News
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project
On February 15, 2024, following outreach from Kim Skorka of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Preempted Repeal Project, the Borough of Oceanport in Monmouth County took action to abolish Article 1 of its Peace and Good Order code, which aimed to govern "Disorderly Conduct."
Oceanport's ordinance, like many others of its kind, was outdated and broadly defined. For instance, it included provisions that banned disorderly behavior in public places or even within private residences if it caused annoyance to others. Another part of the repealed ordinance prohibited allowing any premises to be occupied by individuals engaging in noisy, disruptive, or disorderly activities, or by those identified as prostitutes, gamblers, or vagrants.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Candidates and Elections
PETITION BASICS
Download, print and circulate a petition. Any New Jersey resident can circulate a petition for any candidate, but only people who live in the district can sign for that office.
We have a Guide To Petitioning posted on the NJLP website. I find the most useful approach to use is to state "Excuse me I'm trying to get a friend of mine on the ballot. Are you a registered voter?"
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- Written by: Paul Baratelli
- Category: Chair's Report
The Libertarian Non-Aggression Principle is a key tenet of the libertarian philosophy, emphasizing the importance of individual freedom and the right to self-ownership. This principle serves as a moral guide for libertarians, shaping their conduct and behavior in both personal and political spheres. In this essay, we will explore the Libertarian Non-Aggression Principle, its moral foundation, and its implications for the conduct and behavior of libertarians.
At its core, the Libertarian Non-Aggression Principle is based on the belief that individuals have the right to live their lives as they see fit, as long as they do not harm others. This principle is grounded in the moral philosophy of libertarianism, which emphasizes the importance of individual freedom, self-ownership, and voluntary association. By adhering to this principle, libertarians seek to minimize the use of force and coercion in society, promoting a culture of peace and cooperation.
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- Written by: Christopher G. Russomanno
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
At the time of the founding of the United States of America, and at various times thereafter, there was much heated debate over whether the new nation should have a central or national bank. The founders had seen what havoc was wrought by the Bank of England, a central bank, and the detrimental effects it had on that nation and its empire by a devaluation of its currency which enabled the never-ending stream of wars in which it was involved. The founders also had a vivid memory of what happened when the government run colonial bank created rampant inflation by printing an infinite amount of paper money. Inflation is a hidden tax which robs people of the value of their money by devaluing the currency. This is used to pay for the government’s debts. Accordingly, there is no provision in the constitution for the creation of a central/national bank. Therefore, the Federal Reserve (the Fed) system of banking in the United States of America is unconstitutional because of its ability to print unlimited amounts of fiat currency, or paper money, thereby robbing people of the value of their dollar.
In determining the constitutionality of a central bank, with the ability to create unlimited amounts of paper currency, we can look to the constitution, our founding document, itself: “Article I Section 8 says that, The Congress shall have the power ... To coin money, regulate the value thereof ... and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures…To borrow Money on the credit of the United States.”1 In Pieces of Eight, Edwin Vieira explains in detail why the founders used such explicit language when writing this part of the constitution:
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- Written by: Paul Baratelli
- Category: Chair's Report
2024 NJLP Convention Business Meeting
March 3rd, 2024
Proposed Agenda
08:00 Conference Begins, Credentials, Setup
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- Written by: Mark Kapengut
- Category: Latest News
Call for Candidates 2024. Let me preface with a call for candidates for 2024. Guys, we need 12 (or more – read on) congressional candidates in 2024 to cover the state. And one for the US Senate. If you’ve never run for office, raise your hand and give it a try. Being a paper candidate doesn’t take much beyond the paperwork and collecting signatures. It would be much better to have candidates stepping up from among ourselves, that through external recruitment. If there is even 10% chance that you may think about doing it, please reach out directly, or come to the General Meeting, and let’s talk.
And if you already have campaign experience as a candidates, why not give it a try and run for US Senate. Let’s have competitive internal primaries, with runners-up going after Congress. You may have heard that Menendez received some gifts (any fans of gold bullion around here!?). By doing so, he also gave a gift – to us, and to NJ voters. This is the best environment to run for US Senate in NJ as a Libertarian in a generation.
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- Written by: Mark Kapengut
- Category: Latest News
Proposal 6. Define Active level of campaigning.
Amend BusRule 2. Purpose.
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[Insert “Active”, and increase count, so it reads:] “The NJLP welcomes candidates of all 3 4 levels of commitment – Trademark, Active, Impact, and Challenge – defined as follows:”
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- Written by: James Ripley
- Category: Chair's Report
To Our NJ Community and Concerned Citizens,
The New Jersey Libertarian Party supports freedom and anonymity of political speech and spending, and opposes efforts to restrict it. Let the public evaluate the credibility of anonymous statements.
NJLP has full confidence that Shawn Peck was and still remains the best candidate to represent LD2 in the NJ Senate. We urge all libertarian, conservative, liberal and independent minded voters in LD2 to disregard this minor controversy and cast a vote for Shawn when you come to the ballot box.
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- Written by: Ms. Arielle Shack
- Category: Press Releases
FLORHAM PARK, NJ – June 15, 2023 – The New Jersey Libertarian Party (NJLP) today announces that after persistent advocacy, the Florham Park Town Council will finally repeal a long-standing code, deemed unlawful since 1978.
NJLP’s advocacy has led Florham Park to recognize the inherent issues with the code. The Town Council's decision to repeal aligns the town with New Jersey state law, mitigating potential legal ramifications and fostering a more inclusive social environment.
"The New Jersey Legislature decided not to include such crimes in New Jersey's Criminal Code due to the potential misuse, and every New Jersey town should adhere to this decision. We sincerely appreciate Florham Park Town Council's decision to delete these outdated and unfair codes," said John Paff, Chair of the NJLP Preempted Ordinance Project. "The NJLP is determined to continue our mission town by town across New Jersey, challenging and working to repeal any antiquated or illegal codes regulating street behavior. Our ultimate goal is to ensure our laws are fair, just, and upholding the rights of the people and the fundamental values of individual liberty as set forth in our constitution."
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project
In response to a request from the NJLP's Prempted Ordinance Project, the Borough of Florham Park has announced its intention on the repeal of its Loitering Code. The invalid nature of their ordinance was pointed out to them way back in 2010.
Attached are the following documents:
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Candidates and Elections
In the November 2023 election the NJ Libertarian Party is supporting the following candidates.
- NJ State Senate District 2 - Shawn Peck
- NJ Assembly District 13 - John Morrison
- NJ State Senate District 16 - Richard J. Byrne
- NJ Assembly District 19 - David Diez
- Branchburg Town Council - Tara Murphy
- Allendale Town Council - Zachary Finkelstein
- Mercer County Sheriff - Drew Cifrodelli
- Stanhope School Board - Lana Leguia
Please provide whatever support you can to our candidates! State candidates can be supported via our State Fund.
If you are interested in running under our banner next year contact the state board and fill out a questionnaire.
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- Written by: Christopher G. Russomanno
- Category: Latest News
I think it was way back between 2007 to 2012 when I became a libertarian. I’ll use the small “l” for now. Because I had not as yet joined the party but my thoughts and outlook were becoming libertarian.
My father was, and is, a die-hard conservative Republican. So, not knowing any better, I was as well. I think one could have considered me a “Neo-conservative” or a “Neo-Con.” I believed in “America” and everything I thought it stood for.
In the public school I went to (I like to think of them as government-run indoctrination centers) I had been taught about the Founding Fathers and the Revolutionary War and all the noble ideas that came with it. Most of the Presidents were lionized especially the ones that got us into wars. I was taught that World War Two was “the good war” and that we definitely, definitely, should have fought that one, for the good of everyone.
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- Written by: Christopher G. Russomanno
- Category: Latest News
I love craft breweries because they are small businesses that are the backbone of our economy, they invest in the local community making it more prosperous and, most importantly —they make delicious beer.
Craft breweries are small businesses that are the backbone of the economy and they create more jobs than huge corporations ever will. The owners are plucky entrepreneurs who have a strong strain of self-reliance and a can-do attitude that is sorely needed in New Jersey. These small businesses are an economic benefit because they increase tourism and increase revenue for the state. However, regulations in New Jersey are making it difficult for craft breweries to operate and thrive because legislators are doing the bidding of big business. Big business is afraid that craft breweries will cut into their profit by drawing consumers away. These big businesses can afford to give large donations to political campaigns as well as send lobbyists to Trenton to influence politicians who then enact laws and regulations that favor those who donate over others. I have always been confused by this. New Jersey is a “blue state” with the Democrats, for the most part, having sway over politics. Supposedly the Dems are on the side of the little guy and the common man, but they then enact legislation to hurt small business owners. The notion that any of our politicians care about the little guy is just a tired old trope that they pull out to pander to their base when they need votes.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Police Accountability Project
On March 3rd Najee Seabrooks was shot and killed by police responding to a 911 call from Seabrooks family. Numerous organizations are calling for federal investigation into the shooting.
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- Written by: Mr. Christopher Fox
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
This past Sunday, February 19th of 2023, I took my son to the Rage Against the War Machine Rally. This is a follow up to a previous essay explaining why I was psyched about the idea that people from different political philosophies can coalesce to fight for one cause and the opportunity to hear many speakers I admire present their cases for peace. I was not disappointed.
But I did not go there for entertainment. I did not bring my son to Washington DC to see the sights or gain a better sense of the greatness of America. No. To the contrary, we came to Washington DC to protest.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
Irvington made national headlines last year when it filed a lawsuit against an 82-year-old woman for filing too many public records requests. Now it says a lawyer for FIRE should be prosecuted.
Irvington, New Jersey, just can't help itself. First, it tried to sue an elderly woman for filing too many public records requests, and now it's suggesting that a lawyer for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) be criminally prosecuted for doing the same.
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- Written by: Tara Murphy
- Category: Candidates and Elections
More than a quarter of Branchburg voters said YES to term limits, putting residents first and said no to a tax increase in Tuesday’s election. A vote for Tara Murphy and Jason MacDuffie was a declaration of independence from the GOP monopoly. These votes came from a broad coalition of third party voters, Democrats, unaffiliated and even a few Republicans. This bipartisan support in our historic run came from talking to people about the issues they care about. We’ve demonstrated the viability of Libertarian candidates.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project
Update September 26, 2022 - the Runnemede Borough attorney has agreed that their Disorderly Persons Ordinance should be repealed. Below is the initial letter and the borough attorney's response. For more information on this subject see Loitering Ordinances - Invalid in New Jersey.
From: John Paff
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2022 4:30 PM
Subject: Runnemede Police Department's enforcement of a preempted ordinance.
Dear Mayor Kappatos and Members of the Borough Council:
I write, both individually and in my capacity as Chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party’s Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project to request the Mayor and Council ask Borough Solicitor Daniel H. Long to review Borough Code § 265-5 and render an opinion on whether or not it is preempted by the New Jersey Criminal Code.