsewhere for employees.
Proponents of “Right-to-work” laws will sometimes point to way unfounded mandates are bankrupting public entities and causing tax increases. These can include pension and health plans that exceed revenue. This is a different matter entirely. Public employers are political entities that exist at the expense and collective consent of the taxpayers. The public sector is intrinsically non-voluntary since it relies on taxation by compulsion. There is no inconsistency involved in opposing union shops in government. Government falls within the appropriate jurisdiction of such regulation. One way to start trimming run-away benefits for government employees is to get rid of life-long health care and pensions for legislators that can only serve for six years.
There may be a lot of things we don’t like about the way others do business, but freedom is still the best policy. Manipulating the market and passing laws that dictate the terms of private contracts is not the solution to Michigan’s economic problems. More, not less, freedom is the solution.
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