News
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
There are many progressive and so-called “moderate” politicians like Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that always claim that they are “pro-choice.’ However, when you look at their records and what they support, you will see that they are only “pro-choice” when it comes to the issue of abortion and nothing more. They are not “pro-choice” when it involves the right of an individual to own and purchase a firearm; they are not “pro-choice” when it comes to the right of parents to decide whether to send their children to private or parochial schools; they are not “pro-choice” when it comes to the right of an individual to smoke in public or private places; and they are not “pro-choice” when it comes to the right of individual to not join a Labor Union or opt out of government programs like Social Security.
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- Written by: David Schneck
- Category: Latest News
Trenton should stop mandates to towns, eliminate income tax
In order to find real solutions to the problem with New Jersey's highest-in-the-nation property taxes, it is critical that we accept the truth as to what is actually causing the problem. The proposal to use state power to pressure small (and not so small) towns to consolidate offered by Senate President Stephen Sweeney and detailed in last Sunday's opinion piece by Andrew Bruck completely ignores the factors that have caused my property taxes to nearly double in the last decade.
My town of Belmar was here 10 years ago. It is not as if we used to be part of a larger town and seceded. In 2001, it was a small town with reasonable taxes. All the services we enjoy today were provided then. There is no major change in the way the town has been run. In fact, we had the same mayor from 1990 until his retirement this year. So what has changed?
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
The Party elects new officers, nominates candidates for office, plots forward path, and listens to interesting speakers
| Contact: Jay Edgar Office: 732-962-NJLP Cell: 848-525-0578 |
For Immediate Release |
Tennent, NJ, March 15, 2011: Last weekend the NJ Libertarian Party held their 40th annual State Convention at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ. The convention consisted of a morning business meeting, a noon luncheon, and an afternoon filled with speakers on a variety of topics.
Election of new Officers
An early order of business was to elect new officers.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
The USA Supreme Court defended freedom of speech this year when it ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church on First Amendment grounds. The effects are rippling across the Atlantic. Today, JP Floru, a UK commentator at the Adam Smith Institute, used the Westboro Baptist Church case as an example of how a free society can safely tolerate extreme views. The example bolstered his argument against UK plans to have professors report students for their views. Inverventionists want to use America's military might to spread freedom across the globe, but this approach rarely works. The best way to spread freedom is to be a shining beacon on the hill. If we just make America as free as possible, people in other nations will learn from our good example.
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
When people talk about blindness, it is usually meant with regards to an individual losing one’s own eyesight; however, truthfully, there are other ways that an individual could become blinded. A man or woman could be blinded due to one’s own ego and pride. A man or woman could be blinded by living in denial and being oblivious to it all. A man or woman could be blinded by a cause or an endeavor. Finally, there are the men and women that become blind due to ideology.
To me, this can be all too dangerous.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
In reaction to Judge Belvin Perry's illegal order, NJLP member Julian Heicklen has traveled to Florida to perform Fully Informed Jury pampleting and juror education. Judge Perry's order bars anyone from pampleting or demonstrating outside the Orange and Osceola County Courthouse.
Despite the order, Julian was unmolested.
Julian is a true freedom fighter. He has been arrested multiple times demonstrating against injustice. We are proud to have him as a member.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
Sunlight needed urgently in N.J
Whenever anyone utters the acronym OPRA, John Paff's ears ring.
For 23 years, the man behind the state Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project has waged legal battles against many New Jersey government entities. He expands OPRA via case law, increases records access under Common Law, pushes to eliminate the enforcement of local government ordinances in conflict with state laws and ensures officials properly publish or disclose records.
Read the full story on Courier Post Online.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
On Tuesday I attended a presentation by Americans for Prosperity at the West Bergen Tea Party meeting. The speaker discussed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) which New Jersey joined in 2007. This program is a cap and trade system for limiting carbon dioxide emissions. It requires owners of coal, oil, and natural gas power plants to buy emission permits for every ton of carbon dioxide that they release into the air. The State of New Jersey collected $65 million through RGGI in 2009. Rather than use these funds on carbon sequestering programs, Governor Christie put them into the general state coffers. RGGI raises energy prices to fund our government's fiscal irresponsibility. It is time for New Jersey to withdraw from RGGI.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
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Atlas Shrugged Coproducer, Harman Karslow with NJLP Chair Jay Edgar and his daughter at the NYC Premiere |
This past week I got a phone call from screenplay writer, Brian O'Toole, inviting me to the New York City Premiere of Atlas Shrugged, Part 1. On Thursday, my daughter and I traveled into the city to view the movie.
Originally published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged is about the struggle of the productive class against a society that uses politics to limit the success of the productive for the benefit of those who are less capable. Communist laws such as the "Equalization of Opportunity Bill" force capable businessmen, engineers, scientists, and industrialists to withdraw from the system. The parasitic classes no longer have productive elements on which to feed. The "strike" forces society to fall apart.
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
Whenever there is an argument about cutting spending and cutting the deficit, often times there will be those voices that will claim that the supporters are hurting a segment of the population, hurting children, hurting workers, etc, or engage in the fine art of denial. Recently, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) claimed that by cutting spending for things like public television, supporters wanted to hurt Elmo and Big Bird. In Wisconsin, there are protesters that are saying that by cutting spending deeply, it is tantamount to Nazism. Some people, like propagandist filmmaker Michael Moore, are even claiming that there is no budget crisis and that states and the federal government have tons of money available. All in all, when you hear the opponents of debt reduction and spending restraints talk, it is not only comical but tragic as well. It is as if they are alcoholics and drug addicts who do not want to admit that they have a problem.
States like New Jersey, Wisconsin, Florida, New York and others are facing big budget and state deficits; the federal government’s national debt is at $14 trillion and counting. Painful choices will have to be made and the days where we lived in blindness are very much over. This nation has to face reality, and while reality is not pretty, it is better than living in denial.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
Yesterday, Judge Andrew Napolitano discussed Julian Heicklen's FIJA demonstrations, arrests, and harassment on yesterday's Freedom Watch Show. See the Freedom Watch website for watch the Judge's comments. The good Judge also includes comments on the First Amendment issues like campaign speech laws and the suit against the Westboro Baptist church of racism as it pertains to freedom of speech.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
The Institute for Humane Studies produced a two-minute video featuring Harvard Professor Jeffrey A. Miron.
The video, "What it means to be a libertarian" does an excellent job explaining the difference between libertarians, conservatives, and liberals.
Jeffrey A. Miron is senior lecturer and director of undergraduate studies in economics at Harvard University. He blogs at http://jeffreymiron.com and is the author of Libertarianism, From A to Z.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
Donald Trump was recently interviewed by Rush Limbaugh. During the interview Trump demanded isolationist foreign economic policies like huge tariffs. Professor Donald Boudreaux responded via an open letter on Cafe Hayek:
Mr. Rush Limbaugh
EIB Network
New York, NYDear Mr. Limbaugh:
During your radio interview yesterday of Donald Trump, you missed several opportunities to ask probing questions – questions that would have exposed the sheer ignorance that underlies The Donald’s economic pronouncements. For example:
- “Donald, you say that America ‘doesn’t make things any more.’ Are you unaware that, in 2009 (the latest year for which we have data), the value of U.S. manufacturing output was nearly 30 percent higher than that of China, the world’s second-ranking country in terms of manufactured output?”
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
For over 40 years, every presidential administration has promised that by a certain date, the U.S. would be energy sufficient and would very much lower its dependence upon foreign oil. The administrations of Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43 and now Barack Obama have all stated by a certain date and time in the future, the U.S. would be independent when it came to energy. All these statements and all these promises have turned out to be untrue.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
The Galloway Township online newspaper ran an article today mentioning the Open Government Advocacy Project and the role of the project in uncovering why the Township Manager was dismissed.
See Numerous Problems Led to Former Township Manager's Dismissal.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
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New Jersey resident Chris Busche is being drugged against his will at the Essex County Hospital Center. This forced drugging is in violation of the advanced medical directive that Mr. Busche created before going to the hospital. Mr. Busche designated Al Galves to be his advocate, but his doctor and social worker refuse to communicate with Mr. Galves. Public pressure on behalf of Mr. Busche would be greatly appreciated. Please contact the Essex County Administrator, Mary Wilson Harley, to complain about the way the hospital is mistreating Mr. Busche. Contact information is on the Mind Freedom website.
Update, March 23, 2011: I just spoke with Al Galves. The hospital is cooperating with him now. Thank you to all who advocated for Chris Busche.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
I recently requested the minutes of the Galloway Township (Atlantic County) Council's December 14, 2010 and January 25, 2011 closed session in order to better understand the reasons why Galloway Mayor Keith Hartman and Council members removed Manager Roger B. Tees from his position in late January 2011.
The minutes, although still heavily redacted, do provide some details on the Council's reasons for removing Tees. They are on-line here.
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
There are many individuals that have this belief that politicians are a “smart lot.” That they know the law and what is just and unjust according to it. Over a period of five months now, I have heard, read and watched interviews and speeches that have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that when it comes to law, particularly U.S. Constitutional Law, politicians are ignorant. It does not matter if these politicians reside in local or state government, nor does it matter if they are at the federal level. The fact that these people have this belief that there are no limits to their power and that they can do anything to force their will upon people and individuals is not only frightening but also disgusting.
- There are politicians that believe that they have a right to restrict political speech using campaign finance laws and other legislation and force.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
Democratic politician Rev Al Sharpton joined left-wing groups in opposing a billboard in New York City. The group that sponsored the billboard took it down in response to their pressure. Sharpton said, "We have a right to our personal views, but we don't have the right to offend people." Sharpton's comment shows his contempt for freedom of the press. The very purpose of freedom of the press and freedom of speech is to allow offensive content. Content that does not offend anyone does not need legal protections. Offended people have every right to protest content that they don't like, but when a politician declares that we have no right to offend, it has a chilling effect on our civil liberties.