News
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
I almost donated to the Gary Johnson campaign for president the other day. However the recent article stating that he believes the "fair tax" will reboot America made me change my mind. Instead I'm going to donate to R. Lee Wright's campaign.
No general tax is fair, nor will this scheme benefit America. Substituting one form of coercion with another is certainly not libertarian. The ideal tax would be 0%. In 2012 the U.S. took $1.4 trillion in income taxes while spending $2.5 trillion. To get rid of federal income taxes and replace them with nothing would require cutting federal spending back to $1.1 trillion. This would bring spending back to where it was in 1991. We probably would not need to cut spending this much because such a drastic cut in taxation would result in increased revenue in other taxes because of the increase in wealth, commerce, and employment our country would enjoy. Doable? Maybe. Libertarian? Yes! Realistic? Sadly, hell no.
The income tax is the biggest single intrusion suffered by the American people. It forces every worker to be a bookkeeper, to open his records to the government, to explain his expenses, to fear conviction for a harmless accounting error.
Compliance wastes billions of dollars. It penalizes savings and creates an enormous drag on the U.S. economy. It is incompatible with a free society, and we aren’t libertarians if we tolerate it.
- Harry Browne, LP 1996 and 2000 Candidate for President
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Police Accountability Project
Phillipsburg Police Detective James P. Stettner II fired his duty revolver into the grave a former teacher and lied about it. He pled guilty in January and was fined $1,250 for discharging a firearm less than 300 feet from a home.
The Police Department is refusing to release the details of the internal investigation or what the department punishment was. Mr. Stettner remains on the force.
According to the Asbury Park Press Data Universe, Mr. Stettner was paid $87,600 by the town of Phillipsburg in 2010. His brother, Robert Stettner, is also a Phillipsburg Police Officer Captain. Their father, James P. Stettner, Jr. is on the Phillipsburg Town Council and is a former Phillipsburg Chief of Police.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
NJLP Annual Convention
Tavern on the Lake
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Tentative Meeting Agenda
Doors Open at 8 AM, Coffee and light breakfast available
Call to order & quorum check 9:00 AM
Agenda review & approval 9:05 AM
Secretary's Report
- Minutes of prior meeting (Steering Committee Meeting 2/12/2012) 9:10
Treasurer's report
- 2011 and 2012 budget presentation 9:15
Election of NJLP Officers and At-Large Reps (9:30)
Ongoing Business & County Committee Reports
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
{mp3remote}http://www.newsworks.org/components/com_flexicontent/uploads/20pgcorrupt.mp3{/mp3remote}
New Jersey scored the highest in the state for the state of its laws and regulations preventing government ethics violations. Part of the high score was attributed to New Jersey's Open Public Record's Act.
My experience, however, is that many towns are still ignoring the law. The work of John Paff and our committee has forced many towns to obey the law.
New Jersey scored well because of its Open Public Records Act, but John Paff said that law doesn't go far enough. Paff, the chairman of New Jersey Libertarian Party's open government advocacy project, said he's filed hundreds of requests for information under OPRA.
Paff said there are too many exemptions. And even though a citizen can appeal when denied access to a record, he said the Government Records Council moves far too slowly.
"It's taking them like 18 months or two years to adjudicate a complaint," Paff said. "So that's an issue because by the time you get the record, even if you prevail, a lot of times whatever it is that you were trying to prove in the first place or whatever case you were trying to make has expired and no longer has any relevance."
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On December 1, 2011, I submitted an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to Florence Township (Burlington County) to gain information regarding Nicholas J. Costa, Esq.'s payment for serving as the Township's municipal prosecutor during 2010. Part of my request sought copies of "both sides of any check written to Mr. Costa for prosecutorial services performed during 2010."
In his December 15, 2011 letter, Township Administrator Richard A. Brook informed me that Mr. Costa received $22,814.04 during 2010 but opined that my request for copies of the checks was "outside the bounds of the intent of the OPRA law." According to Mr. Brook, my request "essentially equates to prying into someone's personal private accounts." Mr. Brook further observed that since backs of checks "deal with personal bank account numbers, personal signatures and possible routing numbers," my request raised "issues dealing with an employee's identity, identity theft and information that is really personal in nature." In denying my request for the check copies, Mr. Brook intoned that "even people who work in the public sector deserve a measured and reasonable degree of privacy."
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Police Accountability Project
In response to an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, I received an August 19, 2009 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Township of Hillside (Union County) and former Hillside police officer Francisco (Frank) Utset. I've placed the MOA on-line here: http://ogtf.lpcnj.org/2012/2012067P2//UtsetMemo.pdf
According to the MOA, the Township was in the process of firing Officer Utset for "engaging in conduct unbecoming a public employee" on July 21, 2008. To that end, the Township had issued a Preliminary Notice of Disciplinary Action and suspended Utset, with pay, effective July 21, 2008--the day after the alleged "unbecoming" incident.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Most of these ads have been around for a long time. Feel free to share!
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Student Rights
Three Rutgers University students were detained last week for chalking a peace sign and the words "Ron Paul" on a wall of the Rutgers New Brunswick campus. These students stated that they were members of the Rutgers Libertarians and the Rutgers Young Americans for Liberty groups.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
The NJLP website has been migrated from one server to another. If any problems are found with the site, including our donation, membership, and convention registration pages please contact the NJLP webmaster.
Try to include exactly what you were doing and any error messages you may have seen.
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- Written by: Johnny Green
- Category: Latest News
There Are Few People That Fight For Marijuana As Hard As NJWeedman
[reprinted with permission from http://www.theweedblog.com/my-marijuana-hero-njweedman/]
If you don’t know about NJWeedman, and you consume marijuana, where have you been smoking your marijuana, under a rock? Meeting NJWeedman was on my bucket list for several years now, and I’m happy to say I had that honor at the activism panel at the High Times Medical Cannabis Cup in Los Angeles. The first time I ever saw NJWeedman on video was footage of a pro-marijuana protest NJWeedman was being arrested at. As the cops put the handcuffs on NJWeedman, NJWeedman just kept taking hits from his blunt and blowing the smoke in the cops’ faces. It was one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen to this day.
NJWeedman even mailed marijuana to politicians in a form of marijuana prohibition protest! I could try to tell the story of NJWeedman myself, but I will let him do it. Here is the ‘about’ page from NJWeedman’s official website:
Robert Edward Forchion (born July 23, 1964), also known as NJWEEDMAN, is a cannabis activist and a perennial candidate for various New Jersey elected offices. Forchion identifies himself as a member of the Legalize Marijuana Party and campaigns primarily on the single issue of cannabis legalization. Forchion has done various stunts to bring attention to cannabis legalization, including smoking cannabis in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, as well as attempting to legally change his name to NJWeedman.com.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Police Accountability Project
The Police Accountability Project sent the following letter to the Phillipsburg (Warren County) Mayor and Council. My thought is that even though the Council may not really care if a drug arrestee's constitutional rights were violated by a local cop, the amount of money that the cop's mistake may have cost the taxpayers may impress them.
February 21, 2012
Hon. Harry L. Wyant, Mayor and members of the Phillipsburg Town Council
675 Corliss Avenue
Phillipsburg, NJ, 08865
Dear Mayor Wyant and Council members:
I'm not a resident, but ask that you please review today's Appellate Division decision in the case of State v. Kevin Davis. The decision is on-line here.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Professor Scott Beaulier, Adams-Bibby Chair of Free Enterprise at Troy University, will speaking at TCNJ this Friday. His topic is The Myths of Immigration, and he will be speaking from 3pm to 4:30pm in the Library Auditorium.
Professor Beaulier is the author of the recent Freeman article Tough on Immigration is Tough on Economic Growth.
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- Written by: Joe Siano
- Category: Latest News
Come to the NJ Libertarian Party Convention.
This is a great year for the cause of Liberty.
Ron Paul is reshaping political thought through his incredible Presidential run. I hope that he wins his Party's nomination. However, if he doesn't he has still made a a big contribution and the LP has a potentially great candidate in the wings with Gary Johnson.
In New Jersey, we have a very accomplished gentleman who wants to represent the NJLP as a candidate for Senate. I believe that he has the time, energy, talent, resume and resources to to make a high visibility run. He will speak and you can decide for yourselves. In addition to him we will other great speakers and we will present our other aspiring candidates.
The Board has worked to make this convention
- Convenient - It is right in the middle of Jersey, less that a mile from Turnpike Exit 8. Also, plenty of free parking nearby.
- Affordable - $35 - includes hot buffet lunch and continental breakfast. Students rate is $25
- And fun - We are on the second floor of a pub.
As I said before, more Americans are awakening to the cause of liberty than ever before. And if Ron Paul wins the Republican nomination, that would be grand. Nonetheless, the Libertarian Party still stands as the few, the proud, the true keepers of the flame.
I want to see you in Hightstown on March 24, to kick off a great year for the NJLP. Register today!
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
At 10 a.m. on Friday, February 10, 2012, Jose Delgado and I appeared before Camden County Assignment Judge F. J. Fernandez-Vina to pursue our Sen. Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act case against the Camden City Board of Education. I appeared in person and Jose, who was on vacation, appeared by way of speakerphone. Background and case documents are available here.
(Three open government activists, as well as a member of the board attended and observed. I appreciate the activists' support.)
Follow are the five issues that we presented (as set forth in the blog entry at the link above) and the result for each:
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
A recent poll shows that the 83% of Americans support Obama's drone policy, 53% of liberal Democrats and 67% of moderate or conservative Democrats now support keeping Guantanamo Bay open.
Glenn Greenwald blogs about it here. Jim Bovard blogs about at Liberals Love Obama's "Liberty Drones".
During the Bush Regime the left would have been screaming and protesting while the right would have been silent. Now the roles are reversed. What is wrong with the public? Why do they continually choose party over principle? Instead of being principled, people treat politics like a sports event while cheering on their favorite team to victory.
The good news is that voters are quickly abandoning the Republican and Democrat Parties. According to the USA Today the Democrat Party is down 800,000 voters, the Republican Party is down 350,000 voters and independent voters are up by 325,000 voters.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Candidates and Elections
In May of 2012 delegates from each of the 50 state Libertarian Parties will be convening in Las Vegas, Nevada. The delegates will be deciding on the future of the party and will be picking who our candidate for President shall be.
Candidates who have made statements that they are running to date include:
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
I don't recall ever before encountering a public agency misusing the "emergency meeting" exception to the Open Public Meetings Act. I did encounter such a violation today by the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). After determining that it didn't give 48 hours advance public notice of a rescheduled meeting, ELEC held the meeting anyway, blithely finding that to do otherwise "would result in harm to the public interest."
The text of my letter to the Commission is on-line at:
http://njopengovt.blogspot.com/2012/02/improper-meeting-notice-no-problem.html
John Paff, Chairman
New Jersey Libertarian Party's
Open Government Advocacy Project