I was in this forum last year. I pretty much got hooked on Ron Paul, so I went to campaign for him, instead of becoming active in this party. Sorry about that. No one probably remembers me anyway lol. Anyway, he still has a chance, but I always wanted to come back and start where I left off in this party. I was supposed to attend your last convention, that was around the time I first started researching Ron Paul. I got hooked on him. We had a poll up on the old forum, I was the only "nay" vote against Ron Paul, I thought of him as a traitor to the cause, until I watched some of his videos and was converted to his candidacy. That Ron Paul stuff is addicting, I hope it didn't put much of a dent in the LP?

my prediction: I predict this year will be tough for the LP at the ballots, because of Ron Paul BUT I think Ron Paul woke up a lot of Americans to libertarianism, so I believe the Party WILL grow exponentially this year, especially the next.

I'm not in 100% agreement with Ron Paul, however, I support legalizing competition in currency, Ron Paul wants a gold standard. He should just want to legalize compeition, that way, people will have the choice o abandonining the USD when the government debases the currency, not have alternative money confiscated by the US Government. This, IMHO, gives incentive to the government to keep their currency strong.

I also don't think abortion is an issue for the state of NJ, I think it should be left to individuals. I believe Ron Paul would want to criminalize abortion, if he were a state official.

I also think we should leave borders to the states, not the federal government. If the states want to sustain welfare states, why should the government use tax money from other states, in order to clean up an issue that is stemming from the states that have welfarism. However, I think we should open the borders up AFTER we eliminate welfare at the state level, it's a long road.

No, I don't support any NAU I just think, if you eliminate the incentives to why we have this overwhelming problem with unhealthy immigration, you will then solve the problem at its core. We never had to be all gung-ho on the borders in the 19th century, why is that? Because it was HEALTHY immigration. Our economy was thriving.

Sorry for my lil ramble, that's what gets me in trouble on other forums lol. I know there are many Libertarians that lean to the right on the issue of immigration, it's just a disagreement in direction. Your anecdote to "illegal immigration" is to utilize the same policy that we use on the failure that is the "War on Drugs." We're trying to only treat the symptoms, without digging in to solve the entire problem.

I DO BELIEVE WE NEED TO SECURE OUR BORDERS but... the eventual goal should be to:

a. eliminate welfare

then, b. ease up on the borders, begin to allow healthy immigration; free trade and travel.

but not right now, of course not.

thanks

any Libertarian Party events coming up? What can I do? I'm bored.

Welcome back.

The Paul campaign has been amazing. It is the message that we really need to sell, not labels. I think that after the Paul campaign the party will see an large increase in membership. We need to let the meetup groups focus on spreading the libertarian message by spreading the word on Paul's campaign for now. But after super tuesday we must start to reach out to the Paul supporters.

I agree with you on immigration. Most of the Ron Paul supporters don't really understand immigration. I went to the NJ Republican Straw Poll. When another candidates rep stated that legal immigration is good for us and should be encouraged the Ron Paul supporters all booed. The silly thing is that even Ron Paul believes in legal immigration. A free market requires free movement of good AND labor.

I'm not aware of any official events other than our convention that is being planned for March 14th - 16th. Its going be a joint convention with the PA, NJ, and DE parties. Having a large convention will hopefully attract lots of LP presidential candidates so we can make a wise choice at the national convention in May.

We are looking for candidates for the November race. We will need congressional and senate candidates. I'm not sure if we should run someone against Sabrin, however he could possibly lose the primary leaving us with only statists to choose from.

Other ways to get involved is to get involved in your county libertarian organization. If your county isn't organized you can help to organize it.

If you like to write you can always contribute to the website or our monthly newsletter.

Jay

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I've been telling Ron Paul supporters that they should become Libertarians if Ron Paul doesn't win. Many, however, are thinking of "taking over" the GOP from the inside. I don't think that's a bad idea but I believe it's time for a third party. Most Libertarians aren't paleoconservatives, so they wouldn't mix well inside a reformed Republican Party. I think there's a big difference between traditional conservatives and libertarians.

1. I'm not anti-communist, I think communism is a flawed system. I'd still support free trade with a communist nation. Most paleocons HATE communists. It's like the "War on Terror" on communists with them.

2. paleocons tend to be anti-immigrant. I'm not.

3. most paleocons oppose Roe vs Wade because they're anti-abortion. I oppose it because I believe in state's rights, that's the way this country was constructed.

so yea, I think there's a big distinction to be made. Many Ron Paul supporters come from the Constitution Party, ever hear of them? They HATE homosexuals. They're like anti-war neocons lol.

I don't think of libertarians in terms of left and right, that's why I think the LP needs to come out as THE third party, not just a party that could steal votes away from a GOP contender. That's how the media marginalizes us.

libertarians / paleocons - I think there's a difference, do you? I think paleocons are the "old right," I don't see myself as being left or right, I'm fiscally responsible, socially tolerant.

I might be interested in running. How will that work?

Where will the convention be held? I'm probably only old enough for Congress.

I'm also interested in setting up, or joining, a county organization.

Writing? hm. I'm not exactly a columnist, but that sounds interesting

thanks

Exactly what is the position of the LP on immigration? Is it still for "open" borders? What does "open" mean exactly? If it means that we as a nation cannot make laws to regulate the human traffic across our borders, then this position is ridculous! Every country regulates immigration to some degree be it more open or more closed than ours. Whatever one's position on the laws that govern immigration, shouldn't we enforce it?

The last I heard we have 12 million illegal immigrants in this country right now. If they are illegal, why are they "entitled" to medical, education and welfare benefits at all? Doesn't this just encourge others to do the same?

It distresses me to see rallys in California and Texas where demonstators fly the Mexican flag on top of a US flag which has been turned upside down to indicate very clearly in my opinion, where their real loyalties lie.

Please let me know what you think about immigration and please give your suggestions as to what you think our national immigration policy should be. Thanks.

fastd wrote:

QUOTE:
Exactly what is the position of the LP on immigration?

No they are not for completely open borders. See LP Platform on Immigration. I agree with the platform. We can't have secure borders if our policy is overly restrictive. There are two many holes that can't be filled. Instead we need to encourage legal immigration.

fastd wrote:

QUOTE:
Whatever one's position on the laws that govern immigration, shouldn't we enforce it?

I've heard Ron Paul state the same thing. Just because something is the law is not a reason to enforce it. Should we also crack down on those who smoke a joint in the privacy of their own homes? How about sodomy in Georgia?

fastd wrote:

QUOTE:
The last I heard we have 12 million illegal immigrants in this country right now. If they are illegal, why are they "entitled" to medical, education and welfare benefits at all? Doesn't this just encourge others to do the same?

Now you are getting to the real problem, runaway welfare programs. Illegal immigration is just a symptom and a smokescreen that keeps us from the real problems.

fastd wrote:

QUOTE:
It distresses me to see rallys in California and Texas where demonstators fly the Mexican flag on top of a US flag which has been turned upside down to indicate very clearly in my opinion, where their real loyalties lie.

This distresses me as well. However I would object strongly against using the government to control anyone who does this. This first amendment protects this behavior.

I'm for sodomy in Georgia and smoking pot if that's what people want to do.This analogy doesn't wash. Laws should be enforced and bad laws like the ones you mention should be overturned.
And again, your reply doesn't state what the law should be or how it should be enforced, if at all.