The Crushing Impact of Near‑Zero Interest Rates on the Working Class and the Market – A Libertarian Perspective
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- Written by: Bruno Pereira
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
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Bruno Pereira is the Chair of the New Jersey Libertarian Party. |
Over the past decade, near-zero interest rate policies have wreaked havoc on safe savings and forced millions of Americans into high-risk investments. Rather than allowing market forces to determine fair returns for savers and retirees, government intervention has suppressed natural yields, misallocated capital, and enriched a select few at the expense of the working class. As a libertarian, I firmly believe that this distortion of the free market is not only unjust—it is morally corrupt and fundamentally unethical, undermining individual liberty and long-term economic prosperity.
Birthright Citizenship is a Right
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- Written by: William F Sihr
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the “Declaration of Independence” wrote that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This core philosophy, that would be used as both a rallying cry for our struggle against the British monarchy, as well as the inspiration for our Constitution literally says that “all men are created equal.” This beautiful and inspiring statement is not what the Founding Fathers meant. Women were not universally granted voting rights in the United States until 1920, and people of color, whether or not legally freed from their servitude, were not seen as equals. Even ‘whiteness’ is an oversimplification, as the Founders did not see all Europeans as equally ‘white’. A harsh truth that immigrants from Eastern Europe, Italy and Ireland had to contend with when they came to our shores.
Trump is the FDR of Libertarianism, and that is a Problem
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- Written by: William F Sihr
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a name that lives in infamy within libertarian circles. With a Presidency spanning 3 terms, a World War and the record for the greatest number of Executive Orders ever issued, there is perhaps no other President that embodies such an antithesis to what we hold dear. Some go so far as to call him the President who brought us socialism, and you wouldn’t necessarily be mistaken. With his New Deal FDR instituted many socialist policies and greatly expanded the role of the State. However, if you ask a socialist about FDR, especially those around in the 30s and 40s they often spoke very ill of him. They argued that he cherry-picked the key positives in their plan in order to bolster his own new-liberal agenda (and yes, there is a difference between neo-liberal and socialism) without making the necessary systemic changes to actually “better” America. Or, in other words, he implemented surface level policies just enough to empower himself and his fellows, without actually changing how things really worked in America. From Social Security, the WPA and ending the Gold Standard FDR was able to secure the loyalty of disenfranchised Americans who were desperate for change and the wealthy financial elites who were looking for protection, all the while pulling the rug out from under American socialist efforts. Even today, our nation’s ideology and institutions seem almost stitched together with FRD’s New Deal, despite them being at odds and causing many issues, be they budgetary, ideologically or legally. Yet they remain in effect because they were reimagined as the “American Ideal”. En masse, most Americans experience no cognitive dissonance when they say “socialism is bad” while standing in line for a check from Uncle Sam.
A Classical Liberal Vision for Libertarians
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- Written by: Steve Friedlander
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
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Steve has been a libertarian Party member since the founding. He resides in Mercer County. |
The Libertarian Party needs to broaden its appeal in order to attract a wider spectrum of voters. It can do this by embracing classical liberal principles that are an integral part of America’s tradition. Its messaging should convey the idea that voting Libertarian is a vote for these time-honored principles. Even though most people may not be familiar with the term, classical liberal principles are quintessentially American and should appeal to a broad segment of the population.
- Classical liberalism is a tradition that grew out of the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries and was articulated by thinkers like John Locke and Adam Smith among others. Their ideas of individual freedom, limited government, free trade, and democracy were embraced by America’s founding fathers and embodied in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Modern day libertarians should be “squarely in the great classical liberal tradition that built the United States and bestowed on us the American heritage of individual liberty, a peaceful foreign policy, minimal government, and a free-market economy.”[1]
Former Rutgers Police Sergeant Settles Whistleblower-Retaliation Lawsuit for $1.2 Million
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On January 7, 2025, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, agreed to a $1,209,760.08 settlement to resolve a 2019 lawsuit filed by a former university police sergeant who alleged that he was wrongfully terminated for exposing widespread misconduct within the Rutgers-Newark police department. The alleged misconduct included drinking on duty and covering up a drunk driving accident caused by an officer.
In his lawsuit, former Sergeant Michael Jason Farella, who had served with the Rutgers Police Department since 2001, claimed that in August 2017, he anonymously reported various instances of misconduct to university officials, including then-Police Chief Kenneth Cop and Deputy Chief Michael Rein. His allegations included supervisors sleeping on duty, receiving pay despite not showing up for work, officers conducting personal business while on the clock, drinking beer while on duty, overtime fraud, and the mishandling of disciplinary files. Additionally, he reported an incident involving an officer who, while driving intoxicated for the second time, crashed into a parked car and injured a female passenger—an event he claimed was subsequently covered up by the department.
The New Jersey Libertarian Party endorses Spike Cohen for Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
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- Written by: Paul Baratelli
- Category: Press Releases
The New Jersey Libertarian Party (NJLP) is proud to endorse Jeremy "Spike" Cohen for the position of Secretary of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) in the next presidential administration. Here's why Spike Cohen stands out as a prime candidate for this role for the libertarian party:
Proven Track Record: Spike Cohen's background as a Libertarian activist, having run as the Libertarian Party's Vice Presidential candidate in 2020, demonstrates his commitment to reducing government overreach. His experience in advocating for individual liberty and economic freedom aligns perfectly with the principles needed to reform housing policy.
Philosophical Alignment: Cohen's libertarian principles support the idea of housing as a market-driven necessity rather than a government-regulated entitlement. His advocacy for minimal government intervention in personal and business decisions would encourage policies that support private sector solutions, innovation in housing, and reducing regulatory burdens on developers and homeowners.
New Jersey Libertarian Party Endorses Thomas Massie for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
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- Written by: Paul Baratelli
- Category: Press Releases
Trenton, New Jersey – November 14, 2024 – The New Jersey Libertarian Party today announced its endorsement of U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) for the position of Secretary of Agriculture in the incoming presidential administration.
Statement from the NJLP Chair Paul Baratelli:
Cato 2024 Report on Fiscal Policy of Governors
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Cato has released their 2024 Fiscal Policy Report on America's Governors. Our Governor, Phil Murphy, has been given a grade of D or 42 points. This is an improvement from the 2022 Report (F/29) and the 2020 Report (F/32).
Below is their report on New Jersey taken from the report (Creative Commons license). Read the full report here.
Phil Murphy, Democrat
Legislature: Democratic
Grade: D
Phil Murphy worked at Goldman Sachs for two decades. He also served as finance chair of the Democratic National Committee and as US ambassador to Germany. Unlike his predecessor in the governor’s office, Chris Christie, who rejected tax hikes, Murphy supports them and receives a low score on this report.
Mad in New Jersey
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: NJ Libertarian Blog
July is mad pride month. This has personal meaning to me, because I am a mad person, a person who has been through the mental health system. Mad people in New Jersey face systematic discrimination from the state that can deprive them of their freedom without due process. They can be incarcerated and forcibly injected with drugs without ever being charged with a crime. In my experience, psychiatric wards are more comfortable than prisons and have better food, but they still have locked doors that prevent psychiatric patients from seeing loved ones or going about their daily lives. The drugs given to mad people involuntarily also have unpleasant side effects. Some of them can be quite dangerous. We should fight for the rights of mad people to live free of this coercive psychiatric system.
Park Ridge Repeals Sections of its "Peace and Good Order" Ordinance
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project
On March 26, 2024, due to outreach from Jim Tosone of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Preempted Repeal Project, the Borough of Park Ridge in Bergen County repealed fifteen sections of its Peace and Good Order code.
Oceanport Repeals its "Disorderly Conduct" Ordinance
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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.
The Libertarian Non-Aggression Principle: A Moral Guide to Conduct and Behavior
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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.
The Federal Reserve System of Central Banking in the USA is Unconstitutional
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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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