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Opponents of a property tax increase designed to provide additional education funding for Jefferson County Public Schools said they have the signatures to force a referendum on the issue.The group, "No JCPS Tax Hike," announced Wednesday they have 43,000 signatures, well above the 35,000 signatures needed by Friday. State law allows referendums on any property tax increase above 4.5 cents.The Jefferson County Board of Education approved a 7-cent increase in May, which would raise the annual tax bill on a $100,000 home by $70. JCPS had originally sought a 9.5-cent increase."We're in a recession right now and people are really struggling," said Theresa Camoriano, a longtime Libertarian activist who organized the group. "This is no time for a tax hike."Camoriano and others accuse JCPS of mismanaging the money it already has.A state audit of JCPS criticized the school district for not raising property taxes over a long period of years, saying the failure to do so has resulted in backlog of needs.JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio has said the money could be used for renovations and new school construction, investments in technology and pay incentives to lure the best teachers to the city's highest-need schools.The plan has drawn the support of groups like the Urban League, who say it will help address the achievement gap."If we say that we really care about our kids, we care about what our city is going to look like in 10 to 12 years, and even in the short interim, we need to invest in our children," said Dr. Kish Cumi Price, director of education policy and programming for the Louisville Urban League.Opponents of the tax increase must turn in their petition and signatures to the Jefferson County Clerk by Friday. The referendum will appear on the ballot on Nov. 3.

Opponents of a property tax increase designed to provide additional education funding for Jefferson County Public Schools said they have the signatures to force a referendum on the issue.

The group, "No JCPS Tax Hike," announced Wednesday they have 43,000 signatures, well above the 35,000 signatures needed by Friday. State law allows referendums on any property tax increase above 4.5 cents.

The Jefferson County Board of Education approved a 7-cent increase in May, which would raise the annual tax bill on a $100,000 home by $70. JCPS had originally sought a 9.5-cent increase.

"We're in a recession right now and people are really struggling," said Theresa Camoriano, a longtime Libertarian activist who organized the group. "This is no time for a tax hike."

Camoriano and others accuse JCPS of mismanaging the money it already has.

A state audit of JCPS criticized the school district for not raising property taxes over a long period of years, saying the failure to do so has resulted in backlog of needs.

JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio has said the money could be used for renovations and new school construction, investments in technology and pay incentives to lure the best teachers to the city's highest-need schools.

The plan has drawn the support of groups like the Urban League, who say it will help address the achievement gap.

"If we say that we really care about our kids, we care about what our city is going to look like in 10 to 12 years, and even in the short interim, we need to invest in our children," said Dr. Kish Cumi Price, director of education policy and programming for the Louisville Urban League.

Opponents of the tax increase must turn in their petition and signatures to the Jefferson County Clerk by Friday. The referendum will appear on the ballot on Nov. 3.

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Group says it has signatures to force referendum on Jefferson Co. tax increase for education - WLKY Louisville

Guest Opinion By Donna Gundle-Krieg | July 4, 2020

Americans are finally seeing the need to reform the way our society enforces laws, as the issue of police force has been placed front and center before us.

The Libertarian Party has been ahead of the game for decades on the issues of reforming our criminal justice system.

Since the 1960s, we have advocated for getting rid of laws that create victimless crimes. We have long believed in holding police accountable. Last but not least, Libertarians believe that the job descriptions, policies, and procedures of the police departments need to be reformed.

In fact, back in 1969, Lanny Friedlander, founder of the leading Libertarian magazine, Reason, said, "The police of a free society, engaging in retaliatory force only, enforcing laws of a defensive nature only, would be bound by the same laws they enforced and would stand fully accountable for their actions.

Achieving this free society starts with getting rid of victimless crimes. In other words, we need to minimize the opportunity for the police to act against the public. This means fewer laws and less intrusive enforcement of the laws that we do have.

In 1971, the fledgling Libertarian Party called for the repeal of all 'crimes without victims,' such as the prohibitions on drug use that have driven so much of the escalation in aggressive police tactics.

Fifty years later, the Libertarian Party platform states: Government force must be limited to the protection of the rights of individuals to life, liberty, and property, and governments must never be permitted to violate these rights.

We favor the repeal of all laws creating crimes without victims, such as gambling, the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes, and consensual transactions involving sexual services.

Voters in Michigan took a huge step toward repealing drug laws when they voted for recreational marijuana to be legal. According to Pew Research, in 2018, 40 percent of all arrests in the United States were for marijuana offenses. Making this drug legal certainly helps reduce the opportunity for the police to act against the public.

In addition to repealing victimless crimes, Libertarians favor holding government agencies and their employees accountable for their actions.

"We support full restitution for all loss suffered by persons arrested, indicted, tried, imprisoned, or otherwise injured in the course of criminal proceedings against them which do not result in their conviction," the Libertarian Party declared in 1979.

"Law enforcement agencies should be liable for this restitution unless malfeasance of the officials involved is proven, in which case they should be personally liable."

More recently, Grand Rapids Justin Amash, the only Libertarian in the U.S. Congress, introduced the first-ever tri-partisan bill, which would eliminate qualified immunity.

The Ending Qualified Immunity Act will restore Americans ability to obtain relief when police officers violate their constitutionally secured rights, stated Amash.

The brutal killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police is merely the latest in a long line of incidents of egregious police misconduct. This pattern continues because police are legally, politically, and culturally insulated from consequences for violating the rights of the people whom they have sworn to serve.

In addition to holding police officers accountable and eliminating victimless crimes, Libertarians believe that we must take back some of the tremendous power that society has given to police.

"Over the last 25 years, America has seen a disturbing militarization of its civilian law enforcement, along with a dramatic and unsettling rise in the use of paramilitary police units for routine police work," warned the Cato Institutes Radley Balko in his 2013 book,Rise of the Warrior Cop.

He explained that he was referring to Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, teams. These types of teams perform no-knock raids, which so often end in tragedy when police kick in the wrong door, or when a suddenly awakened resident tries to defend against intruders.

This month, libertarian-leaning Senator Rand Paul introduced legislation to stop the use of no-knock warrants, an idea that Democrats are also pushing in their calls for police reform. The bill requires law enforcement officers to give notice of their authority and purpose before entering a home.

In addition to qualified immunity and ending no-knock warrants, there are many other reforms that need to happen. Nearly all Americans favor at least some level of change to the nations criminal justice system, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which concluded that Americans overwhelmingly want clear standards on when police officers may use force and consequences for officers who do so excessively.

Thankfully, Americans are finally agreeing with Libertarians and implementing many of the reforms and policy changes that we have been fighting for decades.

The Libertarian party might have the deck stacked against it during elections. However, we have always been the first and often the only party to fight the battle against abusive government power.

Donna Gundle-Krieg is a Real Estate Broker in Mancelona. She is the Political Director of Northwest Michigan Libertarians, and will be on the ballot in November as a Libertarian candidate running for Mancelona Township Trustee. Contact her at dokrieg@gmail.com, or see http://www.nwmichiganlibertarians.org.

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Libertarian Solutions to Reforming Police State | Opinion | Northern Express - northernexpress.com

by: MORGAN LEE Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A political group that helped a slate of progressive-minded legislative candidates prevail in New Mexicos Democratic primary has registered as a political party.

The New Mexico Working Families Party on Thursday announced its certification by state election regulators as a minor political party, taking its place alongside the Green, Constitution and Better for America parties.

Party leaders said they hope to establish so-called fusion voting in which more than one political party can support a common candidate on the general election ballot.

They also want minor party members to be able to vote in major party primaries. The state operates a closed primary election system in which only registered major party members can vote.

Working Families Party state director Eric Griego said in a statement that the organization is dedicated to challenging candidates who are out of step with core progressive issues or beholden to corporate special interests.

The group helped upstart candidates defeat powerful incumbent Democrats in key leadership and committee posts including Sens. Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces, John Arthur Smith of Deming and Clemente Sanchez of Grants.

The Working Families Party backed successful Democratic primary challengers for Senate that including Leo Jaramillo of Espanola, Siah Hemphill Correa of Silver City, Pam Cordova of Belen, Neomi Martinez-Parra of Lordsburg and Carrie Hamblen of Las Cruces.

Founded in 1998 in New York, the organization has branches and chapters in 15 states mostly in the eastern U.S.

Campaign finance disclosures show the local affiliate has spent more than $300,000 in the 2020 election cycle.

New Mexico has three major parties that appear on primary ballots though Libertarian Party members do not hold any state elected office.

Former Gov. Gary Johnsons strong local showing as a presidential candidate in 2016 helped the Libertarian Party qualify as a major party.

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New minor party pushes for fusion voting in New Mexico - KRQE News 13

MAYVILLE Returned absentee and affidavit ballots from the June 23 Primary Elections will be counted and added to election night totals this week, announce Election Commissioners Norman P. Green and Brian C. Abram.

A total of 5,431 Democratic Presidential Primary absentees were mailed out and 4,276 have been returned, with an additional 44 affidavit ballots. Election Day returns found 1,351 voters had ballots scanned at the polls. A percentage total of 23% of Democrats voted and of that total 75% of all Democrats voting cast their ballots from home. Democratic absentee/affidavit ballots will be opened today, July 1 following confirmation from the NYS Board of Elections that no voters transferred their voter registrations to another county. Once totaled, the votes will be certified and sent to the state to add to Statewide and Congressional district totals.

A total of 341 Busti Town Republican absentees were mailed out and 268 have been returned, with an additional two affidavit ballots. Election Day returns found 278 voters had ballots scanned at the polls. A percentage total of 25% of Republicans voted and of that total 49% of Busti Republicans cast ballots from home. Republican absentee/affidavit ballots will be opened at 9 a.m. Thursday and a winner of the Busti Republican Town Council Primary will be determined that day.

There were 19 Libertarian State Committee absentee ballots that were mailed out for a western New York 8th Judicial District run off to determine area leadership for the party. A total of eight ballots have been returned, with an additional two affidavit ballots. Libertarian absentee/affidavit ballots will be opened at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

By order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, every eligible county voter was mailed an absentee ballot application due to the COVID19 pandemic. Affidavit ballots are provided to voters who have moved into the jurisdiction, or if the voters poll record is missing. These ballots are researched to determine if the voter is eligible to vote and has not cast a ballot elsewhere. The affidavit and absentee totals are added to the election night totals.

We will be counting about 5,300 absentee and affidavit ballots using our high speed absentee ballot counter this week for the primary, said Abram. Our paperwork will be completed for this election on Thursday.

We received plenty of absentee counting practice earlier this month when we counted over 15,000 school election ballots for eleven county school districts. The remaining seven school districts hand counted, added Green.

Final totals will be available at the votechautauqua.com immediately following the tabulations.

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Board of Elections to certify Primary Election results Thursday | News, Sports, Jobs - Evening Observer

As a registered voter (Republican for 35 years and current Libertarian) and political observer for more than 40 years, there has been one political constant. Liberals (progressives, if you prefer) are never, ever satisfied with a political victory.

They never enjoy a political victory. Instead, they immediately seek out another cause du jour. It's always "one more" with the liberals. Oh, and there's this. Liberals are always upset that somewhere in these great United States of America, someone is enjoying life. That is simply unacceptable for the progressive mindset. Rally the troops for another protest and vandalism orgy.

This week, a suburban Cincinnati school district caved to the whining minority of spoiled children and voted to change the Anderson High School mascot, the "Redskins," during a special meeting on July 2.

According to a report in The Cincinnati Enquirer, board member Patty Taylor had the common sense that God gave a goose and voted against the motion.

Taylor said she would like to postpone the vote, stating she was against the "method" of changing the mascot without public discussion outside of emails.

"If I disagree, I'm not a racist, and I refuse to accept that," Taylor said. "Everyone has a right not to be offended. But if I do not agree with your narrative, then I'm the problem?"

No, Taylor is not the problem. The problem is the new national narrative of making everything and anything protest material by the largely uninformed and willfully uneducated.

Once Anderson High School and other schools acquiesce to the mini-mobsters on one issue, they must be prepared to acquiesce on more issues.

If the mini-mobsters find "Redskins" offensive, they also must find "Indians" offensive. "Cowboys" must be offensive, too. In Ross County, a school nickname is (or was) the Sherman Tanks, referencing William Tecumseh Sherman. Uh-oh.

Then, there are those insensitive Highland County public school animal nicknames like Lions, Tigers, Wildcats and Mustangs.

What if some precious child does not want to identify with a lion, a tiger, a wildcat or a mustang? What then? How about naming all schools donkeys? The left seems to embrace that braying beast of burden known also by a three-letter moniker.

Then, of course, we have those insensitive color nicknames.

The Cincinnati Reds (commies?) comes to mind. The St. Louis Blues (cool musicians?) also comes to mind. What about the Red Sox and White Sox in Major League Baseball? Aren't these potentially racist, pitting white against red? If people are offended by Redskins, wouldn't they be similarly offended by Red Sox?

Giving in to the mini-mobsters has to stop. Soon.

Today I was asked by a public official how long it would be until the Highland County Courthouse statue along High Street was vandalized. I did not have an adequate answer. But I do know this: There were acts of local vandalism during previously scheduled protests in Hillsboro.

When public officials insist that everything is peaceful, that's not always the case. If we, as law-abiding citizens, decide that local law enforcement is no longer necessary, we must live with the consequences. We need to let local law enforcement know they are appreciated. Think, for just a moment, where you might be without them.

And if we allow a rewriting of American history, we'll have to live with that as well.

As we celebrate Independence Day, please remember that those brave and noble 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence gave us a great republic if we can keep it.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.

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The new national narrative of making everything and anything protest material - The Highland County Press