LP Illinois News - April 2008 #2
Petition Drive Status: The First 30 Days
Libertarians around the state have been collecting signatures to support the petition drive. The goal of the drive is to collect the 42,000 signatures required to get our candidates for President, Vice President, and Senate on the ballot of Illinois voters. The petitioning period is only 90 days long and we passed the 30-day mark last week.
To date, we have reports of 13,337 signatures collected. While there may be more out there that have not been reported yet, we are behind schedule, particularly in volunteer signature collection. It's vital for us to have signatures turned in throughout the drive so we can judge our progress and have the right number of contractors working to fill the gap to the total.
If you've got a couple of petitions filled, please give them to your local Petition Coordinator or mail them to our Petition Manager, Chris Bennett, so they can be counted. Get the list of Coordinators and Chris' address on our website, LPIllinois.org, on the Petition Drive page.
Petitioning Tips
1) Do like the song says and go "downtown." Any busy street with shops and restaurants is a great place to collect signatures. Also check the library, post office, and parking areas for high-traffic locations.
2) Some potential petition signers will ask you about the Libertarian Party. Prepare a brief answer, so you aren't caught off guard. Petitioning veteran Jim Waldron tells us he's had great success this year by asking people if they've heard of Ron Paul. If they like Ron Paul's positions on constitutional government, lower taxes, and more personal freedom, they'll like us.
We need every signature we can get from volunteers across Illinois. Everything you need to know about petitioning is available from our website, LPIllinois.org, on the Petition Drive page, including the petition form and the Five Steps to Petitioning Success. Print a petition and ring up some signatures for liberty.
Fundraising Status
To pay contractors to collect the remaining signatures, over 30,000 of them, requires a lot of donations. So far, we've collected $9,065 and we've got to keep it coming or the drive will stall.
If you've been thinking about donating, please don't wait any longer. An anonymous donor claimed the $1000 match pledge that was mentioned in the previous issue, but the national match of $1.50 for every $1 you donate is still available.
That $1000 donor told us, "I'm thinking of my children's inheritance and a free country is the best thing I can give them."
Do you want to contribute to building a free country? Whether your donation is $5000, $500, or $50, it will help. Send your check today to Libertarian Party of Illinois, P.O. Box 1605, Chicago, IL 60690-1605. You can also donate safely and conveniently online at our website, LPIllinois.org.
This is a presidential election year and the only time we can reach many people with a new political message--the Libertarian message. Getting our candidates on the ballot gives us instant credibility and a real choice for those who don't like what they hear from the Demoblicans.
Please take steps right now to donate either your time or your money to the petition drive. The Libertarian Party is only as strong as we make it.
George Will on the Libertarian Surge
Highly respected columnist George Will wrote a column titled A Libertarian Surge? that was published in Newsweek recently. He describes the growth in Libertarian Party membership, the Ron Paul effect, and a possible Presidential run by Bob Barr and its impact on the Presidential election. It's great to see "surge" being used in a positive way that highlights Libertarian political influence.
Calling Liberty Leaders
This year's LP Illinois convention is in danger. Although a number of people volunteered to serve on the committee, many are giving their all to the petition drive and no one has stepped forward to chair the convention, which is tentatively scheduled for October. If you have organizational skills, you can perform a great service for Illinois Libertarians by taking this leadership position. Advice and assistance is available from people on the committee as well as past convention chairs. To investigate chairing or co-chairing with no strings attached, call 800-735-1776.
Speaking of the Illinois convention, all the LP Illinois Officer positions will be up for election, starting right at the top with State Chair. Take a look at the list on our website, LPIllinois.org, on the About Us, State Officials page. The people of Illinois need leaders who contribute their talents to the Libertarian Party. Take your place among them by becoming an LP Illinois Officer.
Fox Valley Meeting April 30
Dan Druck, our candidate for the 14th Congressional District, will be speaking at the April 30th meeting of the Fox Valley Libertarian Party. Dan is running against Republican Jim Oberweis and Democrat Bob Foster. Given that Oberweis lost the special election held on March 8 to Bob Foster in a heavily Republican district, this is a prime opportunity for Libertarians.
The FVLP holds meetings the last Wednesday of each month at Barone's Pizza in Carpentersville. Barone's is located at 3 Lakewood Plaza, off of Besinger Drive and adjacent to the Meadowdale Shopping Center on Rt. 25. Meetings start at 7 p.m. with a social hour. Party business and speakers begin at 8. For more information contact Julie Fox at 847-528-1126 or jfox1214@sbcglobal.net.
Summertime Socializing
The DuPage Libertarians are hosting their annual summer outing at the Kane County Cougars baseball game on June 14th. The game starts at 6 p.m. and is followed by a terrific fireworks display. All are invited. Come by yourself or bring a friend or your family. We have 15 great box seats remaining at $25 each. General parking is free. Proceeds benefit Libertarian activities, such as local outreach at fairs and festivals. Do good and grab a fun evening by contacting Jim Waldron at (630) 717-1830 to reserve your tickets.
Libertarian Thinking in Action
Check out the video The Caring Capitalist on YouTube. It talks about the SEMCO company in Brazil and how the employees self-manage their activities and each other. It segues into using the same approach to education. It's just another example of the innovative solutions free people bring to make the world a better place.