The Libertarian Party Radical Caucus is pleased to present our first round of ratings for declared presidential hopefuls.  All candidates were (and still are) invited to complete our survey, which was combined with additional research by members of the endorsements committee to generate scoring.

The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 8:00PM Eastern.

The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, July 2, 2023 at 8:00PM Eastern.  

The meeting will be conducted via Zoom.  All regular (voting or non-voting) members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend.

To Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting, please click on this link  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82058112320

The LPRC Annual Membership Meeting will be held at Noon Pacific time (3 pm Eastern time) on June 25, 2023 via Zoom.  Among the business items will be electing officers and considering proposals from the reports of the 2023 Platform and Bylaws Committees. All members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information is below.  

We look forward to seeing you via Zoom on June 25th.

As you may know, an "antiwar" rally organized by the Libertarian Party and the People's Party is scheduled to be held this coming weekend. The LPRC initially signed up as a sponsor of this event, but as explained below we have now withdrawn from that role. In addition, our Board has adopted a resolution calling on the LNC to address the situation.

Withdrawal of LPRC Sponsorship

The LPRC is absolutely opposed to US government intervention in the politics and struggles of other nations. We were excited about the "rage against the war machine" effort and still hope that it works well as an antiwar event. We support the idea of single-issue coalitions and understand that forming and maintaining such a coalition requires working with individuals and organizations who may not share our larger goals but do align with us on the single issue at hand – in this case, state warfare. We were bitterly disappointed to see that avowedly pro-war speakers have been invited, thus corrupting the very idea of a single-issue coalition and co-opting this 'antiwar' effort into a 'pro Russia' rally. We tried to influence the process as sponsors but, having been allowed zero input in the process, have decided to withdraw our sponsorship and attend as our individual consciences dictate.

Resolution

Adopted at a special meeting of the LPRC Board, 11 February 2023

Whereas, the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus has consistently proclaimed opposition to war, recognizing it as a manifestation of collectivism and a type of state action which violates the rights both of the individuals whose lives are endangered, disrupted, or ended and of the individuals who are forced to support it through taxation or conscription,

Whereas, the LPRC considers the principles of libertarianism to be applicable everywhere, specifically calling in our platform for those who agree with us to work toward achieving the same objectives in their own countries,

Whereas, the application of these universal principles means that in the ongoing situation in Ukraine we must object not only to the pursuit of war by the U.S. government, which we as Americans have an opportunity to address through political action, but also the pursuit of war by Russia, which is violating not only the rights of individuals living in Ukraine but also the rights of those in Russia who are being forced by their government to support it,

Whereas, the national LP represented the "Rage Against War" rally scheduled for 19 February 2023 as an opportunity to build a coalition among all those who share our antipathy to war, even though they may disagree on other issues, and the LPRC relied on this representation to initially support it,

Whereas, management of this rally by the national LP and other organizers has now blurred what had been a clear message which we could support, by allowing participation by some who not only do not object to war being pursued by Russia but actually praise it,

Whereas, although the LPRC has as a result withdrawn its own sponsorship, this blurred message will be seen by the media and public as representative of the Libertarian viewpoint as long as it still has the support of the national LP, harming the efforts of members of our caucus, as well as LP members aligned with other caucuses and those with no caucus affiliation, and especially those LP members running for public office,

Whereas, this harm to the Libertarian cause is the result of decisions made by and actions taken – or not taken – by the national LP in its capacity as co-organizer of the event, and so can only be corrected by the national LP,

Whereas, the LP's bylaws designate the Libertarian National Committee as the body having control and management of all the affairs, properties and funds of the Party,

THEREFORE, the LPRC calls on the LNC to correct this situation by:

(1) taking whatever steps may be necessary to ensure that the messaging from this rally is focused on and consistent with a principled anti-war position, or

(2) if that for any reason turns out to be impossible or impractical, to completely and publicly withdraw the LP's support for and association with this rally.

We will resume part 2 of the annual membership meeting on July 17th, 2022 at 1 pm Central.

The main focus of this meeting will be going over the proposed Bylaws amendments and additions. The report is attached here:

2022 Bylaws Report

LPRadicalCaucus is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Continuation of 2022 Membership Meeting
Time: Jul 17, 2022 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/

The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

LPRadicalCaucus is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LPRC Board Meeting 5/14/2022
Time: May 14, 2022 05:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, February 6, 2022, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

LPRadicalCaucus is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LPRC Board Meeting 2-6-2022
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The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, January 9, 2022, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

Dear LPRC caucus members!

Happy holidays of whichever ones you celebrate! 

To add to your weekend, we have a special meeting scheduled.

Here's the link to the agenda.

Agenda

The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, November 28, 2021, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

Please join your Radical friends next Sunday!  The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, April 11, 2021, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

Meeting login: Log in at https://zoom.us/j/261719416.

Call in at 1-646-876-9923, meeting ID 261719416.

THIS NOTICE IS ALSO PUBLISHED ON THE LPRC WEBSITE:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/notices

Please join your Radical friends this Sunday!  The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, April 11, 2021, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

Meeting login: Log in at https://zoom.us/j/261719416.

Call in at 1-646-876-9923, meeting ID 261719416.

THIS NOTICE IS ALSO PUBLISHED ON THE LPRC WEBSITE:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/notices

The LP Radical Caucus Board will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, January 17, 2021, at 8:00PM Eastern.

Members interested in suggesting candidates in their state LP who might be a good fit with an LPRC endorsement, please email [email protected].

NOTE TO LPRC STATE COORDINATORS: Interviewing LP candidates in your state IS PART OF THE JOB.  Please don't leave this duty to "someone else".  You know the people in your state better than we do.  So talk to them.

Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom! interface.  All regular (voting or non-voting) Members of the LPRC are encouraged to attend - log in information viewed below.

IMPORTANT: Non-members will be disconnected from the meeting unless there is unanimous consent of all members present to allow attendance and observation by any non-member.

'Members' are those signed up through our website:

http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/join

Meeting login: Log in at https://zoom.us/j/261719416.

Call in at 1-646-876-9923, meeting ID 261719416.

The Board of the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus voted on Wednesday (5/13/2020) to "grade" several of the best candidates running for the LP's nomination for president or vice president.

Points were awarded for:

- the alignment of their stated positions with the goals and platform of the LPRC,

- their effectiveness in presenting those positions,

- and application of libertarian principles in their campaigns.  

Candidates for both offices were graded on similar criteria, and below are listed together because it is often the case that a candidate for president will end up becoming a candidate for vice president -- but candidates thought to be seeking only the vice presidential nomination are noted with "(vp)".

Vohra, Arvin - A
Cohen, Spike (vp) - A
Kokesh, Adam - B
Behrman, Dan - B
Jorgensen, Jo - B
McAfee, John (vp) - B
Monds, John - B
Supreme, Vermin - B
Hornberger, Jacob - C
Gray, Jim - D
Amash, Justin - D
Sharpe, Larry (vp) - D
Ogle, James - F
Exotic, Joe - F

[Note that there are other candidates seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination than the above. They were not graded due to one or more of the following: a) They did not answer our request for information; b) We were not otherwise aware of their campaign positions; and/or c) They were too far afield from the Radical Caucus' stated goals that our Board members felt it inappropriate to invest our time in rating them.]

Best wishes to all of the candidates who are working hard to secure the Libertarian Party's nomination, and for doing their best to persuade more Americans of the necessity of adopting Libertarian solutions for current issues.

-------------------

Don't be silent. Educate, persuade, and protest.

Find your voice. Join us.

All people really need is for #TheViolentState to just get out of the way.

Libertarians: The only 100% "abolish all the things" party.

VOTE LIBERTARIAN * http://www.LP.org/ * 800-ELECT-US

Join the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
http://www.LPRadicalCaucus.org/

Abolish power. Live Free.

#Libertarian #LibertarianParty #LPRadicalCaucus
#RepealTheState #NoCoercion #LeavePeopleAlone

Words can’t describe how heavy my heart is right now.

The (not so great) State of Alabama has put to death a man innocent of the crimes he was charged with. I have strong empathy for the anguish his family and friends must be enduring. One can hardly imagine the stress and hopelessness Nathaniel Woods and those close to him felt as his fate was sealed, contrary to justice.

I have no moral objection to the death penalty; some people may deserve to die. I have a strong moral objection to the State doing it, they so often get it wrong as they did in the case of Nathaniel Woods. It has been estimated in the last 35 years at least 50 innocent people have been put to death in the United States. Does this sound like justice? What happened to the old maxim of our common law as described by William Blackstone:

"Better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer." Benjamin Franklin even went further "it is better a hundred guilty persons should escape than one innocent person should suffer."

As in the case of Nathaniel Woods we can see the State and its enforcement system, misnamed the justice system, is more interested in procedure, self-promotion for its agents, and power, than right or wrong.

This is why I wholly support the Libertarian Party Plank on the death penalty and the Radical Caucus’s planks on justice. We simply do not believe the State should kill people in the name of justice. When mistakes are made, and an innocent person loses their life, there is no possible way to come back from that injustice.

My hope is we the people put enough pressure on the States that they will be forced to end these horrific practices, no matter what their political ideology may be.

If you are interested in helping myself and others put an end to these tragedies, please work with us in the Libertarian Party and in the LP Radical Caucus.

Rob Stratton, Chairman

LP Radical Caucus
Libertarian Party activist
Whatcom County LP Chair

Additional Resources:

• National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty - Exonerations of Innocent Men and Women
• 8 People Who Were Executed and Later Found Innocent
• The Innocence Project - The Innocent and the Death Penalty
• How Many Innocent People Are Sentenced To Death? (Forbes, Newsweek)
• Death Penalty Information Center - Death Row Exonerations
• Death Penalty Information Center - Executed But Possibly Innocent 

If you have been thinking of getting more involved in the Radical Caucus, we have a golden opportunity: We need a Secretary!

Kim Ruff has been serving as our secretary for a few months, but as her campaign for PRESIDENT (!!) heats up, she needs to focus on it, so she has stepped aside for someone who can concentrate on the job.

Our next meeting is scheduled for next Sunday, March 17, beginning at 8:00 pm Eastern.  At that time, the Board will be considering volunteers to serve as the Secretary.

[Other offices may also be considered also, as all officer appointments are at-will and a motion to assign a new officer can be made in any Board meeting.]

Here is the full meeting announcement.

All officer positions were fully intended to rotate frequently among LPRC membership. The LPRC Bylaws were written that way on purpose.  In the LPRC, the Board is the entity that makes decisions, as opposed to any one officer.

Here is what our Bylaws say about officers, with the subsection about the chair's position:

C. Board Officers

The Board may appoint Officers, such as a Board Chairman and others, as needed. Examples of other positions may include Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officers shall serve at the pleasure of the board and may be replaced at any time. There shall be no set term. New appointments to officer positions including chair may be made at any Board meeting by a simple majority vote.

Being appointed to a Board Officer position does not confer voting rights. Unless a Board Officer is also a Director, the Officer does not have a vote.

3. Duties of the Secretary

The Secretary shall take and distribute minutes of all Board meetings and of all LPRC general meetings at which official Party business is conducted. The Secretary shall be responsible for official LPRC correspondence as is required. The Secretary shall maintain a register of LPRC non­-voting, Annual, and Permanent members and shall be responsible (in coordination with the Treasurer) for insuring the accuracy and completeness of all LPRC membership and mailing lists. If the Chairman and Vice Chairman are not present at a meeting, the Secretary shall perform the duties of Chairman In addition, the Secretary shall carry out such other duties as may be requested by the Board.

A Secretary's primary goal should be to ensure that the Party's records have their i's dotted and their t's crossed.  Think you can help with those functions?

Want a nice title to impress your friends?

Then consider volunteering to become the Secretary of the LP Radical Caucus.

Attend the meeting on March 17, 2019.  Hope to see YOU there!

# 30 # 30 # 30 #

------------------------------------------------------------
Vote Libertarian * 800-ELECT-US * http://www.LP.org
------------------------------------------------------------
Written March 2019 for use by the LP Radical Caucus.  According to current law, the copyright holder is automatically author Marc Montoni.  Radicals want copyright abolished.  Ergo, this work is hereby released to the public domain, so, no -- you can't republish it then claim copyright on it, beefcake.
------------------------------------------------------------

by Marc Montoni

Why would anyone want to be an LPRC State Coordinator?

Well, let's put it this way: Are you satisfied with always being outnumbered at the convention, by people who want to put a muzzle on you? Are you satisfied with atrocious candidates who run as "Libertarians" but who couldn't name an actual LIBERTARIAN position to save their life? Are you satisfied with atrocious candidates who run as "Libertarians" but who fraudulently promote things like sales taxes, chasing foreign warlords, and doing violence to the right of free association as supposedly "libertarian" positions?

Well, those things are going to continue -- unless we Radicals change our numbers drastically.

Being an LPRC State Coordinator is not intended to be just a nice title with no expectations or responsibility. It's not a reward for calling oneself a "Radical Libertarian".

It's a WORK position, intended to change our numbers.

As outlined in our bylaws [Section 6(c)], State Coordinators are responsible for:

- promoting radical libertarianism and a radical vision for the Libertarian Party;

- recruiting additional members to the LPRC;

- recommending the formal endorsement by the LPRC Board of suitable candidates (for internal LP positions as well as for public office) in their state.

Being appointed as a state coordinator for the Radical Caucus is not just a path to get a vote on Board matters.

It means work.

It means you are expected to recruit more members to the caucus each year and every year. It means you are expected to help us find the GOOD candidates for office. It means you are expected to guide the increase in Radical participation in your state party.

In short, it means you are expected to be one of 50 or more catalysts to re-radicalize the Libertarian Party.

You will be given a copy of LPRC members and prospective members in your state. Every one of those people in your state needs to be contacted on a monthly basis, preferably via some form of personal contact, such as a letter bearing a hand-written signature, or a phone call.

Personal contact does not need to be complicated:

"Hi Joe, this is Jim Bob with the Pennsylvania Radical Caucus. Were you planning to attend the LPPA state committee meeting this Saturday?

"In case you're interested, they have a position on the LPPA Platform Committee they will be filling, and I'd love to see a radical apply for it. By the way, I see that you're only one step away from being a full voting member in the LPRC. Would you like to make your support official by donating today?"

If your state caucus has a FB page, monthly send out a general "become a voting member" invitation, and directly message new likes asking them to join.

A state coordinator should also send out via email a monthly newsletter.  These can be done via plaintext email or fancier:0

LPRC Arizona email Newsletter (PDF)

LPRCColorado email Newsletter (via Mailchimp)

Don't set up a "discussion group".  They are generally time sinks, and besides that there already is one - the LP Radical Caucus Facebook group.  Keep your state page more to radical business within your state. We need action much more than discussion!

Members of the Radical Caucus should be working to set the tone for their state party in terms of messaging.  The LP has been largely overrun by Libertarian Lite advocates who think we must never talk about private roads, private police, and abolishing the income tax. The reason that messaging has infested the LP is because THAT'S WHO SHOWS UP.

Your job as a state coordinator for the LPRC is to get radical libertarians to show up in greater numbers at state & local LP events. The ONLY way to make that happen is for YOU to talk to them -- and on a regular basis.

Interested?

Then volunteer.

Qualifications to be a state coordinator:

1 - Be a current, dues-paid national LP member.
2 - Be a current, dues-paid state LP member.
3 - Donate $100 or more of at least $10/month in dues to the LPRC (see http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/voting).

By Craig Bowden:

Radicals in the Libertarian Party were challenged to respond to an article written on LibertyPoint.org entitled Wisdom vs. Reality: Libertarian ‘wisdom’ vs. ‘real’ politics. As a radical, I decided to offer my two cents to the issue in response. I do this independently of the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus, though I am a member. These thoughts are my own and should not be used in an official format as a response from the caucus.

The very first rebuttal I wish to convey is to the following statement within the article:

Unfortunately, as with all too many revolutionary movements, this devotion, dedication and adherence to our tenets sometimes ignores reality.

There is no reality to ignore when adhering to the core of libertarianism. We believe things like taxation being theft, which by definition, it is. You can try to rationalize the “need” for taxation all you want, but when we apply definitions to terms we find that even the dictionary agrees.

From Merriam-Webster’s:

the act of stealing; specifically:  the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it

Just because a group voted to steal, instead of breaking into your home and taking it themselves, doesn’t change the fact that your property was taken as the rightful owner.

Another core tenet of libertarian thought is that we believe in the non-aggression principle, which means that we believe the initiation of force against a person is wrong. This is the most basic reality that exists. Every one of us was taught since early developmental years that we don’t hit people, break other people’s things, or take what doesn’t belong to us. Libertarians simply take it a step further and say that just because the majority voted to do so, doesn’t mean it is right.

We do not have the power to give authority to someone, if we do not have the authority to do so on our own. Since I cannot steal from my neighbor, I cannot give the authority to someone else to steal from him. When we do this without “government approval,” once we face a court of law, we are still guilty of conspiracy and held at the same level of accountability as the person who actually took the action we asked of them. Why is it different when we ask government to do it?

The next portion the author goes wrong is in the following excerpt:

One of the leading examples of this is the belief that “most people are libertarian but don’t know it yet.”

Reality is somewhat less appealing. Libertarians who’ve been involved with any municipal planning or zoning process know “it ain’t so.” The reality is that, in the United States, in the 21st Century, “most people” have come to expect government to do certain things.

Most people expect local government to pick up the garbage, maintain the streets, provide water and sewer services and police and fire protection. They expect zoning regulations and local ordinances to prevent their neighbor from building a 24-hour convenience store in his back yard.

Evidently, the author seems to think that only the city does trash pick up, providing of water/sewage, police, and fire. I would have to assume that the author has never hired private security to guard assets, has never heard of a volunteer fire department, and never lived in a Home Owner’s Association that does trash pick up. It is also apparent that the author has never lived in a rural community, where there is no sewage system and you maintain your own septic tank. Examples already exist where people have demonstrated that they can do these sorts of things without municipal planning groups. All you have to do is experience things beyond a narrow world view.

Not everyone has city utilities on the grid. Not everyone has to rely on subsidies on farmed food. What utter chaos there must be in the non-incorporated areas around the nation.

The reality is that individuals like the author are just too lazy to do things on their own, or in voluntarily associations. It takes a lot more work to make sure things get done, but why bother when city councils and state legislatures can just do it for you?

The author paints things as there being a dependence on government as a “modern reality,” yet for anyone who lives in a rural area, reality is very different. The vast majority of things are done through voluntary association and personal responsibility. Want power? Better make sure the windmill is in good repair. Want heat? Better make sure to order that propane. Want indoor plumbing? Better make sure the septic system is in good order.Want fire put out? Put on your boots and gear up, because all that’s available is volunteers.

The next passage is one I believe you will find an immediate contradiction between the two statements:

Self-government, however, may have another meaning if you consider that man is a social animal. While rugged individualism is an American ideal, and has and does exist in our society, most people also need and seek community. Even in the “frontier days,” when a man was striking out on his own, family in tow, other individuals came together in voluntary association to help him build his barn.

In other words, wherever two or three are gathered, there will be government in the midst.

Notice how the author is speaking about voluntary association and adhering it to meaning government. There is nothing voluntary about government. You pay taxes or go to jail. You cut your grass or be fined. You want salt? Too bad, it’s banned. 32 oz. soda? Too much sugar for you. Want to choose cannabis as a medical treatment? Too bad, jail time for you. There is nothing voluntary about what is going on. It is put in place with authority that never existed.

Most people are social creatures, but there are miles of difference between voluntary exchange and forced compliance to societal norms defined by a majority.

The reality of the situation is that while it may currently be accepted by the majority, we must always speak the truth boldly and plainly. Watering things down does no one any good. Is it ok if you are elected to a city council to vote in favor of a partial tax decrease? Of course. Take what you can get now, but never settle for more than absolute liberty in all things. As soon as you vote yes, the very next day you should be right back on the offensive in decreasing taxation more.

When we water down things to fit society’s current status, we get lost in all the noise. We must be bold in our approach and show exactly how libertarianism is different. Give examples of ways to improve and always strive for the highest amount in all areas of civil and economic liberty.

In my own candidacy for the U.S. Congress in 2014 and this year, I didn’t cut corners in what I placed in my platform. In 2014, I doubled the Libertarian vote in my district and set the highest polling third party for federal office in Utah since the 90’s. In 2016, I have polled even higher than 2014, and the election is still a month away.

I didn’t say to cut taxes; I said eliminate them. I didn’t say legalize medicinal marijuana; I said all prohibition must end. I didn’t say cut foreign aid to our enemies; I said it isn’t our business to be involved in other nations at all. I didn’t say that we should only go to war with Congressional approval; I stated that war must end and violence is only a means through defense.  I spoke the truth. I didn’t take half measures. In the end, a new record will be set in Utah because of it.

The reality is that pragmatists like this author cannot do anything without radicals speaking boldly on principle so that people can see the difference between us and the two major parties.

This letter was sent in response to this article, Paul Krugman Reveals What Libertarian Gary Johnson Really Stands For--And It's Terrifying.

A complete copy of the letter sent may be viewed here.

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