For the fourth consecutive election cycle, theLibertarian Party of Arkansasplans to deliver petitions to the Arkansas Secretary of States office on Monday to become a new political party for the 2018 election.

Because the party failed to win 3% of the electoral vote in the 2016 presidential race that swept Republican nominee Donald Trump into the White House, Arkansas law requires a new political party to collect 10,000 valid voter signatures during a 90-day period.

Party chairman Michael Pakko, an economist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rocks Institute for Economic Advancement, said the party finds itself in the position again of having to register as a new party when it has participated in the last four presidential elections. Pakko said the performance of the candidate at the top of the ticket should not be the only measuring stick for ballot access. Despite being considered a new party under the law, Libertarians fielded a candidate in all four congressional races, while the Democrats only contested the 2nd District. The party was also the only competition in eight of the 34 contested state House races.

Our performance was definitely improved, Pakko said. We are giving voters a choice and voters are making that choice and voting Libertarian.

According to Pakko, party officials collected more than 15,000 signatures for the 2018 ballot after former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson fell short in the 2016 presidential race with only with 2.63% of the Arkansas vote. Thats an improvement from 2012, when Johnson won 1.52% of the vote. His vote total rose from 16,276 that year to 29,611 this year. If the partys gubernatorial candidate wins 3% in 2018, it wont have to collect signatures in 2020.

By not winning 3% of the vote, the party will again have to qualify for the ballot in 2018, a process Pakko has said required six months of work as well as about $33,000 in costs in the 2016 cycle. Because the primary was moved up to March 1, a state law required the party to select its candidates at the end of 2015. Pakko said the party will try to change the states law defining a political party in the 2017 legislative session while working toward the 2018 election.

During the recent legislative session, the party did not get enough support to change the states law defining a political party ahead of the 2018 election.

And as the nation is riveted with former FBI Director James Comeys testimony before Congress and an obstruction of justice investigation of President Donald Trump by independent counsel Robert Mueller, Pakko said there is a high level of mistrust between American voters and Republican and Democratic parties.

There remains a low-level of trust in government and the two-party system, Pakko said. We see the constant bickering between the two major parties and I think one thing that Libertarians would like voters to know is there is another choice and another option out there.

Pakko said Arkansas voters should take a closer look at the Libertarian Party in 2018 at all levels.

We have a specific set of principles that we believe and we put emphasis on the rights of individuals, and that individuals should be free to live their lives as they see fit without as little interference from the government as possible, said the Libertarian leader and economic forecaster. Keep the government out of peoples lives and out of their pocketbooks.

After party leaders deliver petitions to the Secretary of States office next week and the signatures are validated within 30 days, Pakko said the party will immediately begin to recruit new candidates for the next major election that is now less than two years away.

See the article here:

Libertarian Party To File Petitions As 'New Political Party' For Fourth Time - KUAR

In general, when one goes to the polls, they are given a list of items to vote yay or nay on. More funding for project X? Yes or no. Slight tax increase for reason Y? Yes or no.

Nick or Kevin for position A1-Z1000? (Because apparently the whole government needs to be voted on even though its so huge and no one really knows who is who anyway.)

Many of these items are a decision of who you want to represent you in a given branch of government. Who do you want to run the state executive branch? Who do you want to represent you in the state legislative branch? But the ones that worry me the most are the measures that require funding. I recently read an article about rejecting utopianism that brought up a good point.

Sometimes the market doesnt do what we like. This got me thinking. Voting day always tries to do something we dont like, and if more than 50% of the votes are yes, I have to pay for it. Wouldnt it be great if voting was done the same way the market works, to vote with your dollar?

Lets say that instead of a single yes or no vote, you get a dollar amount vote. You can vote yes as many times as you like, as long as you have the money. That way, if you really want it, you can hedge your bet. Want more funding for public schools? How much, 50 bucks? Okay, write a check to the state on your way out, etc. Want that new public road connecting I-10 to the I-5? How much do you want it?

Voting day could happen several times per year, and it wouldnt have to be verified so you could do it online. If some foreign entity wants to fund our roads and schools, awesome!

As it stands, every vote you make for a special project, tax increase, or government subsidy, is in and of itself worth hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars of someone elses money. Its easy to get someone to spend someone elses money irresponsibly. You dont even have to read about the project your funding. The project doesnt have to convince you it will do any good, the title just has to sound good. For all you know, the project is being completed by the mayors nephews new business that just started last week before the polls opened.

If you change the funding to a voluntary money-based voting system, taxes would decrease, projects would have to prove themselves to voters, and probably have to show progress to continue getting funding, waste would decrease, and taxation wouldnt be theft.

This money-based voting system wouldnt work for everything, but I think it would eliminate the vast majority of the spending bills that always come out every 4 years when all the naive millennials get around to the polls and dont have time to do research before wasting more of our tax dollars on nice sounding titles of pet projects that are worthless.

* Micheal Tarr Jath is an avid outdoorsman and lover of freedom. He is a conservative libertarian who believes that libertarianism is the bridge that can reconcile the differences in the ideologies of Americanism. You can find him at Libertarian Mastermind on Facebook.

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The Libertarian Voting Process - Being Libertarian (satire)

Jacob Story, Treasurer, Mohave County Libertarian Party

A few weeks back, the Mohave County Libertarian Party was meeting on a Thursday night at the Black Bridge Brewery, and we were talking about the array of misconceptions about the Libertarian Party.

We decided that theres a lot of misinformation out there, so I took it upon myself as the Treasurer of the Mohave County Libertarian Party to write this for the Kingman Daily Miner to get a few things straight.

I am reminded of a time when I was having a conversation with a friend who is a member of the GOP. I love this friend like a brother, and in jest he called me a libtard, which is a term I have heard before to describe a liberal or Democrat (it should also be noted that this word is offensive to people who are developmentally disabled).

This exchange, once again, made me believe that theres a lot of misinformation. It has also been suggested that we Libertarians are in the same realm as the resistance, also known as the indivisible group. Two groups that, from my understanding, decided the Democratic National Committee was too conservative, and theyre a fringe sect to the left of conventional DNC thinking.

Often people see the word libertarian and think liberal the word libertarian actually derives from the word liberty; not so coincidentally, one of the symbols often used by the Libertarian Party is the Statue of Liberty.

Generally the Libertarian party has a platform of the following: Small or almost nonexistent government; limited, if no taxes whatsoever; unfettered individual rights; people taking individual responsibility; noninterference with foreign nations issues; and open and free markets. This is to name a few of the basic principles of the Libertarian Party. It can be boiled down even further to the following notion: We leave you alone, you leave us alone. The Libertarian Party has also been described as socially liberal, fiscally conservative, which I suppose is fair.

Our party is relatively new, formed in 1971, but were growing. The 2016 election saw many new registered Libertarians and although we didnt have any federal wins our win was the fact that we received 4.5 million votes, or in other terms, 3.2 million more votes than our last go during the 2012 general election. That speaks volumes 3.2 million fed-up voters.

We are not naive, we KNOW this is an uphill battle. It is going to be a long hard fight. But were willing to fight for what we believe in.

We are not all crazy, aluminum-foil-hat wearing conspiracy theorists (some are). You will find were the people demanding government accountability, trying to stop the corruption and entitlements.

We simply want this great Republic to once again be for the PEOPLE not the select few elected to office.

If you want to hear more about what were all about, please come join us for a beer at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at Black Bridge Brewery.

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Letter: Libertarian Party misconceptions get cleared up | Kingman ... - Kdminer

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WANE) As Indiana Democrats and Republicans get ready to study liquor laws, another party is hoping the debate will spark change heading into 2018.

This weekend, the Libertarian Party in Bartholomew and Johnson counties will host a Drink In at Rickers Gas Station in Columbus. Organizers hope the event will draw attention to whats happened to the gas company over the past couple of months.

In November, Rickers received a restaurant liquor license after it opened a made-to-order food section. Because of this, the gas station was able to sell cold beer carryout.

A lot of people are like, Howd they find a loophole, around that? Its a gas station, how are they selling cold beer, Columbus resident Dakota Kerns said.

But the excitement faded in April as Indiana lawmakers passed a bill to close the loophole. Rickers will be allowed to sell cold beer carryout until next year, but local Libertarian members dont think thats good enough.

The state government moved the goal post on this specific business, Bartholomew County Libertarian Party Vice Chair Clyde Myers said.

This is why the group is hosting the event inside the store.

Were just hoping everyone will come out and have a beer with us, and show their support for freedom of choice, Myers said.

Theres been a lot of attention on the states liquor laws this week, and not just because of this upcoming Drink In.

On Monday, the Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association released a study showing 70 percent of Hoosiers support cold beer sales, and another 65 percent want to see it sold on Sunday.

Numbers Myers said could give his county party a 2018 platform. Were hoping we can make them aware that most Hoosiers support freedom of choice, Myers said. That they support free, and fair and open competition.

State lawmakers said they are aware, which is why theyre conducting a study. Its expected to last a couple years.

Which could mean Myers might be having a lot more burritos and beer as he prepares to take a stand he never saw coming.

No, I did not, but Im all for it, Myers said. Its going to be a good time.

The county Libertarian event will take place at the Columbus gas station this Sunday at 3 p.m. As for state leaders, were expected to find out soon when theyll begin their two year study looking at liquor laws.

Nick is WANEs Indiana Chief Political Bureau reporter. Follow Nick Natario on Twitter at @NNatario.

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Indiana libertarians hoping to revamp state liquor laws | WANE - WANE

Libertarianism is not conservatism, nor is it an offshoot of conservatism, a subset, or even a relative of common extraction.

Conservatism, as such, is and must be anathema to libertarianism (at least libertarianism properly understood), because libertarian political philosophy is best understood as a radicalization of traditional liberalism.

While this formula is not perfect, both of its componentsradical and liberalsuggest the incompatibility of conservatism and libertarianism. The radical, going as she does to the root, hopes to provoke change at the deepest sub strata of society, motivated by the conviction that the political and economic status quo is fundamentally unjust.

Thus, by definition, libertarians cannot adopt a posture of deference to the past but must instead agitate for a revolution, albeit a peaceful one (libertarian Josiah Warrens The Peaceful Revolutionist is widely considered Americas first anarchist periodical).

If anything, then, the philosophy of liberty belongs on precisely the other side of the political spectrum assuming, that is, that we must submit to a confused, often unhelpful left-right spectrum squarely opposing the forces of reaction and conservatism.

At least a short consideration of intellectual history is necessary to the task of properly categorizing todays libertarianism.

Certain strands of aborning nineteenth-century socialism were very clearly related to, even outgrowths from, the Enlightenment liberalism that had sprung up in the previous two centuries.

The common heritage of socialism and classical liberalism is underappreciated today, in part because the salient features of the latter (among them free trade, individual rights, private property, and a government limited in both its role and size) are now associated with conservative, not liberal, thought.

Historian Larry Siedentop goes so far as to argue that [n]othing reduces the value of discussion about modern political thought more than the simplistic and misleading contrast between liberalism and socialism.

And, as Siedentop notes, many of the concepts and modes of argument long credited to socialism were in fact introduced by liberal thinkers, making the common contrast particularly unfair to liberalism.

For example, libertarians have been quick to call attention to the fact that early French liberals developed a pre-socialist (or perhaps proto-socialist) class theory, embedded in which was an argument for radical laissez-faire.

In Britain, the political economist Thomas Hodgskin similarly defied the crude contemporary contrast between socialism and liberalism.

Historian and Hodgskin biographer David Stack correctly argues that Hodgskin can be adequately understood purely as a radical, his ideas submitting a penetrating free-market attack on the use of legal privilege to attain wealth.

By the end of the century, liberalism had all but abandoned its earlier meaning, as a philosophy centered on the freedom of the individual from state oppression. It had embraced a new meaning, the state having taken on a new democratic spirit, as least in theory.

As Stack observes, Liberalism became the language of government, and sounded the death knell of radicalism. If liberalism did not always connote the growth of government, then neither did socialism, at least not necessarily.

In America, individualist anarchists like Benjamin Tucker explicitly identified themselves as socialists even as they advocated a perfectly free market, in which only force or fraud would be out of bounds.

Tucker spent much of his life arguing in the pages of his libertarian journal Liberty that the conduct of capitalists generally is condemned, not glorified, by genuine free-market principles.

The capitalist, for Tucker, was guilty of criminal invasion, of violating the central libertarian law against the use of aggression against the non-invasive individual. He worried that many of those employing what seemed libertarian-sounding language had actually become the mouthpieces of the capitalistic class. That class had achieved wealth and power not by competing for consumers hard-earned dollars, but by abolishing the free market, by using the coercive power of the state to artificially limit the range of competition.

Throughout the 20th century, some stalwart proponents of the peaceful, cosmopolitan order produced by free trade and respect for private property rights have continued to identify as liberals.

The economists Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, with whom modern libertarianism is so often associated, were such committed liberals, dependably opposed to conservatism and, in Hayeks works, its propensity to reject well-substantiated new knowledge. As a philosophy of universal individual rights, libertarians contemplates a deep break with centuries-old orders of power and privilege, in which a handful of political and ecclesiastical authorities made the rules and reaped the rewards.

The lazily constructed straw-man version of libertarianism, which treats it as a subsidiary of conservatism, ignores both the tangled history of radical thought and the beliefs and representations of actual libertarians.

Because the dominance of todays corporate powerhouses rests largely on government privilege, and thus violencenot voluntary, mutually beneficial trade the anti-corporate rhetoric of progressives rings hollow; they emphasize wealth inequality and economic justice, yet they would expand the very power on which corporate abuses now rest.

American political history finds self-described progressives among the most reliable guardians of corporate welfare.

Libertarianism is a principled alternative to conservatism and progressivism, both of which, at base, represent authority against liberty.

David DAmato, an adjunct law professor at DePaul University, is a policy advisor at the Heartland Institute.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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The case for libertarianism in American politics - The Hill (blog)

The fight for free college (A.K.A the state subsidization of post-graduate education) has now come to the forefront of the 50 political battlegrounds known as state legislatures.

In 2017 alone two major states, Tennessee and New York, have passed into law their own version of tuition subsidization and they greatly vary in degree of their merits and fiscal responsibility.

Many libertarians will immediately shun the idea of supporting any such programs on principal alone. Yet, for practical reasons, we must come to terms with the shifting political climate in favor of such education policy, in order to make sure the most fiscally prudent and least government expansionist programs are adopted.

In other words, we must push for the states of America to act as Tennessee has and not as New York.

Lets start with the bad. First up will, of course, be New York. The Empire State will have a state budget deficit (this year, 2017) of approximately $3.5 billion. This new program is estimated to rack up an additional $163 million to the deficit per annum; which can of course only be funded through either more borrowing or more taxes, neither of which are highly palatable to libertarians.

The state is also being generous beyond its capacity (how easy is it to act in such a way when its not your own money) and making this program applicable to not only local community colleges or technical schools but also prestigious New York State universities; which flipping the bill for will only bloat the costs.

After all, the $163 million cost estimate was only a low-ball estimate (as some lawmakers pointed out), who knows to what level of fiscal incompetency the program could actually rise. But knowing New York, Id say its chances for failure are pretty high.

To be fair, the state places one major restriction on its tuition subsidization program by limiting it to middle class families.

Yet even this does very little in the means of restraint. By 2019, the program will apply to students in families with household incomes up to $120,000, yet the average median income in the state sits at nearly half that at $60,850. This means the limitations to the middle class are really nothing more than a marketing gimmick aimed at persuading the public that the program has fiscal restraint, where in actuality there is little to none.

Yet not all hope for stopping the further fiscal deterioration of the United States is lost. Some states, like Tennessee, are satisfying the popular demand for tuition subsidization without breaking the bank and with only marginal expansions to the state.

The tuition subsidization program recently made law in Tennessee would apply to all citizens who meet the requirements, none of which are income/needs based.

On the surface this may sound like open season for an explosion of new government spending, yet in reality the program is fiscally prudent.

This prudence is made clear through the program only being applicable to state community colleges and technical schools, institutions that already have sizably lower tuition rates than almost all state universities.

Its estimated to cost approximately $10 million per year.

Now, when adjusted for population size, the New York plan would actually cost less per-citizen than the Tennessee plan (assuming the costs of the New York plan dont skyrocket, which is highly unlikely) that is not what is actually important to take into consideration here however, the way the plans are paid for is.

In the New York plan, funding for the program would come out of the general fund of the state. Money allocated to it would not be limited except if capped by the state legislature (which seeing as New York State is a bastion of economic progressivism is highly unlikely).

Yet, the Tennessee plan specifically mandates that the new program be paid for via the proceeds of the state lottery fund, which is good for two reasons:

First, it will place a tangible cap; no more money could be allocated to the program (under current law) than is taken in by the state lottery.

Second, the program would neither increase state taxes nor create the need for more state borrowing.

A program that neither increases taxes or balloons borrowing, and has strict restraints on its applicability, is a program that, at least for all practical purposes, should be supported by conservatives, libertarians, and general government skeptics alike.

The fact is, as long as we live under a system of constitutional republican democracy, the desires of the general populace must be taken into consideration at some point and eventually addressed.

Right now the people want state subsidized tuition and it looks like (as of now) they are increasingly getting it.

Libertarians can either kick, scream, and dig in their heels at the unjustness and immorality of the system and be sidelined, as progressives push more and more New York style plans across the nation; or they can engage in pragmatic politics by supporting and advocating for a Tennessee style tuition subsidization program in states where such application of a program is viable.

This post was written by Bric Butler.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

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Tennessee vs. New York: A Tale of Tuition Reimbursement Programs - Being Libertarian

Why Statists State: Facts dont matter to the left or the right.

Ah yes, the ultimate question of libertarians to our statist friends: why do you argue for the state? Do you not believe in freedom and liberty?

The fact is, that the far left and the far right do not believe in freedom and liberty. They claim to, but they (unfortunately) dont grasp the actual concepts of the words freedom and liberty. Both of them pervert these terms into what their own ideologies are. That is the core of our problems in this country.

I hated numerous things about Barack Obama and some of the decision he made while in office. To me, he seemed to be a far left, government hand out to everyone, raise the national debt as high as humanly possible in two terms, freedom sucking douche bag.

So what did I do when it came down to Trump or Clinton? I voted for Trump, the one person who wasnt a career politician, who I hoped would bring balance to the force so to speak, and get us back on the right track.

Im slowly but surely proving to be wrong in my initial assumptions about him and his presidency. And yes, Im having some buyers remorse.

The thing is, at least Im recognizing it. Im having the personal judgement to look at things from a critical thinking standpoint despite what my initial personal beliefs were.

The far right seems to have some carnal infatuation with their dearly beloved emperor that no matter what he does, or how completely he reverts on his campaign promises, they will support him blindly. I swear to God, even if he drove us into 40 trillion dollars in debt, raised our taxes to 50%, and trashed the 4th amendment completely to make the job of cops easier to search and seize each of us, the far right would make excuse after excuse for him simply because they voted for him.

Cognitive dissonance people! Look it up! We are Americans, not peasants to worship one man. One man does not equal America. I dont care whos President.

The same can also be said for some of Trumps pics.

Look at Jeff Sessions, for example, as the Attorney General. This guy wants to push the war on drugs to full force, despite how any and all evidence points to how the contrary would benefit us as a nation; the war would only continue to make things worse.

Hes just like every far right wing friend I have. Show them the proof all day long, and just because they dont like it, and it isnt in line with their political ideology, and their political picks (through Trump), they file it faster than you can blink.

The hypocrisy of this is that conservatives (me being one of them), during the Obama administration, used to love facts.

We would throw them in far left Liberals faces all the time over their nonsense arguments.

But now, facts dont mean a thing to so called conservatives when they dont like it. They are now acting just like the left when it comes to facts! Its the same thing, just a different side of the political spectrum.

Of course, the far left are no different. Try to teach them economics, and how theres no such thing as free college, or no benefit to raising the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour, and youll be scorned to hell and back for pointing out mathematical facts. There is no escape from math since is a completely non biased universal language that you cant argue your way around.

As Libertarians, this is the nonsense we see from both sides: What about muh roads? No problem right wingers, if its that important, private individuals and corporations will offer to pay for it.

What about muh birth control? Get a job and pay for it yourself leftists! What about muh government protection? You right wingers have argued for years that you need the rights to carry a gun anywhere you want because cops cant get there on time, so whats your problem now?

But, muh abortions, what about em leftists? Im not paying for that with my tax dollars, no one should have to. But, the gay marriages what about em rightist?? Get over it.

It has nothing to do with you personally, or your religion, and getting government involved to force your personal ideologies on those who dont align with your personal and religious beliefs is none of your business. I dont see you arguing that Satanists should not be allowed to get married; I could go on and on.

We have got to break through this barrier of right and left and just get back to what is in the best interest of the American people as a whole. Whats in the best interests of the individual, and what the Constitution actually says (and no, that document is not fluid).

The only way to do that, is get government out of the decision making process for our everyday activities. No one, whether you are on the left or the right, knows how to run your personal life better than you and you alone; without the government being involved.

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Why Statists State - Being Libertarian

Has anyone read the writing of President Grover Cleveland on his presidential statue across from the courthouse? It states "A truly American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil."

He also was known for stating that government wasn't supposed to take care of the people, but that the people were supposed to take care of their government. Remember John F Kennedy's famous quote during his inauguration? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country."

What has happened in 120 years? Compare these fine Democrats with the Democratic Party we're stuck with today. The mentality seems to be "Let's see how many resources we can steal from the most productive and self-controlled households in America, so we can enable those whose lifestyle choices are 180 degrees opposite."

Sadly, our GOP choice of leadership doesn't really excite me either. There seems to be one more alternative. I wish the media could give more exposure to the Libertarian Party. I have some red flags, but like their thoughts on everyone taking responsibility for their actions, and no one should be required to subsidize me if I make wrong choices and vice versa.

Libertarian Party Minnesota

District 8 Chairman, state coordinator

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LETTER: Libertarian Party deserves coverage - International Falls Journal

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Libertarian Party of Indiana plans to hold a "drink-in" Sunday to protest a new law closing the so-called "cold-beer loophole" Ricker's convenience stores discovered.

The protest, which will be held from 3-5 p.m. Sunday at the Ricker's located at 1711 25th Street in Columbus, Indiana, will object to the "unnecessary and extensively over-reaching laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages in Indiana."

"Attempts have been made to restore economic liberty in alcohol sales in the past," the party said in a statement Tuesday. "However, these attempts typically result in the laws benefiting a select group of well-funded, politically connected businesses, while excluding other businesses. Rickers was on the losing end of one such piece of recent legislation."

In May, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed HEA1496 into law, mandating that beginning May 14, "a restaurant may not sell carryout unless at least 60 percent of its gross retail income from alcoholic beverage sales is derived from sales of alcoholic beverages consumed on the premises.

At the time, Holcomb said he signed the law "with the understanding we need to review and make common-sense changes to Indiana's alcohol laws."

PREVIOUS|Indiana alcohol laws: From common sense to nonsense

On Monday, Ricker's released the results of a poll it commissioned that found 70 percent of Hoosiers surveyed believed drug, grocery and convenience stores should have the right to carry cold beer.

The poll also found Hoosiers "strongly favored allowing Sunday carryout sales."

Indiana remains the only state in the U.S. with an outright ban on alcohol sales on Sunday. Bills have been introduced during the past three sessions to lift that ban, but all three have failed.

RELATED|Ricker's finds way around Indiana law banning cold beer sales at gas stations|Indiana legislature passes bill to prevent Ricker's cold-beer sales|Package liquor stores run radio ad targeting legal loophole that allowed Ricker's to sell cold beer|Bill allowing Ricker's to sell cold beer - for now - gets Senate approval, moves to discussions|Halting cold beer sales at Ricker's trickier than expected

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Indiana Libertarian Party holding 'drink-in' to protest new cold beer law - WRTV Indianapolis

Libertarians are, in all honesty, the cringe lords of Facebook. Theyve become the Jehovahs witnesses of the internet.

Libertarianism is a movement with a ton of wonderful people in it, many simply read paperwork on economics and policy, are very smart and go on to living productive and happy lives. That said, it seems like these are only one in every dozen. The rest are a combination of Chris Cantwell, James Weeks, and a bunch of people somewhere on the spectrum, they are not the best marketers.

Ive made a list of ten things libertarians seem to be doing (common and bizarre trends) which are not helping in making their movement a thing.

Lets explain something very basic. If you want to be a person, be a freaking person! Theres nothing more bizarre, or weird, than when someone sees a Facebook profile of a dude they know, went to school with, or are related to, and its just some ugly Facebook profile photo of a dumb meme saying some libertarian buzzword.

Have a photo with friends!

Have a photo looking good!

Have a photo visiting a cool location!

Do not be some junk mass produced meme!

This is something that belongs higher on the list, but its something to just get out of the way early on.

I have questions for many libertarians: Do you hold a masters or PhD in economics? Are you some sort of successful business owner? Are you someone of really any relevance in this world?

Look at the podcasts, the blogs, the candidates, and more. Its all people who, wellarent anybody.

However, its all Oh, like my Facebook page devoted to me! I have a dozen of them!

Its great to be smart. Its great to want to be a face in a movement. Its not great to come off as an egotistical prick Im looking at you Steve Patterson.

This one I just dont really get, the economy and world is a wonderful place, and Ive noticed a lot of libertarians (more so the Ron Paul people) saying the world will come to an end if libertarianism doesnt take over. Ive flat out had people say America is in the verge of becoming a third world nation, and thats just silly.

Life is awesome, and whether its Trump, Bernie, Clinton, or whoever, America and the world has a positive future.

This is where we enter the world of creepertarians.

Yes, I want prostitution to be legal. Yes, I think it is a big issue for some people. However, unless you are a woman, just dont make this your issue. The numbers of creepy people I see who fixate on this random issue (all of whom tend to be socially autistic males) needs to stop.

This is a Libertarian Party problem and its a big one. The LP, to survive, needs big and powerful names.

We need to get on the phone with every millionaire and billionaire who didnt vote for Trump or Clinton and find out if they are compatible with libertarianism. We need to go beg Jeff Flake, Rand Paul, Bill Weld and Justin Amash to be in the liberty movement.

When I see these non-candidates being taken as serious contenders, I laugh and so do non libertarians.

I have never had a drink of alcohol. I have never smoked pot. I have never smoked a cigarette. I have never consumed any caffeine. I dont plan to.

This is where I sadly had an issue with Gary Johnson, a guy I really admire.

I idolize Gary Johnson as the libertarian governor who would climb mountains and build companies. Im not so fixated on him running around talking about how much he loves marijuana.

Now, with Gary its kind of cool. Having a guy that successful actually saying how he has casually smoked marijuana and is still a giant success is cool. However, when less successful libertarians run around talking about their bag of pot, we have an issue.

Remember, every time a libertarian wears a fedora, three Bernie backers are born.

Julie Borowski is probably the best speaker in the liberty movement now who actually makes good content. To see a bunch of freaky dudes online say very perverse things to her in the comments on her Facebook is gross.

Also, this goes beyond Julie into how a lot of libertarians treat women in general. Some just need to grow up.

Want libertarianism to work?

Talk about deregulation in the energy markets cutting costs to ten bucks a barrel.

Talk about making it so undocumented workers will get amnesty.

Talk about the FDA being restructured to allow for massively lower priced pills.

Talk about a practical plan to cut taxes in half.

Talk about how great itd be to have a generation that didnt have to go to war.

The NAP is a philosophical BS statement that no non- libertarian understands and those who run on about it should just get a community college philosophy class to teach at.

Taxation is theft is a meme, taxes need to exist. This is a dumb radicalism.

And the biggest of them all, number one

One big mistake, is that too many libertarians get obsessed with this and become little else than someone obsessed with politics. Travel the world. Succeed in academics or business. Take up cool hobbies such as music, art, archery or whatever. Do not be that jackass posting twenty times a day on Facebook about some stupid topic.

Thats all Ive got.

This post was written by Charles Peralo.

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BATAVIA Libertarians in Genesee County know they have three Batavia City Council candidates that match their philosophy.

If the election goes their way, the party also believes it could have a working majority on most issues.

We could flip the script in how this city how things are run, said Jim Rosenbeck, the Genesee County Libertarian Partys secretary. There are people on the council that are very Libertarian at least on some issues. We could make serious changes.

Rosenbeck and Lisa Whitehead, who were endorsed for City Council at the Genesee County Libertarian Partys inaugural convention in 2013, received the same honor Monday.

Rosenbeck and Whitehead will be joined by Mark Potwora, the local partys vice chairman, in a challenge for a trio of at-large seats up for election in November. They see it as an honest one.

Were going to offer an unashamably libertarian position on the issues, without being insulting or derogative to the other people that have served, Rosenbeck said. Its simply a different view that we consider wiser heading forward.

That means a platform calling for decisive action, Whitehead told party members. And a less obtrusive one, Potwora added.

The citys managerial style is at its apex, Whitehead said, and its not generating results.

We have the mall, which is being kicked down the road, she said. Council seems to create these answers and not follow through on them. We have the police station, weve done surveys, task forces, and it falls through.

There are many issues that tend to fall through the cracks, she continued. Its a managerial issue. Going forward, we need to make a change in that spot.

Potwora said there are solutions to issues like where you park your car, or how frequently you mow your lawn.

Whatever the problems are, I think we can do it on our own, rather than the city making it a certain way, Potwora said. Help your neighbor mow their lawn, not rat them out (to the city).

Potwora, Rosenbeck and Whitehead were nominated by unanimous acclaim during a party convention at T.F. Browns on Monday, but will have to secure petitions to qualify for the ballot.

The partys status in New York determined by a below 50,000-vote turnout of its gubernatorial candidates technically makes them run as independent candidates.

Convention attendees heard from Larry Sharpe, a contender for the partys candidate for governor in 2018, and New York State Chairman Mark Glogowski.

What we need is a very clear image of what we stand for its the way you live, Glogowski said in a in-person expression of optimism about the partys growth in chapters and members.

Sharpe focused on making personal connections. Talking via Skype, he discussed the City Centre issue with the candidates.

Libertarians cant make the first response to the question be the one about taxpayers paying for it, he counseled them some people wont care.

Id want to start with that its a terrible eyesore, Sharpe said.

It diverts from improving parks and roads that people use, Potwora said. It embarrasses a community that wants its city to look its best. Let someone buy it and fix the site up.

Thats the libertarian answer, Sharpe said. Thats what you need, to have the answers, the kind of conversation that will get things moving forward at a local level. Those conversations will help tremendously.

Rosenbeck said he favored getting out of the mall business, but allowed a vision that went farther. Could the citys white elephant become, under private investment, an enlarged draw for youth hockey by replacing it with rinks and the Falletti Ice Arena replaced with a new police station adjoining the existing fire station?

I know that sounds pie in the sky, but I want us to look at big answers, Rosenbeck said. If were going to run on just who has to pay for the flowers on Main Street, go elect a Republican or Democrat. Thats not what were here for.

Excerpt from:

City candidates: Libertarians plan to run on big ideas - The Daily News Online

Christopher Schmidt, a political activist from Washington County, on Monday announced he has established a committee to explore running for Congress in the 21st District in 2018 on the Libertarian Party line.

Schmidt said he is hoping as soon as possible to formally announce his candidacy once his committee finishes its analysis.

The momentum is building right now. As a Libertarian in the North Country, I know I can change the narrative, he said in a telephone interview on Monday.

Schmidt, age 30, is a day laborer, writer and political activist who has been vocal on redrawing voting districts in Queensbury and Glens Falls, and in opposition to Glens Falls Police Department using tasers.

He is temporary chairman of the newly-formed Washington County Libertarian Party and was a co-founder of the Warren County Libertarian Party.

Schmidt, if he gets on the ballot, would challenge U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro.

Patrick Nelson of Stillwater, a political activist and Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, is seeking the Democratic nomination.

At least two Green Party members are seriously considering the congressional race, Matt Funiciello, the Green Party candidate in 2014 and 2016, has said.

Schmidt, in a press release, said nearly a dozen individuals are serving on his exploratory committee.

He would not identify committee members on Monday.

Theres a range of people. Im hoping that we can get our official list for the media in the future, but definitely people that have been involved in the Libertarian movement from here out to Jefferson County, even surrounding counties, he said.

At first it was going to be a write-in (campaign.) But then I got some support and now theres some people that want me to be on the ballot and theyre willing to get the 3,500 signatures, he said.

Because the Libertarian Party does not have ballot status in New York, the partys House candidates must run as independents, which requires at least 3,500 valid signatures on nominating petitions, a daunting task in comparison with established political parties.

Republican and Democratic candidates need collect only 1,250 valid signatures from enrolled party members in the congressional district to get on the ballot.

Candidates on other established ballot lines in the 21st District require from three to 1,237 signatures 5 percent of enrollment based on current enrollment statistics.

The most recent local Libertarian congressional candidate was Eric Sundwall in the 2009 special election after Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Greenport, was appointed to the U.S. Senate.

Sundwall was disqualified from the ballot when the state Board of Election ruled that only 2,900 of 6,730 signatures on his nominating petitions were valid.

Sundwall, at the time, said the Board of Elections invalidated many signatures based on minor technicalities.

Follow staff writer Maury Thompson at All Politics is Local blog, at PS_Politics on Twitter and at Maury Thompson Post-Star on Facebook.

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Schmidt exploring Libertarian congressional run - Glens Falls Post-Star (blog)

PIERRE There is plenty on the plate already for the 15 members of the Legislatures task force on initiatives, referrals and constitutional amendments who convene later this month.

Presentations and testimony pack two days of meetings on Tuesday, June 20, and Wednesday, June 21.

Rep. David Lust of Rapid City, a former House Republican leader, sponsored the legislation creating the task force.

During the first House debate on it, Lust said: I think this is prudent policy and I hope good things come from the task force.

He said a task force isnt normally his preferred option. He described them generally as cul de sacs where good ideas go to die.

Lust defended the proposed membership, saying by design it had more citizens than has been usual for legislative studies.

Thats who does initiative and referendum measures. I think its very important that it not be comprised of legislators, he said.

South Dakota voters had approved Initiated Measure 22 in the November 2016 election. Among the provisions, IM 22 strictly prohibited conflicts of interest and restricted campaign contributions.

"HB 1141 was a way for me to encourage the legislature to step-back and take a less reactionary approach to IM 22 and the rush to reform the initiative and referendum process. As you know there were many bills designed to 'fix' the initiative and referendum process all on the heels of IM 22. It makes more sense to approach the process more deliberately and with a larger perspective," Lust said Tuesday.

Republican legislative leaders filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to throw out IM 22. On Dec. 8, Circuit Judge Mark Barnett suspended it, entirely, from taking effect.

While waiting to proceed to the South Dakota Supreme Court, Republican legislators repealed IM 22. Lust was one of the 13 House members who voted against the IM 22 repeal, HB 1069.

The session then turned to replacing various parts of IM 22 with lawmakers own versions. Neither sides lawmakers, however, offered a replacement for a public-financing plan for election campaigns that was part of IM 22.

The task force starts work at 9 a.m. CT on June 20. The first-day agenda calls for task force members to:

Discuss the goals for the task force;

Consider the history of South Dakotas processes for voters to directly legislate or amend the state constitution;

Hear testimony from the three offices involved in the processes the Legislative Research Council, the state attorney general and the secretary of state; and

Analyze South Dakota in comparison with other states.

The second-day agenda for June 21, again starting at 9 a.m. CT, opens with approximately two hours of public testimony.

Then comes one hour of discussion among task force members regarding any proposals.

Running the show is Emily Wanless of Sioux Falls, who is a faculty member at Augustana University. House Speaker Mark Mickelson, R-Sioux Falls, chose her in part because she is a Libertarian Party member.

Vice chairman is Rep. Don Haggar, R-Sioux Falls, who is House speaker pro tem.

Lusts initial version called for seven members: the secretary of state; the attorney general; a member of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry; two House members appointed by the speaker; and two senators appointed by the Senate president pro tem, who is Sen. Brock Greenfield, R-Clark.

House Republican leader Lee Qualm of Platte at a House committee hearing amended the bill to call for 15 members. They included:

Two Republicans and one Democrat from the House, chosen by the House speaker;

Two Republicans and one Democrat from the Senate, chosen by the Senate president pro tem;

The secretary of state and the attorney general;

One member appointed by the governor;

Two members from the state Board of Elections;

One member of the faculty from a political science department at university or college in South Dakota, chosen by the House speaker;

One member representing the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry;

One member representing the South Dakota Municipal League; and

One member representing the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners.

That version of Lusts legislation squeaked through House on a 39-29 vote for approval. Democrats and many Republican ultra-conservatives opposed it.

The Senate switched up membership with an amendment from the Senate Democratic leader, Billie Sutton of Burke.

The Sutton amendment gave the governor two appointments: One from a business background and the other from an agricultural setting; with the requirement they be from different political parties.

In turn senators took away the chamber of commerce seat. Senators also:

Required the elections board appointees come from different political parties;

Decided the House speakers faculty appointment should be an independent or from a minor political party; and

Allowed the municipal league and county commissioners to choose their appointees.

The Senate voted 27-8 for its version of HB 1141. The only yea among the six Democrats came from Sutton.

The House agreed with the Senate amendments 46-19, picking up yeas from some who opposed the bill on its first run through the chamber.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed it into law March 10.

The law sets the task force budget at $21,000. It says the task force should report to the Legislature and the governor before the start of the 2018 legislative session.

It also says the task force should operate similar to an interim legislative committee, with authority to offer draft legislation and policy recommendations. That is despite only six members being senators or representatives.

The Legislatures Executive Committee, headed by Mickelson this year, shall supervise the task force, according to the law.

Wanless fulfills the speakers faculty appointment. The three House members are Haggar, Rep. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, and Rep. Karen Soli, D-Sioux Falls.

The senators are Republicans Jim Bolin of Canton and Ernie Otten of Tea, and Democrat Reynold Nesiba of Sioux Falls.

Nesiba spearheaded the successful initiative that restricted the state-airplane use by Mike Rounds, who then was the Republican governor, and now is a U.S. senator.

Duane Sutton, a Republican former legislator from Brown County, is the county commissioner. Yvonne Taylor, who is executive director for the municipal league, represents her membership.

The governors duo are Will Mortenson, a Republican lawyer from the Fort Pierre ranching family, and University of South Dakota president Jim Abbott, a lawyer and a Democratic former legislator. Abbott was the partys nominee for governor in 2002.

The elections board members are Republican Pam Lynde, the Deuel County auditor, and Democratic former legislator Linda Lea Viken, a Rapid City lawyer.

Secretary of State Shantel Krebs and state Attorney General Marty Jackley are non-voting members of the task force.

Krebs is a candidate for the Republican U.S. House nomination. She is running against Republican Dusty Johnson, a former state Public Utilities Commission member and Daugaards first-term chief of staff.

Jackley is a candidate for the Republican governor nomination in what so far is a four-candidate field.

One of the other Republicans is U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, who wants to make history as South Dakotas first woman to serve as governor.

Not everyone supported the task forces creation. House Democratic leader Spencer Hawley of Brookings said it was another step to control initiated measures. So please dont tighten it up any more, Hawley said.

Lusts legislation would take decisions away from legislators and pushes them onto a task force, said Rep. Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham. We no longer get a say. Were just supposed to swallow whatever comes out, he said.

Rep. Tona Rozum, R-Mitchell, defended it. Were throwing a lot of stuff at the wall this year, she said, and quite a bit of it is sticking at this point.

Continued here:

Chaired by a Libertarian from Augie, in wake of Republican repeal of IM 22, a legislative task force is ready to ... - Watertown Public Opinion

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First-time general election candidate Will Taylor is raising the profile of the fledgling Libertarian Party in his home city.

He is one of only four party candidates standing across the country.

Living off Anlaby Road, he's challenging for the Hull West and Hessle seat.

READ MORE: Libertarian Will Taylor aims to break election mould in Hull

While he doesn't expect to win, the campaign has given him the opportunity to get his party's message across to a wider audience.

He said: "The Libertarian Party is all about live and let live as long as you are not doing any harm.

"We don't think the government has any right to interfere with your life.

"We have five basic principles that we want to see introduced.

"We want to see the amount of tax we pay reduced as we currently pay around 37 per cent of our income in tax. To do that we have got to cut out a lot of wasteful government spending.

"In terms of immigration, we are very much pro-Brexit but we don't mind people coming into the country so long as they fit in and are prepared to work.

"We would like to see businesses get on and allowed to be businesses. There is too much bureaucracy and red tape, I see and hear that all the time from local businesses in Hull.

"Finally, I want politicians to be made accountable. They spend far too much time down in London in their ivory towers."

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Hull's Libertarian candidate Will Taylor on what the party is all about - Hull Daily Mail

UK Elections: The libertarian issues no one is mentioning Being Libertarian The quickest of skims over these policies reveals that, as is traditional, libertarians have drawn the short straw. For all the different views being presented this time round (What should happen with Brexit? What's level of immigration should Britain ... and more »

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UK Elections: The libertarian issues no one is mentioning - Being Libertarian

Helen Milenski visits the Los Alamos Daily Post world headquarters Friday to announce that she has been appointed acting chair for the Los Alamos County affiliate organization of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, which has just qualified as a major political party in the state. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By MAIRE O'NEILL

Los Alamos Daily Post

Just as the Libertarian Party of New Mexico announced it now meets the requirements to qualify as a major political party in the state, beginning with the 2018 election cycle, Helen Milenski announced that she has been appointed acting chair for the Los Alamos County affiliate organization of the LPNM.

According to State Chair Elizabeth Hanes, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Elections Director Kari Fresquez have confirmed that as long as the Libertarian Party maintains or increases its voter registration numbers, it will be designated as a major party on the date of the Governors primary election proclamation in January 2018.

Today marks a historic day for the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, Hanes said. We look forward to representing the ideals of thousands of New Mexicans who believe in living their lives peacefully and free from government interference.

The Libertarian Party of New Mexico will be able to participate in the primary election process in 2018 instead of having to nominate its candidates in convention and Hanes said the party is already identifying potential candidates for local, state and federal offices.

Milenski says she has always been a Libertarian at heart. Turning 18, she says she registered as a Democrat because of the social issues of the time. The country was coming out of the Reagan era and the Democratic Party had an altruistic feeling that she liked. She says liberalism called to her but not in the way Libertarianism speaks to her.

Milenski worked hard on Gary Johnsons campaign for president last year, coordinating a sign-waving campaign at the junction of Trinity and Diamond drive for several weeks. She feels she has a common- sense approach to politics and has been encouraged to get more involved. She just recently got involved at the state level.

Today there are 134 registered Libertarians in Los Alamos County which is up 14 from the time of the Gary Johnson campaign. Milenski said there are currently 6,000 affliate members statewide and that the party grew by at least 50 percent in 2016 largely due to Johnsons presidential campaign. She said Los Alamos County has the highest percentage of registration in the nation.

A public meeting has been slated for 6-8 p.m. June 21 at Mesa Public Library.

This will be a preliminary planning and interest meeting, Milenski said. We want to gauge peoples interest in the Libertarian Party and answer any questions people may have. We also want to elect a chairperson in a more permanent manner.

Milenski, 43, is a graduate of Los Alamos High School and UNM-LA. She has an Associates Degree in Engineering and is employed by Los Alamos Nation Laboratory, working in Chemistry Chemical Diagnostics and Engineering. She has one grown daughter and another daughter in high school. She and her husband Scott live in Los Alamos.

According to its news release, the Libertarian Party stands for individual freedom and responsibility. In New Mexico, the party advocates defending and expanding civil rights; eliminating government regulations that stifle economic growth; and lowering or eliminating taxes of all kinds. LPNM also is opposed to any restrictive immigration reform measures and supports the free movement of law-abiding citizens throughout the region.

For more information about the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, visit http://www.lpnm.us. For information about the Los Alamos group specifically, email helen.milenski@gmail.com.

See the original post here:

Helen Milenski Appointed Acting Chair Of Los Alamos County Affiliate Of Libertarian Party Of New Mexico - Los Alamos Daily Post

Being Libertarian

Castro Regime Arrests Cuban Libertarian Party Members Being Libertarian Cuba's newly-formed Libertarian Party has already experienced the brute force and tyranny of the Castro regime, simply for having liberty-minded ideas. All of the present activists at Cuba's Libertarian Party HQ were arrested late Wednesday evening for ...

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Castro Regime Arrests Cuban Libertarian Party Members - Being Libertarian

Being Libertarian

What are we Thinking - Terror and Climate Change - Being Libertarian Being Libertarian After the terror attacks in Manchester (a little over a week ago) I started writing on the issue of Islam, terrorism, and the idea that, in Europe especially, these ... and more »

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What are we Thinking - Terror and Climate Change - Being Libertarian - Being Libertarian

They came in a U-Haul.

Colorado, the birthplace of the national Libertarian Party, is now something else: host of the partys trove of physical archives since its founding in 1971 in Colorado Springs.

Or was the party founded in Westminster?

Thats a friendly dispute among some Libertarians who debate whether the official formation of the small government individual freedom party, which took place in the Springs, supersedes where its ideas were hashed out around party founder David Nolans Westminster dining room table.

Regardless, Colorado, a state with about 1 percent of its registered voting population claiming membership in the party, has always had an outsized role in Libertarian history. Now, just this spring, the partys physical history relocated from a storage facility in Alexandria, Virginia, to Parker, Colorado.

Leading the effort to bring those records to the partys birthplace was Caryn Ann Harlos of Castle Rock, the state partys pink-haired spokeswoman who serves as the national partys representative for nine western states. On a December trip to the East Coast on party business, she asked to see archives many thought were destroyed in a flood when they were housed in the basement of the famous Watergate building. Instead, Harlos found a room of records largely intact. Boxes of newsletters, convention material, even contents from the desks of former party officials.

I got a burr under my saddle and was like This stuff needs to be preserved, she said over the phone recently.

The national party set up a committee and formulated a $10,000 budget to make it happen. Party people packed the archives in a U-Haul and a staffer drove it west.

For the past several weeks, Harlos, a paralegal with two decades of document management experience, has, in her own words, been becoming one with the records.

There are tape recordings of old conventions, there are video tapes of old TV spots, there are bumper stickers, there are buttons, theres a lot of handbills and fliers and stuff from older presidential campaigns, she says about whats inside. She found handwritten 1974 convention minutes on the back of an old press release.

Her goal is to organize and digitize the documents, and then upload them to the online crowdsourced Libertarian history site Lpedia.

She stresses it is not a public Libertarian Party museum or anything, but anyone who wants to take a look can make an appointment with her.

There are people very passionate about the history, she says. I have people planning weeklong vacations to come and work on these records in Colorado.

Call it Libertarian tourism in Colorado.

Says Harlos: Being the birthplace is really [a]big thing and weve always taken great pride in that.

Read more here:

The Libertarian Party's national archives now live in Colorado - The Colorado Independent

Hannah Grover , hgrover@daily-times.com Published 4:30 p.m. MT May 26, 2017 | Updated 10:00 a.m. MT May 29, 2017

San Juan County(Photo: The Daily Times stock image)

FARMINGTON For the first time in nearly a decade, the Libertarian Party of New Mexico has a San Juan County chapter.

The chapter was organized earlier this month andwill meet weekly. Meeting information will be posted on its Facebook page.

"We're trying to create some growth," chapter chairwoman Ranota Banks said. "We experienced quite a bit during the Johnson-Weld campaign."

The Libertarian Party has traditionally been the largest of the third parties in the state. Elizabeth Hanes, the chairwoman of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, said the western ethos of working hard and minding your own business contributes to the success of the Libertarian Party in New Mexico.

"That's very much what Libertarianism is about," she said.

Hanes said the Libertarian Party hopes to run about half a dozen candidates in state and federal races in 2018. Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson's campaign in 2016 led to an increase in registered Libertarian voters.

Johnson received about 9 percent of the votes in New Mexico, or more than 74,000 votes. The number of registered voters and the percentage who voted for Johnson qualified the party to hold primary elections during 2018.There are approximately 6,000 Libertarians registered to vote statewide. Hanes said there are about 400 registered Libertarians in San Juan County.

"This past general election, we had a lot of people switch their affiliation to the Libertarian Party," Banks said.

Hanes said some Republicans identify with the Libertarian stance regarding smaller government. She said the party also aligns with Democratic views on social issues and civil rights, such as same-sex marriage.

Drew Degner, chairman of San Juan County's Republican Party, said there may be some voters who switch affiliation because of the similar stance on smaller government. He said he has seen frustration on both sides nationwide.

Degner said he wishes the Libertarians luck in their endeavor.

"If it is able to gain traction, it might be a good thing for everybody," Degner said.

While the Libertarian Party supports social issues and civil rights, it does not believe in government-funded charities, such as Planned Parenthood.

"We believe that personal giving is preferable to government giving," Hanes said.

She said the Libertarian Party believes in slashing taxes, which would give people more money to donate to charitable organizations.

While San Juan County Democratic Party chairwoman MP Schildmeyer said she wishes the Libertarian Party well, she said she does not agree with the party's stance regarding cutting back Social Security.

"To me, the Libertarian Party is a dangerous party," she said.

Banks said while the party does not believe in forced charity, it does believe in "people taking care of people."

Banks said twice a month the San Juan County chapter will have picnics or trash cleanups.

Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652.

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Libertarian Party forms San Juan County chapter - Farmington Daily Times