Finally! The 82nd Legislative Session has come to a close, and the people of Nevada have a reprieve from the machinations of our politicians - until the next cycle. The Libertarian Party of Nevada was active during this session. Our volunteers provided verbal testimony on a number of bills, our legislative committee submitted written testimony on behalf of the party, and we called on our community to engage in the process with "calls to action" sent to our email list. See below for links to our statements:

AB101: a bill requiring that the credibility of prison informant testimony be communicated to a jury - read our statement in support - this bill passed and has become law (VICTORY)

AB117: a terrible "domestic terrorism" bill - read our statement in opposition and the transcript of our verbal testimony  - this bill died (VICTORY)

AB179: established a "perinatal control board" that would negatively impact midwives and homebirth - read our statement in opposition - this bill died (VICTORY)

AB193: a bill to prevent police officers from knowingly lying to minors in their care - read our statement in support - passed through the legislature and waiting for action by the governor (PENDING)

AB224: a bill to expand collective bargaining rights in higher education - read our statement in opposition - passed through the legislature and waiting for action by the governor (PENDING)

AB386: a bill to regulate and license midwives - read our statement in opposition - this bill died (VICTORY)

SB153: a bill to house transgender-identifying prisoners according to "best practices" rather than biological sex - read the transcript of our verbal testimony - this bill passed and has become law (LOSS)

SB163: a bill requiring all insurance providers to cover "trans health care" including for minors - read our testimony in opposition and transcripts of our verbal testimony - passed through the legislature and waiting for action by the governor (PENDING)

SB172: a bill that would allow minors to "consent" to a range of health-care services without parental consent or knowledge - read our testimony in opposition and transcripts of our verbal testimony - this bill passed and has become law (LOSS)

SB277: a terrible "hate speech" bill - read the transcript of our verbal testimony in opposition - this bill died (VICTORY)

SB242: a bill to decriminalize certain psychedelics and creating a working group to explore their use - read the transcript of our verbal testimony - passed through the legislature and waiting for action by the governor (PENDING)

SB96: mandated an annual 3% property tax increase - our volunteers testified in opposition, no transcript available - this bill died (VICTORY)

AB354: expands gun-free zones to include election sites- our volunteers testified in opposition, no transcript available - this bill was vetoed by the governor (VICTORY)

AB355: a bill to prohibit minors from using or possessing a semi-automatic shotgun or centerfire rifle - our volunteers testified in opposition, no transcript available - this bill was vetoed by the governor (VICTORY)

SB419: a bill to create a state-run health records database - read the transcript of our verbal testimony in opposition - passed through the legislature and waiting for action by the governor (PENDING) 

If you would like to help us expand our scope of action next cycle, please consider volunteering with our legislative committee! You can also support our work with financial donations to the party.

Thank you to everyone who helped fight for freedom and against the growth of government this legislative cycle!

AB 386 is a bill that will severely harm midwifery and home birth in Nevada. It proposes to create an oversight Board to regulate midwifery, and to establish a framework for mandatory state licensure. Midwives who fail to adhere to the requirements and regulations enacted by the Board could face civil and criminal charges. You can read the full text of the bill here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/82nd2023/Bill/10315/Text

Save Midwifery In Nevada

by Lenny Sue Tinseth, of Alpine Midwifery

I’ve recently learned more about why Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno chose to sponsor AB386, and it has been eye opening. Our stand against the bill has been falling on deaf ears - because the supporters of this effort have one focus, and it is a noble one. Their goal is to expand access to midwifery care for women of color and other marginalized groups. We know that midwifery care -and only midwifery care- produces better outcomes for these mothers. 

The two midwives behind this bill are ultimately seeking to establish a centralized birth center in Reno which would accept Medicaid in order to meet this need that they see. In addition to establishing licensing, this bill would allow a state-licensed midwife to serve as the director of such a center. Current law already allows midwives to serve as directors of a birthing center if they are certified by certain nation-wide accreditation boards. This bill would expand who can be a birthing center director, for the price of creating mandatory state licensing. 

Supporters of the bill may consider home-birth midwifery practices and the apprenticeship model as acceptable losses in this endeavor. But what about the rural Nevadan families they serve? They have abandoned one marginalized group for another. When the number of home birth midwives and students decrease, or they are pulled into the cities, rural access to care decreases. 

The possibility of midwifery schools rising up, students coming to a birth center learning environment, and serving marginalized groups is exciting. Preceptors are few. Students can get their training fast and hopefully go directly into an apprenticeship. On the other hand, birth centers are only lucrative for their owners and administrators - not the midwives. Most students will need scholarships and financial aid, as the pay in birth centers is usually very low for midwives. The turn over is substantial. Birthing centers are a great place for older midwives to continue working without needing to travel and be on-call. They are a great middle-ground birthing plan for families that are not comfortable with home birth. But the midwives will not financially sustain the center. The families with financial resources and insurance will support the birth center. They will be the actual heroes serving the underserved.  

I hope we can appeal to other members of the Assembly Labor and Commerce Committee who are concerned about small business-women, rural Nevada’s access to care, consumer choice, and allowing all models of training for midwives to exist without restrictions or conditions. 

We can remind them that women of color and marginalized groups exist in rural Nevada as well. Everyone deserves the option of midwifery care. Currently, home birth midwives allow for Medicaid or what we would term "hardship" cases without laws or agencies requiring them to do so.  Lawmakers should not deprive families by placing restrictions on students, which are unattainable to many. 

Higher level education programs have not been proven to produce better outcomes. Requiring training that is unattainable in this state or is financially burdensome will lead many to exit the call. Experienced Midwives in Nevada are already few and far between, and they already travel far to provide care. They also cannot sustain a board to oversee them. Low-paid students are not a base the state can rely on to maintain a board (hence why students will be regulated in the law). Who will pay for it? Will they have to eventually capture the larger resource in Nevada  - the traditional, spiritual, unlicensed midwife? 

We must appeal to the larger picture. Don’t support one noble cause by the neglecting the care of others. There can be a way of serving all, maybe not perfectly, but admirably. 

This is why we, as midwives in Nevada, oppose AB386. With the exception of the two midwives who are pushing this bill, all other midwives in the state of Nevada oppose this bill. If you agree with our stance and the industry consensus, please find AB386 on NELIS and vote against it in the public opinion poll. A comment is important, and they like personality in the comments.

Please also join us at the hearing on Monday, April 10th to oppose this bill. All are welcome to come and give a two minute statement. They do not like repeat statements, so if you feel led to be there and speak and agree with the person before; just say your name and then “ditto”. It counts!  Emails, letters, and exhibits are all important. WE NEED THE VOTES ON NELIS by the 10th!! Please take the time. Ask everyone you know to vote. 

We need no law or a better law for the future of all birthing Nevadans.

AB386 Public Opinion Poll: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/82nd2023/Bill/10315/Opinions

Communism by Ed Stoneham

A little more than a century ago a radical idea took root in a significant part of the world – communism. It was spurred by absolutist thinking, to the effect that movement toward an extreme would bring about extreme results. In this case, it did. It led to 100 million premature deaths, yielding a death rate greater than present-day deaths due to vehicle accidents and surpassed only by heart disease and cancer. However, there is a positive lesson to be learned from this – that extremist thinking can bring about radical change, whether the change be for better or for worse.

So what about extremism at the other end of the scale? Instead of extreme government control, what about the extreme opposite – maximum freedom? We now have overwhelming empirical evidence that prosperity, including general well-being, long lifetimes, and peace, as well as economic wealth, is strongly correlated with economic and social freedom. Plot any well-defined index of prosperity against any well-defined index of freedom, and you will see a monotonically increasing curve that has no peak. That is, there has not yet been found a point at which more freedom results in less prosperity! You can find a couple of these plots in the book Word from Future that was just published. This begs for extremism!

Marx defined capitalism as the ultimate evil and called for revolution to bring about total government control of the individual. That black-and-white characterization brought about change, albeit for the worse. To achieve the opposite, we must define control by government and criminals (do I repeat myself?) as the ultimate evil, and define maximum freedom as the remedy. I emphasize the word “define,” because a black-and-white characterization is essential for capturing people’s aspirations and spurring a movement that actually accomplishes its ends. But, in addition, a black-and-white characterization, carefully thought out, is in this case real!

Maximum freedom can be accurately defined. It involves the complete elimination of victimless crime laws and it involves the concept, “If you cost, you pay; and if you don’t cost, you don’t pay.” The book Word from Future explains these ideas in detail and develops word-for-word a national constitution, based on the Constitution of the United States, that codifies them. This constitution also, for the first time, provides means for the private citizenry to ENFORCE the constitutional guarantees of freedom – something now seen to be painfully lacking in the Constitution of the U.S.

I don’t want to be seen as promoting a book here. I am promoting an extremist movement that will lead to the ultimate realization of libertarianism for a large and deserving portion of the world’s population and that will lead thereby to the greatest prosperity that the world can ever see! Unfortunately, this book Word from Future is the only one out there that captures the essentials. The aims can be accomplished peacefully. The Free Private Cities movement points to a way at a small scale. The Manhattan Purchase, Louisiana Purchase, Alaska Purchase, and Hong Kong lease show ways at a larger scale. All it takes to make it happen is a massive movement based on the certainty of success.

Freedom in the U.S. and worldwide has been on the wane for a century, and with just one step of relief for every two steps of encroachment we will not see a return of freedom. The encroachment of government and criminal control sap most of the gains that technological innovation have brought. It’s time to unleash those gains! But this won’t happen in nations in which the elections are now swung by the growing rolls of government dependents. It’s time to start a new nation!

I invite those who are interested in starting this movement to make their move. The founders of this new nation must now step forward. Perhaps we can do this through submissions to lpnevada. Give it a try.

I am proud to say that I am a physicist – a student of reality. Now, however, is the time for students of human nature to take the helm and make the most of reality!

A New Education System proposal - by Ken Cavanaugh

The all encompassing SOLUTION to our Education system (Overview only written here) - This is a complete overhaul of what we have today.

Take control of your OWN child's education directly, is the need today.
But how?
Get the government out of it, entirely. All taxes that support the schools shall be repealed. The parents, in order to HAVE that control, must own the education system themselves.
That will do it, but how will we have schools?
There is no need for 'schools' themselves. However, a place for the kids to be at with their peers is important. So, keep the schoolhouse, but not for teaching anything.

How will the children learn?
Computer courses. These exist and have been available for a long time. K-12 is covered with such learning tools. Available for purchase right now. Most of America has the technology to do this. A tablet would suffice.
Though the price is still somewhat high, that can be reduced by volume purchasing. Once it is, I predict that any course in the K-12 range could cost as low as game software does, around $40-50 per course, possibly even less with competition in course design.

Here is how this would work:
After closing the (unconstitutional) Dept of Education, there will longer be a standard High School Diploma (HSD). There really is no need for such. That was created for businesses, so that they can just see an HSD and know what the student (supposedly) has learned. Have them replace that easy method and tell them to create their own aptitude test for entry into their SPECIFIC employment. Hiring employees IS on them, and not the school system, right? Make it so.

Then get rid of ALL State and County and school boards relative to education. They are just dead weight costing us tax dollars needlessly (and now, we see the Teachers Union trying to be a lazy and otherwise harmful as they can be. They can be kicked to the curb). There are substantial tax savings in this measure. Mostly property taxes (renters pay that tax embedded in their monthly rent, so rent reductions would be in order, too).
Now, purchasing courses makes the parent the OWNER of that course. Thus, once bought, all younger children can use that same course, already purchased (receiving any updates as part of the ownership). Since not all current courses will be required anymore, the parent and child can focus on their STRENGTHS and POSSIBILITIES, instead of being taught useless or harmful subjects (CRT, Genderization, and the other highly objectionable teachings). All that crap can be sidestepped and avoided. Also, buy only those course you want your child to learn, since there would be no 'criteria' to pass High School anymore. Just get your child ready for being an adult is all one needs.

This idea ends all debate over our school system, and places full responsibility on the family. No more arguments about what to do, what not to do with the useless school boards, etc. Parents can also track a students progress (via a login to the tracking software), and the student can learn at their own pace, no longer tied to a teachers curriculum (I myself might have graduated, as in finished learning, at age 16 instead of 18, and on into the work force).
As for the social aspect of schools, they can remain for an additional fee, now called 'Learning Centers'. The 'school' bus is in that same category, fee based. At the Learning Center (school), children can still interact with other children for that social need. What USED to be 'teachers' are now classroom monitors (less pay, less training, etc, more savings on the Learning Facility fee) to ensure the kids are doing their work, and not trashing the place. Helping out with any issues with their (tablet) devices, if needed.

This is the overview. This can be done quickly, the moment we all demand it be so. Quickly as in immediately. We just need to force our legislatures to pass the law. Yes, force, as in public pressure, will be necessary to take power from the power mongers. Perhaps a voter initiative is the best route. Ripping out State Authority in their Constitutions may take a bit longer. That DOES require a voter initiative to accomplish.
Feel free to comment with questions, challenges, etc. Remember, this is just an overview.
Computer learning is inevitable. It is the direction our technology is taking us. So, why not jump on it now to get rid of all this arguing about the school system? It is only a matter of time when it goes this way.

SB172 by Katie Banuelos

On March 9th, I testified on behalf of the LP-NV at the hearing for SB172, a bill which would allow minors to consent to all available forms of contraception and STD prevention, without limitation and without parental consent or notification. It was a very interesting experience!

The sponsors of the bill included representatives from both Washoe County Health District and the Southern Nevada Health District. In their opening presentations it became clear that they had drafted this bill specifically with treatment for HIV-AIDS in mind. I felt that parts of their presentation were extremely disingenuous – for example, they talked at length about the public health impacts of several STIs that are not preventable (except by condom use) and would not be impacted by this bill.

There was also a fascinating divide in the public comment. Almost every person who spoke in favor was a paid lobbyist or industry representative with a financial interest in expanding these type of services! On the other side of the issue? Parents. You can watch the video from the hearing here.

When it was my turn to speak, this was my statement:

To the chair and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak. I am here on behalf of the LPNV, to testify in opposition to SB172. As a mother of two, I am also personally concerned about the implications of this bill.

Children are simply not capable of informed consent. Children have rights, but they are not developmentally able to execute them. It is the absolute right of parents to protect and safeguard their children until they can assume all the responsibilities of adulthood.

This bill cannot alter the fundamental nature of what it means to be a child. It doesn’t confer the capacity for informed consent. It simply allows other adults to insert their judgement in place of that of parents.

As many before me have noted, the drugs and treatments implied by this bill are not without risk – many of them have serious side effects or potential harms. Everything is a matter of tradeoffs and risk assessment, and it is a disservice to children and teens to pretend that they are able to navigate these concerns, when they are not.

The practical effect of this bill will be to dramatically expand the number of adults who are legally able to make complex medical decisions for children who aren’t theirs, in total secrecy, without liability or any real stake in the overall wellbeing of the child.

This bill undermines parental rights. It also undermines the very notion of informed consent. Please vote NO on SB172 to protect children and protect parental rights.

The Libertarian Party also submitted a formal statement in opposition to this bill – you can find it on the legislative NELIS website as part of the public record. We will keep our eye on this bill to see if our opposition contributed to its demise – but if it goes before our elected representatives for a vote, you will hear from us! Subscribe to our email newsletter to stay informed this legislative cycle, and please consider supporting our efforts if you are able to.

See the new piece in the Independent by Katie Banuelos

CDC PROTECTS BIG PHARMA NOT YOUR CHILDREN

By Theodore Terbolizard 

We need to have a serious public discussion about government lockdowns.  What the government did to the populace in response to COVID-19 was a disturbing abuse of authority – and trust. 

We must relieve the government of the power to do that to us again. Because they will, and not just as a response to the next nasty virus we encounter. The next lockdowns may well be global – and permanent.

In January 2019 if you had told me that Nevada would be in lockdown two months later,  I would have said the citizenry would never comply, that it was impossible. I thought Nevadans (and Americans) valued freedom too much to allow it to happen. Clearly, I was wrong.

You may think the pandemic is over. The directives, mask and vaccine mandates, lockdowns, vaccine passports, social distancing rules, etc are gone – for the moment. But they can reappear at any time, solely at the discretion of the governor. We must change that immediately. If we don’t, it is sure to happen again. 

This isn’t an argument about whether or not lockdowns and mandates “worked” or not. That’s not the point.  Arguing about those details is a distraction from the critical issue:  that any one person (or one government branch) has the ability to misuse the power of Nevada’s Emergency Management statutes to suspend your rights, bark orders, and use the law enforcement system to mete out punishment for non-compliance.

This needs to change immediately. Despite some limiting language in the existing law, (NRS-414),  Governor Sisolak continually exceeded his authority. To prevent this happening in the future, we must specifically limit the government’s emergency power in scope, duration, and the nature of what a qualifying “emergency” consists of.

There are at least three much needed reforms (for more details see Nevada Policy Research Institute’s 2021 Legislative Report Card):

1. Make it harder to misrepresent the act;
2. Emergencies must pose an immediate threat;  
3. Limit the duration of any ‘emergency.’ 

The previous legislature did nothing to address these issues. Three limiting bills were offered, but they went nowhere. Sisolak lost his job in November of 2022, but that doesn’t fix the problem. Without serious legislative reform, the power still exists, just waiting for the next tyrannical impulse to wield it. Nevada’s legislature must make fixing this a priority in 2023. 

Even more disturbing was that Nevada’s supposed “freedom loving” populace went along with the tyranny. The local and national media pushed a propaganda narrative of fear and pseudo-scientific pronouncements – the vast majority of which turned out to be entirely wrong.  The acceptance of near totalitarian control was lauded as “civic duty and social responsibility” by the media propaganda machine.  This immediately became a good versus evil morality play.  Science was made political. 

In the minds of most Americans, the safety and efficacy of a “vaccine” depended on who the president was when it was offered. People seamlessly switched from “I’ll never take that Trump vaccine!” to “If you don’t take the Biden vaccine, you are an unscientific danger to society!”

Fear was stoked intentionally as a public health policy tool.  That is the playbook that was run on us in response to COVID-19. Our abusers really got to see what worked and what didn’t. 

The urgency of this matter is that lockdowns and mandates and all the rest of it is still an immediate threat. Our dear leaders have learned to love the lockdown, and they now have two very likely “reasons” to do it to us again.

The first: Covid still exists in the world, as do other viruses. Fear of them could easily be used again.  Already some east coast schools are reinstating mask mandates – Ann Arbor Michigan schools were first.  Many colleges are requiring students to have a  booster to attend class.

The second is an even bigger threat: Climate lockdowns – we have already seen “climate emergency” declared in some places in Europe.  It sounds impossible or hyperbolic (as Covid lockdowns did in 2019) but it is really happening. We are already seeing the form this will likely take. It’s called “the 15 minute city”.  

This concept, promulgated by the World Economic Forum, basically divides cities into districts where people can ostensibly reach all needs and services within a 15 minute walk or a short bike ride.  The reason isn’t shopping convenience –  it is to drastically limit private car use as a means of combating climate change.  But of course, it is more coercive than that.  “Don’t need a car” + “climate emergency” = “your right to drive must be severely limited”.

A “test” of the concept has been approved by the Oxfordshire County (city of Oxford) UK council for 2024.  It starts with “traffic e-gates”. They will be equipped with license plate readers and will track your movement through the city.  If you want to drive through an e-gate you are required to apply for a permit. 

Criteria for the application is not spelled out. The permit will allow you to go through the e-gate 100 times per year per household. (2 adults with 2 cars is 50 each or about once a week).  If you drive across more than this allotment you are fined for each additional crossing, approximately £70-100 per offense. 

The city is being divided into six 15 minute “cities” to define the area which requires a permit to exit in a private car. You can drive in your own district and cross the e-gate anytime on foot, on a bike, or on a public bus. 

They surveyed the city populace and 90% were against the scheme, but the sponsoring council member made a statement that this was “happening whether people liked it or not”.

We all know that after they put in all the cameras and a tracking/fining infrastructure,  it is never going away regardless of what the “test” shows.  The proponents will call it a success regardless of outcome. And of course, once in place, they will tighten the restrictions.  The number of passes will gradually go down and the cost of the fines will go up until you cannot travel by personal car unless you are an elite. Once you give up your car you are totally dependent on public transport.  In China access to public transport can be limited for poor social credit scores. 

One can imagine people actually enjoying living where all their needs are within walking distance. Many neighborhoods in Manhattan are already much like this. Modern city design could (and probably will) incorporate this type of design and be wildly popular in a free (or semi-free) market.  But that is not what is being described here.  The picture elites draw of the 15 minute city reflects a beautiful place, almost a utopia – like a high-income district might actually be.  But existing low income neighborhoods are not suddenly going to become posh. These people will effectively be segregated from the nicer parts of the city. These lower income neighborhoods will essentially become ghettos, e-walled off from travel by private car.

You might not be overly concerned, this is after all the wacky UK, Not America.  Don’t be overly sure of that. The mayor of Cleveland just made a speech that he wants Cleveland to be the first 15 minute city in the US. 

Even worse, this concept  has already been proposed in Nevada (in Storey County) and was endorsed by Governor Sisolak as a “smart city”, definitionally similar to the WEF’s 15 minute city – plus blockchains.

So beware, Nevadans. The threat of lockdowns (and worse) is still very real. We must act now to remove the government’s ability to tyrannize us in this way. If we don’t, they surely will.

The next candidate in our series of 2022 Candidate Spotlights is Marc Tedoff, candidate for Nevada Assembly District 37.

While working at Clark County School District he earned a Ph.D. in special education from UNLV, that led him to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Eventually he established a private practice that provides therapy for children with autism and training for their parents. He has been privately serving families with children on the autism spectrum since 2011.

Read more

The next candidate in our series of 2022 Candidate Spotlights is Brandon Davis, candidate for Nevada Governor.

He has been an active member of the LPNV, is the LPNV Elections Committee Director, and a Nevada Delegate at the Libertarian Party National Convention. He has provided testimony in legislative committee meetings, participates in committees on Good Governance and Economic Development, and is engaged in his community.

Read more

The next candidate in our series of 2022 Candidate Spotlights is Josiah LaRow, candidate for Nevada Assembly District 20.

Josiah has a love for helping others and has been a passionate volunteer for organizations such as the American Cancer Society and Habitat for Humanity for much of his life.

Read more

In today's Candidate Spotlight we're sharing with you the first of many 2022 Candidate Spotlights to come as election season is heating up. 

Meet Jesse Addison III, candidate for North Las Vegas Mayor. While this race is a nonpartisan race, Jesse is a Libertarian and proudly makes it known in his campaign.

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Libertarian Party of Nevada Files Most Candidates In 40 Years for An Election in The State of Nevada

Las Vegas, NV— Today the Libertarian Party of Nevada announced they’ve produced the largest slate of Libertarian candidates in 40 years for an election in Nevada. Following the candidate filing period, which ended, March 18^th, 2002, the LPNV had 25 total candidates file for election in 2022. For the full press release CLICK HERE.

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Good news! Local tyrant Sisolak finally lifted his mask mandate - restoring free choice to Nevadans on the basic freedom to breathe unobstructed. Thinking back to just a few years ago, It's incredible to imagine how insane it would have sounded to describe this situation to libertarians.

From the beginning, our position has been that requiring masks is an exercise in public health security theater. It has been a way for politicians to “do something”, while psychologically reinforcing the ambient sense of emergency. This psychological ploy empowers the government to extend their power - by insisting that we all play along, it creates the feeling that we must live in abnormal times which require drastic measures.

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Jake Wiskerchen is a Reno-area Marriage and Family Therapist and National Certified Counselor, and the owner of Zephyr Wellness, an outpatient counseling agency.  He recently authored a fantastic article in the Nevada Independent on the insanity of masking children - and the terms of our state’s exemption policy for K-12 students.  Please go read the entire article; it is a rational assessment of the situation and the challenges this policy places on children and families.  Following the publication of his article, Jake was kind enough to join us for an in-depth written interview to expand on the subject.

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As Russia masses troops along its border with Ukraine, American policy makers are mulling what action to take to deter Moscow from invading its neighbor. Options have ranged from troop deployments to supporting a Ukrainian insurgency like the Reagan in Afghanistan during the 1980's. Both options will inevitably involve American defense and intelligence personnel along with taxpayer money that can be better used elsewhere. The libertarian position would be to avoid any military involvement against Russia. Such participation would violate the LP's non-aggression principle while also helping to destabilize another region that can fall victim to the proliferation of violent substate groups in the absence of a stable government. Though the Kremlin engages in policies that libertarians find appalling, a conflict in Ukraine does not directly threaten the United States rendering American involvement unwarranted.

Stating the non-aggression principle isn't enough. As libertarians find themselves climbing the ranks of government, we will inevitably find ourselves in positions that impact foreign policy. Not only would American support of Kyiv against Russia violate libertarian values, it's also just plain bad geopolitics.

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This week, Randy Sadac and Adam Haman sat down for a great conversation with Mike Maharrey of the 10th Amendment Center. You can listen to the discussion here.

As its name might suggest, the 10th Amendment Center focuses on helping state governments stand up to unconstitutional power-grabs and abuses emanating from Washington DC. America was designed to have a small Federal government, with most political power reserved for the states.

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The Las Vegas Sun was kind enough to publish a letter to the editor from our Southern Regional Representative Adam Haman - he wrote a rebuttal to a previous letter they had published which railed against free markets in the name of empathy.

Many people fail to appreciate the harmony and emergent nature of a free market system. People wrongly assume that a) nothing can happen without a law being in place and b) the stated intention of a rule/law will be the real-world outcome of that rule/law.

In reality, the world is far more complex than the planners anticipate.  As Hayek said; “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” 

Read the whole piece here: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2022/jan/19/free-markets-are-not-without-rules/

We recently had John Tsarpalas, the President of the Nevada Policy Research Institute, on the podcast. He was able to provide more insight on school choice here in Nevada. For example: 

• In 2019, there were 24k students in Nevada that were home schooled.In 2021, that number increased more than 3 and a half times to 88k.
• There is a school voucher law that passed in 2015 in Nevada. Due to political pressure, the vouchers have not been funded for years.
  

The whole episode is interesting (John also has some insight on winning elections in the heavily Democratic state of Illinois). We start talking about school choice around the 8:55 mark. Listen to it here: 

https://battlebornlibertarianpodcast.libsyn.com/the-battle-born-podcast-interviews-john-tsarpalas

The never-ending pandemic we are in has opened a lot of eyes over the past 2 years. In education, many parents with school aged children have had to find alternatives to sending them to government schools. One silver lining to this disruption has been over a million students across the country not returning to school in 2021. It’s a silver lining because parents who may have never had any intention of straying from the government plantation have been forced to.

Government schools have been failing for a while now. The education failure is particularly egregious in Nevada. Despite spending over $10,000 per student annually, the Battle Born state consistently ranks at the bottom nationally when it comes to education. To make the math easy, assuming 30 students per class, how bad is the school system when it can spend over $300k and get the results it does? This bad:

According to the most recent state assessment tests, only 26% of all Nevada high school students passed math. Half of the state's elementary students passed English and language arts. On the state science exam for 5th-, 8th- and 10th-graders, just over 30% passed.

The reasons why so many government schools are terrible is beyond the scope of this post but worthy of discussion elsewhere. Luckily, there is a solution.

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This article is in response to Ben Margiott’s article on News 4’s website (https://mynews4.com/news/local/councilwoman-wants-anti-gouging-law-to-protect-reno-residents-against-huge-rent-spikes) as well as the video imbedded on the above page (https://mynews4.com/news/local/councilwoman-wants-anti-gouging-law-to-protect-reno-residents-against-huge-rent-spikes?video=33f1dd23c28a423a80bbb74606a21d25&jwsource=cl).

The opening paragraph summarizes the gist of the article nicely: “A Reno councilwoman is asking city staff to look into an anti-gouging law to protect residents from huge rent spikes, which she says have become all too common in recent years”. Unfortunately, “anti-gouging” policies and similar measures have always been common responses to market adjustments.

At every level, the government believes it has the solutions to society’s problems. Yet a closer look often reveals that it was government meddling which caused or exacerbated the problem to begin with. Government interventions via regulation and taxation have wide ranging effects. A few of these can be seen as positive or as having had the intended result—but often only for a portion of the people impacted by the policy. Politicians and bureaucrats seem to see all social challenges as simple 1+1=? math problems which can be isolated and solved by their interventions. Reality however, is far more complex.

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The public reactions to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict are revealing of the deep ideological divisions between the political left and right in this country - and beyond it. The hatred and contempt is very strong on both sides.

As bad as the situation is, there are some aspects of the trial and its resolution that could positively affect the country and possibly move us in a better direction. Both sides of the political spectrum were shown some ugly truths and both sides could be improved by those revelations if they would allow themselves to see clearly.

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Like many people this week, I have been watching the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Unlike most, I have been obsessed with it. I have watched almost every minute of the proceedings. 

I won’t comment on the trial itself. I’ll leave that for people to judge for themselves.  What I want to discuss is narrative. 

You might be surprised to know just how many people have an outright false idea of the facts of this case.   It isn’t their fault.  They have repeatedly been fed a narrative. It doesn’t matter whether that narrative includes straight lies, or just a bunch of inferences that lead people to think something that didn’t happen.  What matters is that most of us have no idea what happened and everyone has very strong opinions without knowing the facts.

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The issue of privately issued vaccine mandates has been a divisive one among libertarians. The pure libertarian position is that private entities should have the right to set their own terms, and to choose who they hire and serve - even if their decisions are unsavory.  This is the answer to the “bake the cake” argument, and is ultimately correct.

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What do we mean when we talk about an ‘economy’? What is an economy? I’ve asked this question to many people, and virtually all of them struggle to answer it, even economists. Most answer this question by explaining the characteristics of economies: a system of exchange or supply and demand, for example. How would you answer it? Based on your answer, answer one more question: what does it mean for an economy to grow?

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Our state party vice-chair and chair of the Clark County affiliate, Jeff Hurley, was recently interviewed by local journalist, political commentator and activist Mindy Robinson - the full article can be found here.  

It is a stellar interview - Mindy asked interesting and nuanced questions, and gave Jeff space to answer at length and in detail.  He discusses the priorities of the state party, the corruption of the duopoly system, and the urgent need for resistance to the mandates. Read the whole thing!

There was a noteworthy commotion at a recent Clark County Commission meeting. As attendees chanted “Freedom of Speech! Freedom of Speech!” tensions escalated until venue security forcibly removed people from the meeting - and a violent altercation ensued. The video is available here.  One of those involved was in fact a candidate for office - Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Mack Miller.

This incident raises some serious questions.  How have we reached a point where one group of elected officials (with no demonstrable health expertise) uses its police power to forcibly remove a candidate for state office who wants to ask questions about that entity’s arbitrary health policy diktats? And the one raising those legitimate questions is not met with civility - just violence?  And during a public meeting where they claim to be doing “the people’s business” in one of their so-called “people’s house”?

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As Libertarians, we reject the outrageous vaccine mandates pushed by the Biden Administration.  Self-ownership is the most fundamental truth of human existence and our highest value.  The right to decide what substances enter your body is one of the most basic applications of this principle. The recent executive orders from the president’s office seek to draft private companies into a war on our medical freedom, and are wildly unethical.

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The Institute for Justice is a fantastic organization that works to curb government overreach through litigation, activism, and drafting model legislation. They recently took on a case here in Nevada to assist US Marine Corps veteran Stephen Lara in his fight to reclaim his life’s savings - stolen by NV highway patrol in a civil asset forfeiture case.

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The United States’ war on terror has been effective in at least two ways: radicalizing countless more insurgents (now willing to give their lives for God and country against their invaders from the west) and making the “money printer go brrr” - ie: pouring trillions of dollars into the military industrial complex. Have you ever wondered what that kind of money can buy? One answer: it can buy agreement between the right and left wings of the mainstream media outlets. Namely, the idea that “we have to keep these wars going or we’ll get more 9/11’s”.

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It’s a video the likes of which we have all seen— adrenaline inducing, the kind that makes the palms of your hands sweat.  

In the video, you see Maison Des Champs,  a young American man wearing a shirt with “END THE TYRANNY, ‘JUST SAY NO’ TO GOVERNMENT” written on it (he later told us that the back of the shirt said “STOP THE MANDATES”). He is filming himself while climbing the outside of the Aria - a 600ft hotel and casino in the center of the Las Vegas strip.

“The goal of this is to protest the new mandates in Nevada… and around the country. These mandates are a threat to our personal freedom and our civil liberties. And you know, 15 days has slowly turned into 400-something and now is the time to draw the line.”

Maison Des Champs goes on to explain that he had made this daring climb to raise awareness of the upcoming anti-mandate protest on Saturday, August 14th (meeting at 8:00 AM outside of the Planet Hollywood Casino at 3500 S. Las Vegas Blvd).  He was kind enough to join the Libertarian Party of Nevada for a Q&A style interview.  Watch the full video and then read on for our interview with Maison Des Champs!

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Today, citizens of Las Vegas were united by their pain and frustration at the new mandates issued at the state and county level. They were also motivated by the suffering of their compatriots in public comment at the "emergency meeting” of July 20, 2021. They had all watched the feelings of the public be held in total disregard by the members of the Clark County Board of Commissioners - now they were here to make their voices heard.

The crowd gathered on the corner of S. Decatur and Meadows and lined the street in front of the Southern Nevada Health District Main Facility. There was a feeling of unity in the group, which embodied a broad spectrum of the community and bridged the political and racial barriers we are constantly told to see as deeply dividing and separating us all. The unifying force on this 96°F Las Vegas summer day was a desire for freedom.

The message from the people was clear; they demanded medical freedom. Upwards of 60 people were in attendance - waving flags and holding signs high. An uproar of horns cheered them on as passersby made their support clear. Las Vegas wants to be free. As time passed, stories of oppression, pain and heartache were shared. 

It was obvious to all in attendance that this was only the beginning. If local officials move forward with these tyrannical mandates, the people will push back. We will not comply.

Listening to the recording of the Clark County Commissioners meeting was fascinating.  If you have three hours to spare it is worth watching.  On Tuesday July 19th 2021 that body issued a new mask mandate which applies to all indoor workers in the county.  This edict ends the approximately two months of freedom of choice enjoyed by Clark County workers since the original mask mandate issued at the state level went into effect on June 4th 2020.

The public comment period which preceded the deliberation was overwhelmingly and vehemently opposed to the proposed mandate, to the point where several participants were physically removed from the meeting. It was apparent from early on that the commissioners present were not interested in or receptive to the position taken by the public.  After the tense period of public comment, they proceeded to testimony from Dr. Cort Lohff from the Southern Nevada Health District, and then onwards to deliberation.

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The Libertarian Party of Nevada held its 2020 state convention on February 29 at the Beacon Center in Las Vegas. Dozens of members from around the Battle Born state attended to cast their votes for Nevada's delegates to the Libertarian National Convention, nominate our party's candidates for public office, and find out the winner of the presidential straw poll.

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We're in a major election year, the entire country is paying attention to the presidential race, and people are once again noticing the Libertarian Party as they hold their nose at the Democratic and Republican candidates. More and more Americans are realizing with horror that their choices in November will likely be Donald Trump the corrupt and failed tycoon, or Bernie Sanders the Marxist pretending to be a social democrat.

The Libertarian presidential primary race has been no less exciting, although it's been much more respectable than what the public sees from Team D and Team R.

Starting off with news from the Libertarian presidential primaries, Reason put out an article announcing the former Governor (I) and Senator (R) of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, has thrown his hat in the ring. The Hill also ran an article on Chafee's third party run. The Toledo Blade compared Chafee to Gary Johnson, while theorizing that Congressman Justin Amash may still jump into the race at the last minute.

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America is still talking about the Libertarian Party. Now that the country is one year away from a Presidential election, that's exactly what we want. The mass media usually belittles third parties like the LP, yet millions of Americans continue to lend us their attention during those brief periods, hungrily hoping that we'll present them with a better alternative than the Coke-versus-Pepsi charade that Team D and Team R have always given them.

But first, we're still laughing about the extremely salty over-reaction from Republicans and conservatives across Kentucky and across America for "spoiling" the Kentucky governor's race for the GOP. What set them off the most was the statement on LP Kentucky's Facebook page claiming that the LP is "happy to cause delicious tears from Bevin supporters"... which is completely true! And they certainly were delicious...

News articles belly-aching about this grievous outrage appeared on Fox News, The Blaze, Raw Story, WKYT News, WYMT News, WHAS 11, Tristate Homepage, PJ Media, and the Kentucky Right to Life Association. LP Kentucky was also mentioned in a Fortune article, although not in the context of whiny complainers who refuse to grasp how 100,000 Kentucky Republicans specifically voted for every Republican on the ticket EXCEPT Matt Bevin. (It's funny how conservatives are the first to call other people snowflakes, but they sure seem to be the first to melt down from some words from a minor party.)

But we know everybody wants to hear about the pool of Libertarian presidential candidates, so let's delve into those news spotlights!

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LAS VEGAS (Nov. 24, 2019) -- After way too long of a delay, LP in the News is back! While there will be an edition today talking about the LP across America, this edition is all about the Silver State's Libertarians, from Reno to the wild ranch lands to glam Las Vegas.

First, we want to give a big shout out and congratulations to Robert Strawder, a.k.a. Vegas Don, after the successful launch of his new podcast, the Hip Hop Meets Politics Podcast. This show takes on controversial issues like the war on drugs and interviewing black and Latino voters who go against the grain and support Donald Trump. Strawder is an LP Nevada member and we were proud to have him represent us as a Congressional candidate in 2018. Strawder's candidacy even got endorsed by hip hop legend Shock G of Digital Underground! You can find the Hip Hop Meets Politics Podcast on Applecast and Simplecast.

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Venezuelan soldiers arrest a young Pemon woman for protesting. Image from Periodico el Libertario.

There's been a lot of online discussion among some of the more active members of the Libertarian Party's Libertarian Socialist Caucus about Venezuela. Unfortunately, most of these talking points are completely untrue. Several intellectually honest LSC members have, to their credit, contacted me with their questions, knowing I've worked closely with members of the Venezuelan Opposition for over two years.

The long story short of the best libertarian position on Venezuela is that there should be no US military adventures in Latin America, but Maduro is also a brutal dictator and the Venezuelan people have every right to get rid of him.

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Above: Former Assemblywoman Natalia Diaz, Costa Rica

May 15 has proven to be a great day for relishing the all the news about the Libertarian Party. It's not just the party of principle--it's a party of people and a party of action. The stories covering LP candidates and causes spilled over beyond today's edition of LP in the News. Then, even after a long edition of Even More LP in the News, we were still looking at a stack of stories about other countries' Libertarian Parties in the news, and what other countries' news media is saying about the LP of the USA.

The Libertarian Party of Nevada is pleased to inaugurate the first installment of LP in the News: International Edition. We'll start off with the international coverage. The Italian news station Sky 24 discussed career activist Adam Kokesh and comedian Vermin Supreme in an article about third party candidates in US presidential elections. It's cool that journalists abroad are interested in third party candidates.

The very Catholic, very conservative news site Hispanidad, based in Spain, published a brief article on Governor Bill Weld, 2016 Libertarian Vice Presidential candidate. The editorial staff rather scornfully points out in bold, enlarged text that Weld "supports abortion and gay marriage." Yahoo Noticias put out a much longer, more in-depth, and more upbeat article about Weld, his goals, and his chances of making an impact on the election.

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Hip Hop Meets Politics: Doug Davis (left) and Vegas Don (right)

There are so many Libertarians who made the news in the last few weeks that we just couldn't fit it all in today's LP in the News. This edition of Even More LP in the News has hip hop, cannabis, ballot access, black guns, and Chic-Fil-A.

Indian Country Today briefly mentioned the Libertarian Party in an excellent essay about America's broken electoral system and the disparate lack of representation, especially for Native peoples. As far as Libertarian solutions, our first instinct is to shrink the federal government and immediately permit the sovereign Native nations to do whatever the hell they want. However, we're available and willing to be actively engaged in a dialogue with any Native American nation that'll sit at the table with us. We're also very interested in Native Americans holding positions of responsibility in our party.

Echoing Mark Trahant's shoutouts to third parties in Indian Country Today, the Colorado-based Durango Herald published a lovely op-ed against the mainstream political machines suppressing independent candidates. That's why we at LP Nevada want to thank The Batavian (New York), the Door County Pulse (Wisconsin), the Unionville Times (Pennsylvania), and the Reflector (North Carolina) for announcing upcoming LP events. If we want to grow the LP so independent and third parties aren't easily suppressed, we recommend following the example of the LP volunteers who advertised their upcoming events to these local media venues. 

Moving on to the tour of the local scenes across America, we'll start the national sweep with Sin City, Nevada.

Robert Strawder, a.k.a. Vegas Don, is a hip hop artist and a former congressional candidate on the LP ticket. Strawder was interviewed by Vudu Spellz for Deftal TV, where he talked about the recent Teen Choice Talent Awards. "It was basically for kids, giving them an outlet, instead of playing video games, gang banging, robbing, hustling, doing whatever, it was to showcase their talent and get them believe in themselves. Also, to put together a photoshoot, videoshoot, and production for a fully produced track... 1st Place got 3 tracks; second place, two; third place, one... Vegas has a lot of talent."

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The last month has been busier than ever for Libertarians across America. And of course, America's Libertarians are making the news! From the red rocky deserts of Nevada to the bustling streets of New York City, local and national media outlets alike are picking up the buzz on what the Libertarians are doing. 

We'll start off with what everybody really wants to know about: the 2020 Libertarian presidential primaries. The Libertarian Republic and Being Libertarian both published updated guides on the various declared contenders for the Libertarian presidential nomination. Both guides list longtime libertarian Adam Kokesh and the comedian Vermin Supreme. (Above image: Daniel Behrman, Texas)

Both Kokesh and Supreme were mentioned in an Italian-language article from Sky 24, an Italian news station, about US third party presidential candidates. Vermin Supreme is the only Libertarian candidate named in a Madera Tribune op-ed on how there are too many presidential candidates, while The Gazette (based in Idaho) featured the LP's Daniel Behrman in an article on te 400+ presidential candidates across the U.S.

A conservative-leaning editorial in the Houston Chronicle talks about how Joe Biden needs Libertarian voters to challenge Trump--assuming Biden even wins the Democratic nomination. The Washington Post covered Governor Bill Weld, arguing that he can't beat Trump, but he's the only real way conservatives can dissent. Weld is a Lifetime Member of the Libertarian Party even though he's running against Trump in the 2020 Republican primaries. Frankly, this is a great strategy; it weakens and divides the GOP, it will turn some Republicans off of the GOP to vote Libertarian, and it also clears the playing field inside the LP for new blood to show their quality.

With Weld out of the Libertarian presidential primaries, Adam Kokesh is the best organized and longest-campaigning of the current crop of presidential contenders. He has a campaign team, a reserve of volunteers in nearly every state, and also has a solid 15 years of activism experience as a capital-L Libertarian. Kokesh wasn't in the news this time only because of his campaign; instead, Republican Rep. Chad Christensen, an ex-Nevada Assemblyman and current Idaho State Representative, was busted by the Post Register for plagiarizing whole paragraphs from Adam's 2008 essay "Duty to Resist." We're not surprised that this is coming from a Republican politician.

There are still only crickets coming from Congressman Justin Amash's corner, but Reason still keeps talking about the possibility of an Amash 2020 run. Now, let's get to the state and regional news!

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Hace dos años, casi nadie en el mundo sabía que había libertarios en Cuba. Sí, es cierto, ¡libertarios en Cuba!

Comenzaron como un pequeño grupo de activistas que se hacían llamar el Club Anarcocapitalista de Cuba y más tarde formaron el grupo de estudio "Mises Cuba". Los líderes de este pequeño grupo de nuevos libertarios habían aprendido sobre las ideas libertarias por su propia cuenta, con su acceso limitado al Internet. Se convirtieron en libertarios simplemente por un sincero deseo de aprender sobre la libertad humana.

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Two years ago, hardly anyone in the world knew there were libertarians in Cuba. Yes, that's right, libertarians in Cuba!

They'd started as a tiny group of activists calling themselves the Cuban Anarchocapitalist Club and later formed a Mises Cuba study group. The leaders of this small group of new libertarians had learned about libertarian ideas on their own, with their limited access to the internet. They became libertarian simply from a sincere desire to learn

These brave freedom activists first came to the Libertarian Party of Nevada's attention in February of 2017, when a Cuban refugee recently arrived in Miami contacted one of our members asking for help. Two libertarians, Ubaldo Herrera and Manuel Velasquez, were arrested by State Security officers (the secret police) and sentenced to time in prison in a kangaroo court on false charges.

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The Case for Reparations to the Black Community

Reparation
Noun rep· a· ra· tion | \ ˌre-pə-ˈrā-shən\
Definition
1a: A repairing or keeping in repair

Cory Booker recently announced that he was going to author a bill, saying “this bill is a way of addressing head-on the persistence of racism, white supremacy, and implicit racial bias in our country. It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed.”

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator Booker that we need to look at ways to repair the damage done to communities by racial bias and the unintended consequences of policies that have exacerbated the problems. I humbly propose a few ideas for his group to study. I hope all Libertarians will join me in this effort to make reparations. After all, we can point directly to our government for the major institutional racial bias and bigotry that is rampant in our society through many of our institutions and industries that are heavily regulated by our government.

1)   Immediately stop this drug war that overwhelmingly targets and abuses and financially destroys the lives of peaceful people in our lower income and minority communities through cash bail, asset forfeiture, loss of voting and gun ownership rights, criminal records that make job hunting difficult, as well as the pressures put on those in the family that must survive while a family member is in jail. There is no justice in a system that allows celebrity and white privilege to avoid this war while the poor and minority communities get ground down. Another aspect to look at is how most cannabis companies are friends of politicians and overwhelmingly white people own them. To jail some people, and then allow others to actually make huge profits for the same act is not equality. This is the easiest “repair” to make. Do it now.

2)   Commercial opportunities are few and far between in our black communities. There are older buildings with dirt lots surrounding them. Whole blocks without stores and typical businesses that would line the streets of a neighborhood. A perfect example in Las Vegas is near the Walker African American Museum (Some VERY interesting items of black history in Las Vegas. 705 W Van Buren Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89106 see Gwen). There are dirt lots up and down the street. When we make it near impossible to get loans/credit in the community, when the local government makes zoning and permitting difficult, when we make hair braiding licenses in Nevada harder to get than a police badge (yes...more hours to get a hair braiding license), why are we surprised when these communities are lacking local businesses and opportunities? To add insult to injury, for those businesses that do get off the ground, they must compete with Amazon and other huge corporate entities who are subsidized by local, state and federal governments. How is a small business going to compete with a larger competitor that doesn’t have to pay property taxes, or has other government tax and subsidy benefits? Repair this by allowing communities to expand their commercial activity through deregulation and free and fair markets.  

3)   Repair our schools. In Nevada, we have the worst schools in the country. Full stop. We are last. I am not speaking hyperbolically. I told the Clark County School board last year, “You are the Cleveland Browns of Public Education” (Cleveland was 0-16 that year)...but I followed it with “however, the Cleveland Browns failed with less than half the budget of Clark County Schools administrators.” Every politician says our schools are important. Liars. Every single politician that screams about how important the schools are, and promises to do every bit of digging and begging and fighting to get more money for teachers are outright, no question about it, liars. Pants on fire...liar liar liar. How do I know this? In Clark County, there is no politician who has yet to address the 5000 non-teaching administrators who make 6 figure salaries with benefits and lifetime pensions. 5000 WHO MAKE OVER 6 FIGURES. There are IT Managers, CCSD “Police,” assistant principals and many others making 100k, 200k, 250k...and more. In fact, one CCSD Security Guard made 40k in OVERTIME last year and cleared $150k total. Teachers start about 40k, and a policeman made that in overtime on the Administrative level. IF you are going to make reparations, please consider our schools a priority, and don’t punish the teachers, parents, and students anymore. 5000 administrators who administer the worst schools in the country DESERVE to pay their fair share. If they don’t like it, promote some teachers to $99k/year. They will appreciate the raise and do a better job. Then use the money you save to hire more teachers for higher salaries. Win/win.

I hope these three areas are good places to start. We can discuss the racket of insurance and pharmaceutical company corruption and government protections of their market shares through tariffs, subsidies, and outright government mandates/bans. There are so many instances where politicians are saying one thing, and yet their actions defy their words. It is time to stop telling me how important equality, opportunity, and fairness is; and start to show me.

We have fresh news and lots of inter-party political fighting happening across America, from local politics to state and federal races, to the 2020 presidential race!

Let's start with some news from our own backyard here in Nevada. From Las Vegas, the Epoch Times wrote an article about Wayne Allyn Root's new book, Trump Rules. They were nice enough to mention the Libertarian Party, since Root is a former LP candidate. However, we want to make it clear that Root left the LP years ago to rejoin the GOP, and that we in the LP are NOT fans of Donald Trump or his disregard for the Constitution; not the ban on bumpstocks, nor the lack of disclosure on foreign civilian casualties in our wars, and certainly not a phony state of emergency to pay for a useless Berlin-style border wall.

KARK (NBC News Arkansas) reports that the Arkansas LP is suing the [Republican-controlled] state government over a new petition law that requires the LP to almost triple its petition signatures from 10,000 to over 26,000. 

"We told our legislators that they were re-establishing a standard that had been overturned in federal court back in 2006, but they passed it anyway," says Michael Pakko, the chair of the state party. "We have clear precedent on our side." Pakko also said, "As if to add insult to injury, they made it even more difficult by moving the deadlines. Prospective challengers to the established incumbents shouldn’t have to form parties and select candidates over a year before the general election."

On that same subject, many thanks to the Arkansas Times for re-publishing LP Arkansas' press release denouncing this move by the state government's two-party duopoly. We say two-party duopoly, but it's always been almost exclusively the GOP that goes out of its way to make our lives difficult.

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Las Vegas' native son Henry Thorns was grilling up a storm last Friday. Posted in a super market parking lot in the north-central part of Las Vegas, the "historic West Side", Mr. Thorns had a very simple objective: feed the people.

And that's exactly what he did!

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From Reno to Baltimore, there's way too much juicy news (and political drama) surrounding the Libertarian Party that we couldn't possibly fit it all into today's edition of LP in the News. That's why we have Even More LP in the News for you!

The Nevada Independent reports that 16 people in northern Nevada have applied to replace Sparks-area Assemblyman Mike Sprinkle after he resigned due to allegations of sexual harassment. One of those 16 is LP Nevada's own Wendy Stolyarov! We certainly wish her the best of luck in the selection process.

Ballot Access News reports that in neighboring Arizona, the LP sent a letter to a panel of three judges who heard the LP's election complaint on March 12, to clarify some details that were obscured during the testimony hearing.

For those who forgot, in a move worthy of Nicolas Maduro, the Arizona Republican Party sued the LP on a bogus claim that their candidate petition signatures weren't valid. The state government hastily agreed with the plaintiffs, and the entire LP slate was kicked off the ballot for the 2018 midterm election (Lines v. McCormick). They did this to guarantee a Republican victory in the US Senate race... which they still lost. Jonathan Lines may no longer be the AZ GOP chairman, but he's dreaming if he thinks he's off the hook for undermining the republican democracy that American soldiers have killed and died to protect. Because of this, the entire LP is perfectly committed to helping karma bite Lines in the backside at the worst possible moment for his party and for him.

Sad news came out of Colorado several weeks ago with the untimely passing of Boulder County LP Chairman Ralph Shnelvar. Mario Enrico wrote a beautiful obituary for Ralph which appeared in Think Liberty.

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The Libertarian Party has been making the news again! From Las Vegas to Atlanta, people are talking about our party and our activists. First, the State of Nevada recently assaulted the First Amendment when one of our own tried to defend it. An excellent article appeared this week in the Nevada Independent titled "In the county that claims Mark Twain, an irreverent online publisher faces off with a powerful developer over who is a journalist." It talks about LP Nevada's Sam Toll and his refusal as a citizen journalist to reveal his confidential sources to the government, and the government's desire to kill free speech and the right to privacy.

On the same topic, the Las Vegas Tribune says, "There is no such thing as a credentialed or card-carrying journalist. Unlike too many jobs in Nevada and the U.S. there is no government licensing of journalists. If you talk to two people you are a gossip. If you talk to three you are a journalist. But a Carson City judge apparently thinks the Nevada press shield law created the concept of a licensed journalist." In other words, the Nevada state courts officially believe in licenses to practice the First Amendment. 

LP Nevada was heavily involved in promoting a rally to end cash bail that was held Monday in front of the Clark County Court. “I think about the people who can’t get out of jail because they don’t have $450,” says activist Brandon Summers. “The inherent inequality in the criminal justice system should not exist, but it does. Those with money and resources can skate by, while those without will suffer. And that needs to change." Many thanks to the Las Vegas Review Journal and the Nevada Current for covering the rally!

Then, of course, there are updates to the circus that's the Libertarian Party 2020 presidential primary races!

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The Libertarian Party has been making the news again! LP Nevada was mentioned when both KTNV 13 (ABC News Las Vegas) and the Las Vegas Sun both ran articles about the Democrats coming out ahead of the GOP in Nevada's recent elections. We're no fans of the Democrats by any means, but this Democrat-controlled state government will have to work hard to top the Republicans in historic tax hikes. So by all means, let the Nevada GOP choke on its own karma.

In neighboring California, Libertarian Supervisor of Riverside County Jeff Hewitt is taking a leadership role in the new county committees assessing "the good and the bad" of local marijuana regulations. According to a Patch news article, Hewitt has previously shared the concerns of cannabis advocates about the cannabis licensing approval process. Right off the bat, electing Hewitt to county-level office might be one of the best things for humanity the LP has ever done.

Then, there's the ongoing circus called the 2020 presidential primaries!

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Legislative Roundup #2 March 3rd, 2019

Greetings from Gold Hill. This week I finally felt like I was able to get my feet under me as I went to the Capital. I went to several hearings to testify for and against bills wending their way through the Legislative process and met with several Assembly members and Senators surrounding several bills.

As of today, there are 526 bills up for consideration. Some of them are good, some are bad, and some are ugly. I am working with the Nelis software to navigate the bills that require the scrutiny of the Libertarian Party of Nevada.

There were three bills that I testified on this week.

AB 165 – Death with Dignity

On Monday I testified at the Health and Human Services hearing on AB165. This bill deals with enacting a law that would allow a person to receive a prescription that they would administer to end their life in the face of a terminal illness where they have 6 months or less to live.

Many people at the end of their lives are given morphine which acts as respiration inhibitor, while others are taken off life support and allowed to starve or dehydrate to death. This bill provides a compassionate way for a terminally ill patient to end their pain and suffering by their own hand. It contains the proper safeguards to prevent a greedy relative to influence the decision and requires the patient to administer the drugs by their own hand.

We support this bill because it speaks to the concept of self-ownership. We feel that we should be able to chart our own course throughout life and with this grave decision as we face the end of our journey.

Feel free to reach out to the members of the committee hearing this bill and tell them how you feel: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

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The Libertarian Party made national headlines a few days ago relating to the Robert Kraft prostitution scandal. Once the news broke about how the Patriots owner was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute, the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts publicly responded by condemning the arrest on the grounds that sex work and being a client of sex work should not be a crime.

According to the Metro West Daily News, LP Massachusetts state chair Jeff Lyons said, “The Libertarian Party has always asserted that consenting adults should be able to exchange whatever goods and services they wish, so long as both parties willingly agree to the terms. It should be pointed out that had Robert Kraft been in Nevada, this would have been a legal activity.”

That's almost true.

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Inside and outside of elections, Libertarians are making the news across Nevada and the US!

One of our hometown heroes, Robert "Vegas Don" Strawder was recognized by KTNV 13 (ABC News Las Vegas) for putting together and hosting the Inaugural Vegas Teen Choice Talent Showcase, a talent show for at-risk teens to experience validation for using their energies creatively and productively.

KTNV's Cinthia Maldonado writes, "The... Showcase did more than recognize talent in Las Vegas. It reminded at-risk teens they can overcome any barrier regardless of where they come from." When interviewed, Strawder commented, "I know a lot of kids out there don't have a father figure, don't have the right parenting system. I’m just giving them an outlet to showcase their talents and make them believe themselves. Believing is the hard battle."

Up in Northern Nevada, our party Vice Chairman David Colborne proved in the Nevada Independent that he's dedicated enough--and crazy enough--to read all the Assembly bills in Nevada. It's actually a big deal to have Libertarians staying on top of the bills and who are close enough to the stat capital to holler at the legislators, and it does make a difference.

Now, let's get to what everyone really wants to read about: the 2020 presidential election!

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Traducido de un comunicado de prensa del Partido Libertario nacional

En un discurso en Miami el 18 de febrero, el presidente Donald Trump abordó la crisis humanitaria en curso en Venezuela. Señaló correctamente que el pueblo de Venezuela está afligido por la enfermedad del socialismo tiránico, una enfermedad sociopolítica introducida por el fallecido presidente Hugo Chávez y ahora incubada por el presidente Nicolás Maduro. A pesar de tener el diagnóstico correcto, Trump no entiende la cura cuando sugiere que "todas las opciones están sobre la mesa" para una posible intervención de EEUU.

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Greetings and welcome to the first Libertarian Party of Nevada’s Legislative Roundup.

Our Legislative Director Wendy Stolyarov introduced me last week and I am filing my first report from the field. Last year Wendy sent comprehensive weekly updates from Carson City and I look forward to providing you with updates that summarize the weekly events of the Legislature as they relate to Libertarian perspectives.

From a Libertarian perspective, Nevada has perhaps the best Legislative structure. Unlike many states, Nevada meets every other year for 120 days to consider legislation. This means that they really have to work hard and fast to impose laws that may reduce our ability to live freely.

Compared to our neighbor to the west where over 1115 bills have been proposed since January 1, 2019, this year Nevada’s Senate has 169 bills under consideration while the Assembly has 171. All the Bill Draft Resolutions have been submitted, so it’s unlikely we will see others added to the list. In 2017-2018, California introduced 5617 bills and passed 2552(!) of them into law.

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The Libertarian Party has been making major headlines in the last two weeks. In today's edition of 'LP in the News!' there were too many stories to include in one article, but they're still stories we can't pass up on sharing!

First, Bloomberg talked extensively about libertarianism and the LP in "Seven Fixes for American Capitalism." Peter Coy et al. write, "Devotees of small government were stirred by candidate Trump’s vow to “drain the swamp” and pull U.S. troops out of foreign quagmires. But President Trump, with his tariffs and deficits, has proved to be “the opposite of a libertarian,” the Libertarian Party declared in March. Still, the free-market purists aren’t giving up the fight."

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Los medios de comunicación en español no han sido amables con la marca libertaria recientemente, pero eso es nuestra culpa. Nosotros, los libertarios norteamericanos, hasta ahora, no hemos llegado a los hispanohablantes. Este es un intento de hacerlo y de responder preguntas sobre nosotros en las noticias.

Primero, La Vanguardia describió incorrectamente al secuaz de Trump, Roger Stone, como un libertario. Su apoyo a Trump y al muro traicionan el nacionalismo xenófobo a través del cual los conservadores norteamericanos están dispuestos a detener el libre flujo de trabajadores y, por lo tanto, dañar la economía.

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The Libertarian Party made headlines around the country with their efforts to clean up America's National Parks during the partial government shutdown. The Libertarian Party of Nevada's cleanup of one of Lake Mead's south shores was covered by CBS 8 (a.k.a. Las Vegas Now). North Carolina's Libertarians and their cleanup effort was covered by Spectrum News.

Sadly, Tennessee's Libertarian volunteers were approached by unpaid park rangers with Stockholm Syndrome and asked to stop cleaning Shiloh National Military Park, the site of the major Civil War battle.

"Every other effort to clean up the national parks, from Washington, D.C., to Yosemite, has been fine," Tennessee Delta Region Libertarian Party Co-Leader Victoria Lee said to the Jackson Sun. "But when we went to Shiloh, we were told we were not allowed to clean up the park."

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Key Facts on Nevada’s Spending Problems

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The Hanford Sentinel gave a shout-out to the Libertarian Party's volunteer efforts to clean up unstaffed national parks during the federal government shutdown. Kalish Morrow, chair of Libertarian Party of Kings County, said that "since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22, some Libertarian groups around the nation that have volunteered to help pitch in with cleaning up, such as around the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and Lake Mead in Nevada." (Kryssi Wichers and the LP Ohio crew were covered by ABC 6 Columbus for cleaning up Hopewell National Park.) 

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LAS VEGAS (11 de enero 2019) - Anoche, el Comité Ejecutivo del Partido Libertario de Nevada votó para aprobar esta resolución:

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LAS VEGAS (Jan 11, 2019) - Last night the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Nevada voted to pass the following resolution:

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In a laughably sad display of sophomoric behavior, President Trump, Vice President Pence, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi met in the White House earlier this week to play politics in front of the press. In a flurry of interruptions and one-upman/womanship, they managed to embarrass themselves and the nation. You can watch it (if you can stomach it) here.

The topic of conversation boiled down to President Trump threatening to shut down the government if he doesn’t get Democrats to pay for the wall he thinks the American people want. Speaker of the House Pelosi and President Trump sniped back and forth about funding the wall and owning the pending shutdown. Vice President Mike “Stuffed Doll” Pence watched intently but remained otherwise irrelevant, as is customary.

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Al fin de la última semana, publicaron el anuncio del insurgente miliciano Ammon Bundy apoyando a los refugioados hondureños de la caravana muy fuerte debatida. Ammon Bundy es un miliciano insurgente y ex-alzado que se ha afrentado a la policia federal militarizada en dos ocasiones, rebelando en contra del robo gobernal de tierras privadas y asalto de los derechos de rancheros.

La primera vez afrentó a los federales en la Nevada cuando empezaron a ocupar tierras de los Bundy y confiscando cuyas vacas. La segunda vez, dirigió una ocupación de tierras conservatorias federales en Oregon en manifestación contra la encarcelación de rancheros oregüenses. Esta vez, tiene algo sorprendiente que decir.

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¿Qué harías si la gente iniciara una campaña para despedirte de tu trabajo? ¿Qué harías si intentaran quitarte la licencia estatal para que nunca pudieras volver a trabajar en esa carrera? Durante los últimos tres días, el Dr. Kyle Varner ha estado siendo atacado por los progresistas que están tratando de hacer precisamente eso.

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What would you do if people started a campaign to get you fired from your job? What would you do if they tried to take away your state license so you could never even work in that career again? Over the last three days, Dr. Kyle Varner has been under attack by progressives who are trying to do just that.

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En Star Wars: Los últimos Jedi, el fantasma de Yoda le dice al anciano Luke Skywalker que los propios fracasos son la mejor lección que un maestro puede transmitir a un estudiante. Estoy completamente de acuerdo con esa lección.

Nunca me senté a tomar un café y tener una discusión honesta con el libertario legendario, el congresista Ron Paul, pero fui un voluntario con un rango y deberes en la campaña, e hice muchos esfuerzos por él en varios estados. Durante todo el tiempo, mantuve mis ojos y oídos abiertos durante años para poder transmitir estas lecciones.

Nada de lo que voy a decir es un rechazo o una condena del Dr. Paul. Escribo estas críticas para que podamos aprender, mejorar y nunca dejar que estos errores frenen de nuevo el movimiento libertario.

Nada puede subestimar mi admiración por el Dr. Paul, el hombre, su trabajo y su mensaje. Déjame ser el primero en argumentar que el mundo es inequívocamente un lugar mejor debido al trabajo que ha realizado. Dicho esto, creo que sus propios fracasos de liderazgo son, en última instancia, lo que dificultó sus posibilidades de ser Presidente de los Estados Unidos. Los mismos problemas también socavaron al resto de nosotros. Si las personas se sorprenden o se avergüenzan de leer esto, entonces han sido víctimas de sus propias ilusiones ideales de los héroes que ven en la televisión. Recuerda, los seres humanos son falibles.

Ahora aquí está lo que hizo mal.

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Editors Note: While Ron Knecht is a Republican, he remains a friend of the LPN and holds dear many Libertarian Party principals. This article proves just that. Ron was recently defeated in the elections earlier this month and will be sorely missed.

Time for Federal Prohibition of Cannabis to End

Nevada Republicans suffered a significant setback in last month’s elections, despite good efforts, and we need to revisit some issues.  We won’t change our principles, but it’s time to square those principles with some changed facts on the ground.

Let’s start with marijuana.

Consistent with Republican “leave us alone” principles that oppose federal micromanagement of people’s lives, it’s time for the federal government to make cannabis legal and get out of the way of the states on such matters.

The President and Republicans in congress should lead the way.

The first action is simple: the federal government should reclassify cannabis.  It should not be a schedule one drug.  Let’s even go this far: completely decriminalize cannabis at the federal level.

With Republicans running point on the issue.

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The midterm general election was already over two weeks ago, but Libertarians and the Libertarian Party have been making the news across the country! From Washington DC to Montana to sunny Las Vegas, people are either applauding us or blaming us for their embarrassing losses.

LP Nevada's own David Colborne published an excellent op-ed in the Nevada Independent about LP Nevada's immediate and future plans. It's also worth noting that "...the Republican Party may become even more irrelevant in Nevada than it is in California," Colborne writes. "So what’s a Libertarian to do? Celebrate, of course. That’s right — celebrate." Every Republican loss is an opportunity for Libertarians to succeed and advance. The Democrats will likely raise taxes, but so what? The Democrats don't kick the LP off the ballot like the Republicans did in Arizona. Besides, Nevada Republicans are already responsible for the biggest tax increase in the history of the state, so the Democrats will have to work hard to be worse. 

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PARA PUBLICACIÓN ABIERTA

Nota del traductor: Dennis Hof alcanzó la fama como el protagonista de la programa de realidad de HBO, 'Catwalk' ('Cathouse' en EEUU) sobre la industria de los burdeles. En 2018 hizo campaña por un asiento en la asamblea estatal. Murió tres semanas antes de las elecciones generales, pero se robó los titulares internacionales cuando ganó su elección a pesar de estar muerto.

Por: David Colborne

Con el reciente fallecimiento de Dennis Hof, varios obituarios les recordaron a todos que dirigió una campaña fallida contra James Oscarson en 2016 como Libertario. Posteriormente, abandonó públicamente el Partido Libertario, se unió al Partido Republicano, corrió nuevamente contra Oscarson (esta vez en la primaria republicana) y ganó. Ahora, la Guía para votantes de 2018 recientemente publicada por el Partido Libertario de Nevada describe a Dennis Hof de esta manera:

"Preferí a este candidato cuando no estaba tocando ante la multitud de “Trump" para ser elegido. La gente de Pahrump sabe lo que quiere, y merece hacerlo bien y con ganas".

Entonces, ¿cómo pasó Dennis Hof de ser uno de los candidatos más exitosos que el Partido Libertario presentó en la boleta electoral en Nevada a obtener dos estrellas de las cinco como el ‘Trump de Pahrump’ republicano antes de que muriera? ¿Y qué pueden aprender de él los aspirantes a candidatos libertarios? ¿Y qué hizo Hof por Nevada mientras estaba vivo?

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Politics in America has become a circus and a spectacle sport. While we in the Libertarian Party are wholly committed to fighting against the two party duopoly--progressive special interests vs. conservative special interests--we still have to appreciate the hilarity of some of the things we witness. Sometimes the best way to cope with crazy is to laugh, and these three events definitely earned some good laughs. They're also reasons why we don't take the two parties' "leadership" seriously.

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PARA DISTRIBUCIÓN PÚBLICA

Algunos partidarios y simpatizantes del Partido Libertario están desanimados después de las elecciones intermedias en Estados Unidos. Yo no. Yo estoy caminando en el aire ahora mismo.

El resultado más importante del martes es que la máquina de Trump ya no tiene mayoría en ambas cámaras del Congreso; los republicanos apenas ocuparon el Senado (51-49) y los demócratas tomaron la Cámara (223-197). El hecho de que ninguno de los dos partidos de programas de bienestar y de guerra sin fin controle el Congreso, ni pueda cumplir su agenda partidista, es la mayor victoria para la libertad humana. Ahora, hablemos del elefante en la sala: el desempeño del PL en esta elección.

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Some Libertarian Party members and supporters are disappointed after last night's midterm elections. I'm not. I'm walking on air right now.

The single most important outcome from Tuesday night is that the Trump machine no longer has a majority in both houses of Congress; the Republicans barely held the Senate (51-49) and the Democrats took the House (223-197). The fact that neither of the two welfare/warfare parties controls Congress, nor can ram their partisan agenda through, is the single greatest win for human freedom. Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the LP's performance in this election.

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PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA

7 de noviembre 2018

Las elecciones del 6 de noviembre trajeron varias victorias significativas para el Partido Libertario, incluyendo ganar carreras locales para cargos públicos en la Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota y Tennessee. Incluso en algunos estados sin un candidato ganador, los totales de votos libertarios fueron lo suficientemente altos como para asegurar el acceso a la boleta electoral del partido para futuras elecciones en Indiana, Massachusetts, Nueva York, Oklahoma, Wyoming y el Distrito de Columbia, lo que permitirá que los futuros candidatos se centren en sus campañas en lugar del costoso y minucioso proceso de calificación de la petición. Las iniciativas de boletas de inclinación libertaria también se aprobaron en varios estados, incluida la marihuana medicinal en Missouri y Utah y la marihuana recreativa en Michigan.

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Robert Strawder is the talk of the town in Las Vegas. Known as 'Vegas Don' in hip hop circles and celebrated for being a member of Digital Underground, Strawder is taking his message of freedom to the urban community. Just days ago, Robert Strawder was featured in Africa Informer magazine. The Libertarian Party of Nevada is thrilled that an LP candidate is being covered for his run for office, especially in a culture magazine that targets a demographic the LP has a tough time reaching.

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Korean leaders Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in met last Friday and declared a historic peace compact between the two countries. While other attempts have been made in the past, this marks the best hope for peace in the Korean Peninsula in 65 years. 

This is hopeful news for everyone around the world. One less place where nuclear war could erupt. 

Despite the investment Americans have made in Korea, both in terms of lives lost and money spent, very little has been made of this effort in the Mainstream Media.

Instead, we have been inundated with the Kavanaugh hearings which have devolved into a partisan inferno of vile attacks on both sides of the political duopoly aisle. 

As a reformed liberal, I left the Democrat Party when they left me. Marching as a child against the Vietnam War, I took comfort in the notion that the Democrat Party was the party of peace. Weary of the endless war policies escalated during George W. Bush's administration, I welcomed the message that Barak Obama carried with him during his election campaign.

I was furious when he doubled down on all the worst things about Bush's warmongering (drone strikes in particular) and walked back his promise to close Guantanamo.

I became a Libertarian because the Libertarian Party has always been the Party of Peace. We have consistently called for the ending of overseas military operations and the closing of overseas bases. There is no reason for American troops to be in Japan or Germany as they have since the end of WWII. As Libertarians, we call for the closing of bases and the return of American troops from Korea as soon as we can.

If you are against endless war for profit and our ever-growing global military presence while maintaining the most powerful defensive military in the world, consider joining us.

Early voting is only 17 days away and the deadline to register to vote is upon us.

Click here to register to vote online. I ask you to consider joining us, the party of peace, by registering or changing your party affiliation today.

Together you and I can make this world a more peaceful place.

Robert Strawder, known to thousands by his hip hop name 'Tha Vegas Don', quite simply is the man.  For starters, the hip hop artist and guerrilla filmmaker entered his indie film Checkmate to the Silver State Film Festival in Las Vegas, where he brought home the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.  Robert Strawder is also a member of the hip hop group Digital Underground, and squeezes performances in between making movies and music videos.

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Greg "Shock G" Jacobs, known for being the front man of Digital Underground and a co-producer of several Tupac hits, has endorsed Robert Strawder for U.S. Congress.  Robert "The Vegas Don" Strawder is also a hip hop artist and a fellow member of Digital Underground, and running for House of Representatives on the Libertarian ticket. 

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But What about Your Fiduciary Duty?

When Ron was a Nevada higher education regent, his board met one time at Lake Tahoe for a retreat.  An interesting development there yielded an important insight.

Public bodies occasionally hold such events, in which there are no business items on the agenda.  They do so to build relationships among board members, staff and some stakeholders, in this case faculty and staff in universities and colleges.  Usually, they’re held in bucolic or otherwise pleasant settings to promote congeniality.

It all sounds very good: building bridges, esprit, morale, understanding – even solidarity.  Folks can share insight, air differences and come to see each other’s viewpoint in comfortable informal non-threatening give-and-take sessions.  Without any formal business to consider, they don’t have to keep minutes, record votes, etc. and can thus talk with candor, not restraint.

Some sessions are led by a “facilitator”, generally a leader in the field from another town or state. Typically, they are provided by a professional association and trained in leading such groups.  Facilitators reflect the orthodox viewpoints of the association that provides them and thus of the stakeholders the associations represent.

One Lake Tahoe session was led by a former state college president, a woman who had a long career in higher education, especially in administration.  The key moment came in a discussion when she suggested that regents (and other officials on governing boards) have a duty to line up behind a board decision once a vote is taken and not continue to press their dissenting views when they lose a vote.  Once a policy or other decision is determined, she said, everyone should get on board and sell it to the public.

Ron disagreed.  He noted he had made rigorous arguments against the funding formula the board had adopted that was illogical and unfair to community colleges.  Because most regents were advocates for the two universities, no one had even tried to answer his arguments on the merits.  They had no answers for the correct points he raised.  Instead, they used the brute force of a self-interested majority to adopt the flawed formula.

Ron said he would have no integrity in arguing for what had become the company line when he had made compelling arguments against it that had gone unanswered.  So, he would continue to make his points not because he represented a district with a community college, but because the position was right and in the broad public interest.

Ultimately, the exasperated facilitator shrieked, “But what about your fiduciary duty?” It was a tyranny-of-words gambit intended to make the dissenter meekly shut up.  And the chancellor said it was time to move the discussion to the next topic.

Ironically, the facilitator had asked exactly the right question, but Ron didn’t get to explain why her implication was wrong.  The ultimate issue was, indeed, an official’s fiduciary duty.  But the key question was: To whom is the fiduciary duty owed?  Many stakeholders – i.e., special interests – want public officials to represent them and advocate their interests.

In their view, regents should carry the water for faculty, staff and students.  For K-12 and many other matters, this degenerates to: “Do it for the children!!”  Which really means for the adults.

But however sweet that proposition might sound to so-called stakeholders, regents are the governing board of higher education, not advocates for those special interests.  Regents (and other public officials) are elected by voters to represent the people and the broad public interest, so their fiduciary duty is owed to the voters, taxpayers (who pay the bill) and public interest.

Decades ago, the term “stakeholders” was invented as part of public choice theory to explain interest groups in politics and forces to which decision-makers respond.  Over time, special-interest advocates argued for selfish reasons that stakeholders should be treated on a par with the people, voters, taxpayers and broad public interest.

That is the ultimate corruption of politics and governance because it’s how special interests prey upon the broad public interest.  And it is the bastardization of sound theory.

All bodies, public and private, are vulnerable to such go-along-to-get-along non-logic, and many fall for it, especially in education, legislatures and big business.  That’s the problem, not the solution.

Ron Knecht is Nevada Controller.  James Smack is Deputy Controller.

American politics is a circus. We're still 2 and a half years out from the 2020 general election, but LP Nevada brings you the early scoop on the 2020 Libertarian presidential candidates.

The huge difference between Candidate Trump’s campaign promises and President Trump’s executive actions will be a blessing for America’s third largest political party. Libertarians, Democrats, countless independents, and a numberless minority of Never Trump Republicans already can’t wait to replace the President and his Cabinet of Breitbart correspondents. As of March 2018, these are the likely contenders for the Libertarian Party’s nomination for President in 2020.

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John Calvin Coolidge Jr., our 30^th President, 1923-1929, was perhaps America’s most under-rated chief executive.  He was a man of few words, decisive action and a dry sense of humor.

“Silent Cal” was born on the Fourth of July in 1872 in Vermont, the son of a prominent local farmer, general store owner, postmaster and politician.  He was the only president born on Independence Day, although three former presidents died on the Fourth.

His father, John Sr., served as a justice of the peace and Vermont legislator.  His mother and only sibling both died by the time Coolidge was 15, but his father lived past 80.

Coolidge moved to Massachusetts, where he spent his pre-presidential years, when he enrolled at Amherst College.  His early career was spent in the Pioneer Valley on the Connecticut River, apprenticing at a Northampton law firm to avoid the cost of law school.  His political activities began there too.

Unlike today, the Republican Party was the dominant party in Massachusetts politics at that time.  Coolidge started his political career campaigning for Republican William McKinley for president in 1896, and caught the attention of the local Republican committee in the process.  Two years later, he was elected to the Northampton city council, and subsequently two terms as city solicitor (city attorney).

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For immediate release…

Las Vegas, Nevada (Monday, March 5, 2018) - On March 3rd, 2018, at the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Libertarian Party of Nevada (LPN) nominated candidates for partisan public office. These candidates include Jared Lord for Governor, Timothy Hagan for US Senate, Robert Strawder for CD1, Steven Brown for CD3, and Gregg Luckner for CD4.

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Last August 9, law professors Amy Wax and Larry Alexander published an article, “Paying the Price for the Breakdown of the Country’s Bourgeois Culture,” in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It began:

“Too few Americans are qualified for the jobs available.  Male working-age labor-force participation is at Depression-era low.  Opioid abuse is widespread.  Homicidal violence plagues inner cities.  Almost half of all children are born out of wedlock, and even more are raised by single mothers.  Many college students lack basic skills, and high school students rank below those from two dozen other countries.”

To most folks, that’s a straightforward a list of some ills now affecting American society.  In academe, it’s not politically correct and it may offend.

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Another school shooting, more “thoughts and prayers”. These words are followed by more rhetoric, dogmatic talking points, and the same recommended “solutions”.

Violence in our schools and neighborhoods is not the only issue suffering from this type of tired response. Immigration, taxes, medical care, affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure, are just a few more. Partisan rhetoric, the same talking points, and the same “solutions” are presented. Since the current election process rewards maintaining divisiveness, there are not real conversations on “solutions”.

But are the “solutions” being presented, dogmatic and repetitive as they are, really solutions to the problem? No, they are merely band-aids addressing symptoms. Even if discussion takes place and remedies implemented, the issues never seem to go away, the remedies don’t last, and the problem “keeps on giving”.

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Ron Johnson, boxing world champion and proud Libertarian, became the World Boxing Council's mandatory challenger after scoring an impressive 2nd Round Knockout on Saturday Night!

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By James Pesutich

With so much misinformation floating out there, if Libertarians want to make a change in this country, we need to explain the public and private sector. We need to distinguish between pure capitalism and fiscal conservatism and cronyism and corruption. Many millennials have a negative perception – and I don’t blame them- about capitalism but what they are seeing, as former presidential candidate Ron Paul has said, is really corporatism and cronyism disguised as Capitalism.

Capitalism allows individuals to trade freely with each other with peace and prosperity. In capitalism, you are rewarded for your efforts, but if you “steal’ or “subsidize” to get or keep your riches, you are rejecting capitalism and fiscal responsibility.

No matter what, the rich get richer anyways. But let’s focus on the bottom level to receive the opportunity. Capitalism IS about opportunity. Of course, you have billionaires who hoard a lot of money instead of paying their “fair share.” However, if the money belongs to them, it is their decision where to put (or not put) their money.

The Raider Stadium will look magnificent, I’m sure. However, it is a monument that will personify the confusion between public and private money. When I was young, I didn’t understand taxes and subsidies and welfare and everything else. I am not saying I totally understand it, but I have a much better understanding of the concepts.

The public sector is tied to the government. The government collects money and it is put in the public treasure “chest.” The city is building a stadium for the Raiders. Well, where is the money coming from? If it is coming from private money and private individuals, fine. However, if it is coming from the taxpayers through an increase in vehicle registration fees or any other “vehicle” (excuse the pun) or any other deceitful tactic, then this is a problem.

When I decided to become a teacher, I paid for my fingerprints, license fees, and tuition. And so did countless other teachers. We did not ask for public assistance and a for-profit organization really has no business asking.

Yes, the stadium will bring in revenue and jobs. Fair enough. However, If I opened a business, I would bring in revenue and jobs, but I would still have to pay my fees, rent, etc.

The private sector consists of small businesses and small and large corporations. Now as a taxpayer, I am proud to contribute to help pay for the military and other necessary government services and benefits. However, if I am helping the cost of a stadium where millionaires are going to play, I have a right to express my disdain. The fact that I watch and support sports is beside the point. Don’t invade our public treasure chest!

We should rely solely on private money! If or when I decide to visit the stadium, I will pay for parking, food, and souvenirs. Believe me, it will be a good investment with private money.

The millennials for the most part embrace socialism. Many young people feel powerless and frustrated and tend to gravitate towards an ideology that helps take away some from the powerful. Well, if and ONLY if this project is financed in the present or future from taxpayers in any form, this stadium is Socialism disguised as Capitalism. Whether the millennials like it or not, it is wrong!

We need to separate the two. Now if you support Socialism, fine, but don’t force me to finance the dreams and projects of others, especially the financial “elite.”

The Libertarian Party is the champion of a healthy balance of fiscal responsibility and freedom. It’s not that some of us do not want an NFL franchise team here, but don’t “raid” (pun intended this time) our public treasure chest with guilt, cronyism, and deception!

By Doug Goodman

Are we witnessing the downfall of our society and oblivious to the fact? Over the past several years a new level of distrust, fear and outright hate has infected almost every aspect of our daily lives. This increasing tribal mentality is not based on racial differences, economic status, community location or age. It is founded on our political differences.

What has caused this? I do not believe we woke up one morning and decided anyone with a different opinion is evil. Elected officials did not decide on their own that taking extreme positions and ending all collaboration was the key to re-election. The media did not force anyone to “buy” biased reporting. In other words, who knows what made it all come together. But it did.

Polls have found that political party affiliation and the accompanying presumed opinions on issues influences who we keep as friends, how we treat our co-workers, whether we trust or respect our neighbors and our view of strangers. Partisan differences are the most divisive issue in our nation. The most recent Pew Research poll in December 2017 found 86 percent of those questioned believe there are very strong or strong conflicts between the political parties.

To read the rest of the article on The Nevada Independent, click here.

Doug Goodman is Founder and Executive Director of Nevadans for Election Reform.

Recently, Stanford’s Shelby Steele, one of the truly great thinkers and writers of our age, wrote the article: “Black Protest Has Lost Its Power.”

He noted the recent protests by black professional football players “were rather sad for their fruitlessness.”  Protestors “were figures of pathos, mindlessly loyal to a black identity that had run its course.”

He explained: “What they missed is a simple truth that is both obvious and unutterable: The oppression of black people is over with.  This is politically incorrect news, but it is true nonetheless.  We blacks are, today, a free people.”

He adds: “Of course this does not mean there is no racism left in American life.  Racism is endemic to the human condition, just as stupidity is.  We will always have to be on guard against it. But now it is recognized as a scourge, as the crowning immorality of our age and our history.”

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Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump have passed a landmark tax reduction and reform bill.  Democrats, mainstream media and other leftists are spreading misinformation about the effects.

Let’s set the record straight.

First, “The new law is larded with provisions custom-made for the rich and superrich while offering mere crumbs for the middle class.”  This version of a lie told by many comes from Democrat Alan Blinder, who also said, “it may be the most regressive” tax cut ever.

Even the very liberal Tax Policy Center admitted that the vast majority of taxpayers will see a tax cut or no change from the new law, while some of the rich will face increases.

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When they were young, they didn’t serve in the military in war or peace, active duty or reserve. When there was a draft they avoided it, and when they had a chance to volunteer they stayed far away from any recruiting station. But when they’re older they have feelings of guilt and try to compensate for their lack of service by becoming a Super Patriot.

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The Libertarian Party of Nevada condemns U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s retraction of the Cole Memo. We refuse to condone the federal government’s desire to penalize victimless “crimes,” or otherwise sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt into Nevada’s newest industry.

Secure link to official PDF.

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By Michael Schaus - Nevada Policy Research Institute

Fifty-four years ago this month, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the beginning of what would turn out to be America’s longest running war: the “War on Poverty.”

“This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America,” boomed Johnson, basking in the applause the grand declaration guaranteed him during his State of the Union Address.

That “war,” however, by its 50th anniversary had consumed more than $22 trillion in federal spending — while doing effectively nothing to lower the United States poverty rate.

Yet what deserves mention on this anniversary of Johnson’s “progressive” crusade is not simply its failure to cure poverty. Just as noteworthy is the stunning silence from big-government advocates regarding the war’s utter failure.

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As we get ready to ring in 2018 and say goodbye to 2017, we want to reflect briefly on the history of the New Year celebration and amuse you with some fun historical facts.

One of the most notable celebrations is that in Times Square in Manhattan.  This has been an annual event in New York since 1907.

Nearly every television station will broadcast the “ball drop” in Times Square: A large, lighted crystal ball sliding down a 77-foot pole over the course of the last minute of the year.  When the ball reaches the bottom, it is the New Year.

Hundreds of thousands of people make the trek to New York each year for this happening.  It is the signature event of the New Year’s Eve celebration in the United States, and it is broadcast throughout the country and the world.

But how did this celebration originate?

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Many joys come with Christmas and the holiday season.  Good food, the company of family and friends, observing the joy of children opening presents, good music and the anticipation of the new year to name just a few.

A special aspect of the season for us is the spirit of giving.  We use this time to provide more help than usual for both folks less fortunate and for charitable organizations that do good works in our communities.  We know we are blessed to have the means to do so.

Unfortunately, at least one vital organization in our community that relies on this time of year for most of its funding is not receiving as much as in past years.  That organization is the Salvation Army, which is assisted by organizations such as your local Kiwanis Clubs.

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The just-passed tax reform bill lowers the tax rate for all income groups and is estimated to result in an average $610 annual savings for middle-income Nevada families, according to an analysis from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.

One of the most powerful elements of the plan is the economic gains that will be achieved from its significant reduction in the corporate tax rate, with the Tax Foundation estimating that Nevada will see an additional 3,048 full-time jobs created as a result of the plan.

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