New Jersey Libertarian Party

In a recent Star Ledger column, Paul Mulshine, argues that opponents of the current bill that raises the legal purchase age of tobacco products from 19 to 21 are “crackpot libertarians.” He makes an accurate and convincing argument that tobacco use is not good for anyone, and I certainly don’t condone the use of tobacco by anyone, regardless of age. However, mandating the use of government power to control the behavior of consenting adults is wrong.

The age of majority has traditionally been 18 in the United States. At 18 you can vote,  be treated as an adult in the criminal justice system and be be shipped off to a foreign country to fight a war for our politicians (even forcibly via conscription).  Yet at the age of 18 one can not make the choice of what they can do with their own bodies? It doesn't matter if the age of adulthood and responsibility is being dictated by the State or by the Federal Government. Either you own yourself, or as Mulshine is arguing, the government owns you.

Here in the United States of America, most of us take pride in following the laws passed by our politicians. Even laws we disagree with. There are certain cases when, out of protest against laws violating individual liberty, some people practice civil disobedience, but most of us are nonviolent and take that moral and legal standard as a given, most of us pay our taxes despite some of us disagreeing with how our tax dollars are spent and most of us adhere to regulations even despite some of us disagreeing with regulations imposed on us. In this sense, although many of us dislike the politicians- the ones who write and execute our laws- and although many of us do not respect them, we do respect the rule of law; we do respect the democratic process by which our politicians are either elected or subsequently appointed by those we elected; we do respect the fact that we are, for better or for worst, under their leadership.

We Americans are fortunate to live in a country where we can practice the religion of our choice, say whatever we want, own private property, keep a lot of our money, spend a lot of our money how we choose, vote for our politicians, persue our dreams, and generally, enjoy the luxury of feeling safe.

According to NJ.com, Somerset County shall be commencing a crackdown on peaceful people who have chosen not to wear their seat belts. The state has provided grants to towns across New Jersey for the purposes of initiating force against anyone caught not wearing their seat belt. Expect to see these shakedowns across the state.

The actual law (39:3-76-2) part j. reads: "A person who violates section 2 of this act shall be fined $20.00," yet the fine, as the photo shows, is often quite higher than this.

On May 18th, Don DeZarn, joined a group of speakers and peaceful protesters at Independence Hall for the Smokedown Prohibition V event. This is a monthly event sponsored by Philadelphia National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Philly NORML) and The Panic Hour. The event featured music, speakers, and 4:20 celebrations.

The police were peaceful at the four previous events, but they decided to initiate violence this time for unknown reasons. The gang members in blue rushed the stage and arrested six to ten individuals. They focused on the speakers and organizers. During the arrests the crowd chanted 'No Victim, No Crime!" In addition to Don, Adam Kokesh and N.A. Poe were also arrested. Don was charged and released. Adam and N.A. are still being held at the time of this writing. They have a hearing on Thursday and hopefully will get released then.

Don DeZarn is running for NJ State Assembly in the 14th District under the Libertarian banner.

Rahm Emmanuel commented that one should never let a good crisis go to waste.  He’s absolutely right.  Success demands decisive action when opportunities arise..

This is exactly what the Left does after every tragic public shooting incident and what they are doing in the wake of Sandy Hook. 

But the programs that gun control advocates advance do not make us safer; they just make us more vulnerable and more dependent upon government.  However, that is exactly what these programs are really intended to accomplish - to make us ever more dependent upon government.

The recent IRS scandal reminds us that the income tax was, is and will always be an immoral thing.  When it is progressive, it is even worse.

When you go to the grocery store, the movies, or anywhere else, no one asks how much money you make and then adjusts the price accordingly.  You pay whatever you believe that the fair price should be whatever your earning power.  Why should it be different when it comes to government services?

Let’s agree as reasonable people that, if government provides essential services, we, as its recipients, should pay for them.  Why then should those who are smarter, harder working or more productive pay more?  Many of America’s high earners achieved their success by astutely paying the most advantageous price for the goods and services that they acquire.  That is behavior that should be rewarded, not punished.

Petitioning for our candidates has begun! If you would like to help please contact me and I will get you a petition.

In the November 2013 elections eight candidates so far are looking to be on the ballot in the state of New Jersey under the Libertarian Party banner.

• Ken Kaplan of Parsippany for NJ Governor
• Don DeZarn of East Windsor for NJ State Senate
• Sean O'Connor of Hamilton for NJ State Assembly (14th District)  and
• Steve Uccio of East Windsor for NJ State Assembly (14th District)
• Patrick McKnight of Hillsborough for NJ State Assembly (16th District)
• James Gawron of Flanders for NJ State Assembly (24th District)
• Mick Erickson of West Orange for NJ State Assembly (27th District)

Originally published at newjersey.watchdog.org - republished under agreement. Investigative reporting by Mark Lagerkvist.

On television, Joseph Derrico pursues a monster truck on foot, pulls the driver out of the vehicle and tosses him to the ground. He is on truTV’s “Bear Swamp Recovery,” a reality show on vehicle repos by the “baddest towing team in Jersey.”

Yet Derrico collects a police disability pension of nearly $70,000 a year. In the eyes of the State of New Jersey, the retired Hamilton Township cop is “totally and permanently disabled” by a leg injury.  

No stranger to trouble, Derrico was a criminal defendant when he retired in 2010. A Mercer County grand jury indicted Derrico on a felony charge of theft by receiving stolen property.

The patrolman escaped with his pension intact – thanks to a secretive deal with Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini, who dropped the case when Derrico retired.

“No useful purpose would be served by further prosecution of this matter,” stated Bocchini in his motion for dismissal.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) died in the Senate yesterday, according to a statement from a representative of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The bill, which had already passed the House, would have allowed the government to snoop on private emails by granting companies the right to disseminate individuals’ sensitive, private information — like medical records — without their knowledge or consent.

Although CISPA likely won't be passed in its current form, Republicans and Democrats have a bad habit of resurrecting terrible Big Government legislation like this. This is the second year in a row that CISPA has been considered by Congress, and lawmakers have already said they're working on drafting new cybersecurity bills.

The Libertarian Party issued a release condemning CISPA earlier this week, which included this statement from Chairman Geoffrey J. Neale: "The provisions of CISPA are abhorrent and unacceptable in a free society. We must not only trash CISPA; we must repeal the Patriot Act, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and every other law that violates our Fourth Amendment rights."