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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

Continued here:
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

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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.

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

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.

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

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)