LP Illinois News - January 2008 #2
Stafford Launches U.S. Senate Bid
At the January LP Illinois State Organizing Committee meeting, Larry Stafford was unanimously selected to run as the Libertarian Party of Illinois candidate for United States Senator in the November 2008 election.
Larry's campaign will bring attention to how individual innovation can bring real solutions to America's challenges. "I look forward to working with people across Illinois to strengthen Libertarian influence on public policy", he said. Specifically, Larry will call for:
- Downsizing the war and refocusing on preventing terrorism
- Reducing out-of-control government spending and taxation
- Innovation and personal choice in education, healthcare, and retirement planning
Larry has been a member of the Rockford Area Libertarians since 1999. He is 41 and currently a truck driver with Reynolds Cartage. He has been married for 7 years to his wife, Patty, and has 3 daughters and 3 step-daughters.
The more assistance the Stafford for Senate campaign receives, the more powerful it will be. If you would like to volunteer to help, email him at info@stafford4senate.com.
Vote Libertarian Illinois '08: Update
If you would like to vote for Larry Stafford in November, now is the time to pledge your support to the VLI petition drive. Election law requires LP Illinois to deliver approximately 45,000 petition signatures collected between 3/25 and 6/23 to get our Senate and Presidential candidates on the ballot.
It is a huge challenge. Right now, the committee is seeking pledges from people who are willing to either collect signatures themselves or donate funds so that signatures can be collected for them. We also need volunteers to join the committee and help manage the fundraising and petitioning efforts.
If Illinois wants to be a political party that matters, the first step is to get candidates on the ballot. To do that we will need the support of every person on this list and lots more.
Please contact our office at 800-735-1776 or VLI@LPIllinois.org to pledge your support.
Wanted Congressional Candidates
If you are going to collect petition signatures to get our President and Senate candidates on the ballot, consider running for your Congressional district and collecting signatures for yourself at the same time. There is a new page on our website, http://www.lpillinois.org/campaigns/reasons2run.php, listing the many benefits of running, both to candidates personally and for advancing the libertarian cause. Give thanks to Sean Haugh, LP Political Director, for putting together this list.
If you would like to explore the possibility of running for any political office, contact our LP Illinois Campaigns Chair, Dave Kelly, at campaigns@LPIllinois.org.
LP National 2008 Convention
The 2008 Libertarian Party National Convention is sure to be exciting, with nomination of our President and Vice President Candidates as well as selection of the national platform. Illinois has been allocated 50 delegates and we can maximize our influence by filling them all. If you are interested in serving as a delegate Memorial Day weekend in Denver, contact our State Chair, Val Vetter, at Chair@LPIllinois.org
LP Illinois 2008 Convention
The LP Illinois Convention is scheduled to be held in the Chicagoland area in the October timeframe, but the time to start planning is now. Call our office at 800-735-1776 and volunteer to be part of the 2008 Illinois convention committee; a Convention Chair and additional planners are needed.
National Libertarian Leadership Conference
The Leadership Conference will be held President's Day Weekend, February 15 - 18, 2008 in Las Vegas. This year's conference is going to be bigger than ever and will include seminars as well as presidential candidates and activists.
For more information go to www.lpnevada.org/stateparty/lsla.php.
Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day 2008
The Illinois General Assembly is back in session and all the anti-gun-owner bills of 2007 are back in play. The Illinois State Police are setting their own rules on FOID card requirements, bringing a completely new meaning to the words "subject to police power" in the Illinois State Constitution. Cook County is trying to expand Chicago-style gun control to the whole county and trying to shut down all firearm retailers and gun shows in Cook County.
March 11 is the day to show up at the Illinois State Capitol and let our state officials hear the voices of Illinois gun owners. Let them know that we have had enough infringements on our rights - we will budge no further. In fact, not only do we stand our ground, we want ground back that has been lost. Forty-eight states are not wrong, and we want our right to carry.
For more information go to www.IGOLD.isra.org.
Get Real with the Real ID Act
The Real ID Act imposes costly federal mandates for procedures used by states in issuing driver's licenses. Despite the mandates, Congress provides no funding for implementation, leaving states fully responsible for the expenses.
So far, 17 states have passed laws or resolutions rejecting the Real ID, including Illinois. Twenty-one other states have either introduced legislation or had legislation pass in one chamber opposing Real ID.
The Libertarian Party believes the Real ID Act is unconstitutional because it violates the Tenth Amendment, which delegates powers such as driver licensing to the states. The LP also feels the Real ID act is an intrusion of a citizen's right to privacy from the government and does little to prevent terrorism or illegal immigration.
For more information visit www.lp.org under "No license to license"