Six candidates for the Libertarian Party's Presidential nomination debate at the Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City, Mo, on April 5,2008. Moderator is Mike Ferguson.

Candidates present were Senator Mike Gravel, Michael Jingozian, George Phillies, Wayne Allen Root, Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, and Christine Smith.

A recent report released by an auditor shows that current state health care programs for the poor are mismanaged on a criminal level due to possible corruption and outright laziness. This is what you must expect from a state government agency. These are bureaucrats who have no interest in helping the poor but rather in keeping their own jobs and fat pensions. This is another reason for having programs like this managed by charities rather than the government.

John Crowley has made his final decision on whether or not to run for Senate and that answer is no. Where does this leave the rest of the candidates at? It leaves Andy Unanue in a weaker position he was at to begin with. His support was ready to abandon him for Crowley and he himself was preparing to drop out of the race to make way for Crowley. Now that Crowley has decided to not enter the race Unanue has exposed himself as being purely a stand-in with pockets filled with money.

Here is how the race stands as far as county endorsements:

The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control spent nearly $650,000 to install new computer software to track liquor licenses, but according to a state audit report it still doesn't work. The whole system, along with the installation, is supposed to cost $1 million and it can't perform a simple task like track liquor licenses. I can do that with a pretty simple filing system and the government is planning to spend a million dollars to perform such a simple task.

The Somerset County Republican Organization has informed Murray Sabrin that if he cannot promise them that he is not running an alternate slate of freeholder candidates he cannot participate in their screening process. In other words if he doesn't play ball with the Republican county establishment then he is not welcome. This brings up a question that many independently thinking people ponder: is it better to follow one's own political beliefs if it leads them to a third party or to try to reform one of the two major political parties from the inside?

One by one, towns repeal their loitering ordinances

In response to a request from the Libertarian Party, the Borough of Butler, in Morris County, has agreed to repeal its loitering ordinance. The LP's letter to the Borough, the Borough's response and draft repealer ordinance, as well as the ordinance itself is HERE

As citizen oversight of government grows, public agencies are resisting the oversight. One of the ways public agencies resist oversight is by threatening to sue members of the public who exercise their rights. These types of lawsuits are called “SLAPP” lawsuits – Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that will give the FDA full regulatory control over the tobacco industry. If the bill passes it is expected to dramatically reduce tobacco marketing, ban many flavored cigarettes, and prohibit the labeling of cigarettes as “light” or “low-tar.” It makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that the government would care for me so much that it would protect me from the evil tobacco industry. I guess flavored cigars will be next on the chopping block.