News

2/02/10 — Gubanatorial Debate at SMU scheduled for February 16th

12/22/09 — 2004 LP Presidential nominee Michael Badnarik hospitalized after heart attack

12/01/09 — WANTED: Candidates to Defend the Constitution

07/02/09 — Libertarians Put the Brakes on Toll Road Transportation Bill

03/30/09 — Lawmakers debate bill that would allow handguns on college campuses

01/06/2009 — A WAKE-UP CALL TO CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS!

The Tarrant County Libertarian Party is pleased to invite you to attend a debate between candidates seeking the LP nomination for Governor! The event will take place in Dallas on the campus of SMU on Tuesday, February 16th at 7:00 p.m. and is sponsored by The Libertarian Party of Dallas County.

"It is exciting to have such a strong field, and we hope this debate will help Libertarians across the state decide which candidate to support. We hope to have a good audience in attendance, and will also film the debate so it can be made available on the Internet for those who can't attend in person", said Paul Petersen, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Dallas County.

He adds, "I will be the moderator, and am in the process of drafting questions and designing the format. Our primary objective will be to help Libertarians decide who they want to support, but we also hope that the video will have educational value for non-Libertarians who come across it. Therefore, some questions will be designed to illustrate how Libertarians differ from the other parties; but most will be designed to help the audience determine how the candidates differ from each other."

The Hughes-Trigg Theatre is 500 seat auditorium located at 3140 Dyer St, Dallas, TX 75205. Let's have a great turnout and pack the place! Learn more here: http://www.meetup.com/tarrantlibertarians

2004 LP Presidential nominee Michael Badnarik hospitalized after heart attack

Wes Benedict — December 22, 2009 — The Libertarian Party headquarters in Washington, DC has received various reports that Michael Badnarik, the 2004 nominee for President and good friend to the Tarrant County Libertarian Party, has suffered a heart attack and has been hospitalized in Wisconsin.

William Redpath, Chairman of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), commented, "While initial indications are that this is possibly a serious heart attack, we're hoping that Michael makes a full and speedy recovery."

Additional information may be posted later.

WANTED: Candidates to Defend the Constitution

AUSTIN, TEXAS — July 2, 2009 — Dear Fellow Libertarian:

I have never seen Americans as angry and as ready for real political change as they are today. Over the past two months, LPT Chair Patrick Dixon and I have traveled the length and breadth of Texas. From Amarillo to Brownsville, and from Tyler to El Paso, we have met Libertarians and many others who are eager to defend the Constitution and bring real prosperity to Texas through freedom and liberty.

In the last legislative session:

When I helped protect parents’ rights, and defended the legal standard of “probable cause”, there was only one reason the legislators listened.
When I single-handedly defeated a $37.5 million bill to require all parties to vote in primaries, there was only one reason the legislators listened.
When I helped to defeat a $1 Billion boondoggle to advance the Trans-Texas Corridor and give a new tax-funded toll road to Cintra last June in the special session, there was only one reason that the legislators listened.

I didn’t promise any favors. I didn’t promise any pork. I promised the state legislators that they would be facing a Libertarian challenger in their next election!! There are many new and exciting pro-liberty organizations that have sprung to life in Texas, but the Libertarian Party is different: We place candidates directly on the ballot for election! The others do not. Running for office as a Libertarian is the very best way one individual can have a real, meaningful impact on public policy!

There are three types of campaigns you could run to advance the cause of Liberty:

Placeholder – a placeholder is a candidate who agrees to sign the paperwork and add his or her name to the ballot, but does not actively campaign. Placeholders play a vital role in our electoral strategy. They add numbers to our vote totals. They give their fellow Libertarians an option to vote for on Election Day. (It does not cost any money, and a very small amount of time to run as a placeholder.)
Educational – an educational candidate is one step beyond placeholder. We ask educational candidates to appear at candidate debates and forums. We ask them to provide Libertarian answers to any questionnaires they may receive. They may also produce a website, brochures, or business cards. This is your chance to hold an elected official accountable in a public forum!
Winnable – a winnable race is determined by mathematical analysis of previous Libertarian votes. There are currently hundreds of winnable races in Texas. If you want to win a political office this year, call me and I can help you determine where the winnable races are in your community.

Whether you decide to run a placeholder, an educational, or a winnable campaign, you will have a direct effect on public policy in Texas. We know from our experience lobbying the legislature that your simple presence on the ballot will help bend your elected incumbent towards a Libertarian direction.

Here are the steps in the process:

Click Here to download the application for nomination form, fill it out, and have it notarized.
Mail the original notarized form in as soon as possible to the Libertarian Party of Texas, PO Box 41059, Austin, Texas 78704. We need them by Jan 1st so we can deliver our list to the Secretary of State
Before you spend any money, including your own, on this campaign, file an “Appointment of A Campaign Treasurer By A Candidate” form with the Texas Ethics Commission and read the rules regarding campaign expenses. There’s even a how-to video on their website.
Libertarians use a convention process to nominate their candidates for the general election. Libertarians can not run for office or vote in the Libertarian convention if they vote as Republicans or Democrats in the March 2010 primaries. To vote or run for office as a Libertarian, we welcome you to participate in our conventions:
1. County Conventions will be held on March 13th at a time and place designated by your county chair. Anyone who wants to run for a county-level office can be nominated at this county convention. State Senate and Representative Districts formed entirely within one county’s border can also be nominated.
2. District Conventions will be held on March 20th at a time and place decided by the various county chairs whose counties lie within the district. State Senate and Representatives whose districts cross county lines are nominated at District Conventions.
3. The State Convention will be held June 11th -13th in Austin at the Radisson North Hotel. Candidates for Governor and other statewide offices will be nominated here. We’ll also have some great speakers, workshops, and fun social events! Mark your calendar for the State Convention!

Don’t wait for someone else to defend your liberty. We have made it much easier for you to run for office yourself. We will help all the placeholder candidates file their paperwork. And we have specialized training available for educational and winnable campaigns. You can vote for the best candidate this year, yourself! You can find out which districts you live in and who your elected officials are by visiting: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

Click Here for candidate application for nomination form. If you can't run for office, I hope that you will make the largest contribution you can afford to help us get more candidates on the ballot. This year provides us with many excellent opportunities. The more money we raise, the more we can get done.

Can you help me build our Libertarian Party by making a significant contribution or monthly pledge? Will you run as a candidate? I’m eager to hear your response.

For Liberty,
Robert Butler
Executive Director Libertarian Party of Texas

PS. I am counting on your campaign to help grow our party; please send your form in today! If you have any questions about becoming a candidate, give me a call or send an email.

Libertarians Put the Brakes on Toll Road Transportation Bill — Twitter and Facebook Play a Role

AUSTIN, TEXAS — July 2, 2009 — The Texas Legislature left a controversial new toll road bill pending in committee today and Libertarians are claiming a major victory in stopping a billion dollar scheme to use taxes and pension funds to pay for private monopolies and foreign management of Texas toll roads.

Libertarians worked together with TURF, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, and Texans for Accountable Government (TAG), to stop what some have dubbed the largest tax increase in Texas history.

On Wednesday morning, Libertarians from across the state converged at the Texas Capitol, emailed, and called their state representatives to demand that public-private partnerships funded with Texas tax dollars and pension funds be stopped.

"We used our extensive email lists, Twitter, and Facebook accounts to activate thousands of freedom-loving Texans," said LPT Executive Director Robert Butler. "Our people called, emailed, and personally visited every member of the House and Senate. Our press conference and grassroots effort had a major impact in potentially killing this bill. We have to continue our public awareness campaign until the special session officially ends."

"Credit goes to the work of our staff and volunteers for discovering the ugly details behind this legislation," said Libertarian State Chair Patrick Dixon. "For an organization with just over $100k in revenue, we certainly do have an impact on policy."

"Toll roads cost up to twice as much to build as non-tolled expressways," said LPT Executive Director Robert Butler. "The toll roads aren't a free market privatization plan. You're granting monopoly rights to private operators. The bonds backing these toll roads have clauses that prevent competition and are guaranteed with tax dollars."

In 2005, the State of Texas entered a 50-year agreement with a Spanish company named Cintra to develop the Trans-Texas Corridor, a 4,000-mile network up to 1,200 feet wide to carry parallel links of tollways, rails, and utility lines. Cintra's parent company, Grupo Ferrovial, S.A, was a major collaborator with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco and depends upon its political connections to secure toll road contracts around the world.

In 2007, by a combined vote of 169-5, the Texas Legislature passed a moratorium on private toll contracts, called comprehensive development agreements (or CDAs) that privatize and sell Texas highways to the highest bidder. That moratorium ends August 31, 2009, and CDAs, except for approximately a dozen projects that were exempted, sunset with it. CDAs are the primary financial vehicle used to construct the Trans Texas Corridor.

"I want to cut taxes and spending," declared Libertarian activist Wes Benedict. "They have refused to approve low-cost road improvements claiming they don't have the funds, then propose rail and toll roads which cost up to ten times more than buses and non-tolled roads per passenger mile of added capacity. Light rail and toll roads cost too much and do too little."

"We Libertarians and our friends at TURF and TAG have shown that an educated voter can change the course of legislation." noted Butler. "This bill will be a litmus test in the 2010 elections, we'll make sure of that.

Lawmakers debate bill that would allow handguns on college campuses

By DAVE MONTGOMERY dmontgomery@star-telegram.com

AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers considered legislation Monday to allow concealed handguns on college campuses as officials from the state’s private colleges and universities urged lawmakers to exclude their institutions from the measure.

The bill by Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, would allow Texans with concealed-handgun permits to carry their weapons onto college and university campuses.

Driver said his legislation would apply to people 21 and older, thus affecting a relatively small percentage of the student population. But it would go a long way toward bolstering safety at increasingly vulnerable campuses, he said.

Working into the night, the House Public Safety Committee heard conflicting accounts about the potential effect of the legislation, with some administrators expressing concern that allowing handguns on densely populated campuses could be combustible.

Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, warned about the possibility of an increased number of suicides "if more guns were available" on campuses, pointing out that more than 40 percent of college students suffer from depression during their college years.

"We all share the same goal," Mills said, "and that’s to make sure our campuses are as safe as possible."

LeTourneau University President Dale Lunsford of Longview, a board member of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, told lawmakers that the 40-member organization believes that private institutions should be allowed to make their own decision on whether guns should be allowed on campuses. As currently drafted, the bill would apply to both state-supported and private schools.

State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, a member of the committee, presented a letter from Texas Wesleyan University President Harold Jeffcoat calling on lawmakers to give private schools the option of deciding the issue themselves.

Derek Trimm, a student leader at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said students should be allowed to have concealed weapons for their protection. Under present law, he said, there is "an invisible line around the campus" and "all those inside are more vulnerable to attack" since they are unable to carry guns.

The hearing was punctuated by frequent reminders of the nation’s most horrific act of campus violence — the slayings of 32 students by a mentally unstable student at the Virginia Tech campus in April 2007.

Driver said public perception of the bill has been distorted by erroneous accounts in the media.

DAVE MONTGOMERY, 512-476-4294

A WAKE-UP CALL TO CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS!

by Perry Tong

FORT WORTH, TX - January 6, 2009-Watch your wallet, the smoking Nazis are on the march again! I dislike using this newsletter as a political platform. I apologize for boring you with un-fun things. In this instance, though, I feel it is justified and urgent.

Washington D.C.
During the past week, several tobacco publications have expressed their concern with the S-Chips bill currently in the U.S. Congress. Chances are this bill will pass if you do not take action to inform your Representative and Senator of your disdain for this oppressive bill. If passed, the ramifications could be a 53% tax per cigar, devastation of the mom & pop cigar business, destruction of the cigar manufacturing industry and catastrophic collapse of the Central American anchor industry, cigar making. The proposed legislation is supposed to support a State Children's Health Insurance program. This is strange. Look on your property owners' tax bill. Isn't there a large sum of money charged for your hospital district to help the indigent? We are being taxed twice to punish smokers.

Austin, TX
Comrade (as she is referred to by some of her constituents) Myra Crownover, State Representative from Lake Dallas, and Rodney Ellis of Houston are re-introducing a smoking ban that will strip you of more constitutional freedoms. Additionally, a 25% per stick tax is being bantered around. You had better wake up, find out who represents you in the Texas House and Texas Senate, and let them know your feelings.

Just be aware
A new book was promoted on The NBC Today Show 1/5/08 titled "Third-Hand Smoke". In this book, you, as a smoker or even an occasional smoker, are accused of being basically a "toxic waste zone." This kind of propaganda is tested by using a method called "running a flag up" just to gauge public opinion. Be aware that you will be accused of spreading disease from your clothing, in your car and in your home. A new tax will be proposed to cover the cost of illness transmitted from you to hapless third parties. Socialism marches on!

Perry Tong is the owner of Pop's Safari Room in Fort Worth, TX. - John S. Jones