News
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
After reading a Press of Atlantic City article that said that an employee in Atlantic City destroyed public records, I asked the Atlantic City Prosecutor to investigate the employee--Marisol Rosario--for a possible violation of the Destruction of Public Records Law, a crime of the third degree. See the letter and news article HERE.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Candidates and Elections
After 6 rounds of voting, Bob Barr has won the Presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party.
Learn more about Bob and his campaign at his website.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
The Mayor Found Drunk and Naked
A Former Mayor Hauled Off to Prison
A County Exec Nabbed in an FBI Sting
‘‘People always ask me how I spent my time in prison, and I say, ‘I just read a lot,'" Jerry tells me as we trundle along the Jersey City streets in his Volvo. "They would get you any book you asked for, so I ended up reading every title on the New York Times bestseller list," he explains with the tone of satisfaction one might detect in somebody who feels they've gotten a really good deal.
It's an overcast afternoon in northern New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan, and we're driving towards the prep school where Jerry now coaches boys track.
We pull up to the curb and he suggests we get out and chat on the sidewalk. Parked illegally, he proclaims "I don't get parking tickets" in his north Jersey accent before springing from the driver's seat.
Read the full article on Campaign & Elections: Politics Website.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Policy News
Testimonies Included Internationally Recognized Medical Expert Dr. Denis Petro, Chair of New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Patients Desperately Seeking Help and Their Families
Drug Policy Alliance, for Immediate Release: Thursday, May 22, 2008. Contact: Tony Newman 646-335-5384 or Roseanne Scotti 609-610-8243
Trenton, NJ
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
In a May 19, 2008 letter, Piscataway Township Clerk, Ann Nolan, backed away from her previously held position that $25 was the proper charge for a compact disc (CD) of a Township Council meeting. She agreed that the cost should be $1, which is closer to the actual cost of a blank CD.
Nolan's change of position came after the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project challenged the $25 charge. All relevant correspondence is on-line at the Open Government Task Force Site.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
I learned today that Salem County, New Jersey Prosecutor John T. Lenahan wrote a May 16, 2008 letter to every municipal clerk and municipal attorney in that county "strongly suggesting that [they] review the policies and procedures relating to [their] Open Public Meetings Act compliance [and that] full and complete compliance is absolutely necessary to avoid the possibility of monetary sanctions . . .".
Prosecutor John T. Lenahan credits the New Jersey Libertarian Party for prompting this action.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Student Rights
This evening the Upper Freehold Township Board of Education held its second drug testing forum. As reported earlier the school board is investigating (with lots of prodding from the Feds) implementing a random drug screening of all high school students. The Drug Policy Alliance of New Jersey, along with myself arranged to have a speaker present who could talk about the science behind drug testing. Dr. Steven Marcus gave a very intelligent discussion that contradicted much of what the board had been told earlier by Ms. Steffner, of the White House office of National Drug Control Policy.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
Court Says OPRA Request Is Valid Even If Identifying Data Is Minimal
By Maria Vogel-Short
New Jersey Law Journal
May 12, 2008An Open Public Records Act request specific enough to identify a dossier must be granted, even if the requester provides only a bare-bones description and some research by the responding agency is required, a Mercer County judge says.
Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg ruled that a request giving only a party's initials — since the name was not known — was limited in scope, sufficiently detailed and not unfairly burdensome.
Feinberg gave the state 10 days to produce the document and awarded counsel fees to the requester, John Paff of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project.
For the full story, click HERE (requires subscription!).
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
Today, on the NJLP's behalf, I asked the Union County Prosecutor's office to investigate Open Public Meetings Act violations committed by the Roselle Borough Mayor and Council. My letter to the Prosecutor starts at page 13 of the file that can be downloaded here.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Selected Blogs
Although I believe that taxation is theft, I would gladly support any tax reform plan as long as it substantially lowered tax rates or the total amount of taxes collected. I am not a critic of the FairTax because it doesn't do enough; I am a critic of the FairTax because it cannot be considered an incremental step toward lower tax rates or lower overall taxes. It is not even a step in the right direction. The FairTax is a cure worse than our diseased income tax system.
Read the full article on mises.org
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Candidates and Elections
Presidential candidate, Christine Smith, was interviewed by the North Virginia Patriots show.
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- Written by: Chip Mellor
- Category: Events
I'd like to invite you to see IJ in action in a major New Jersey eminent domain case. The case involves homeowners in Long Branch, NJ, who stand to lose their homes to a private developer seeking to build beachfront condos. Because New Jersey continues to be one of the worst abusers of eminent domain, this case is being closely watched across the nation.
UPDATE: Read more about it in a Asbury Park Press article. Say a prayer tonight for these homeowners!
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Selected Blogs
The following is an excerpt from Glenn Greenwald’s new book, Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics. The excerpt is drawn from Chapter Five entitled "Small-Government Tyrants":
Ever since Ronald Reagan famously declared in his 1980 inaugural address that "government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem," Republicans have masqueraded as the party of limited government. Its leaders reflexively pledge to keep government off the backs of regular, hardworking Americans. Homage is paid to the wisdom and insight of the American people, which, Republicans endlessly insist, is far superior to the judgment of government officials.
Read the entire article on lewrockwell.com.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Candidates and Elections
There is much excitement in some libertarian circles over the entrance of Bob Barr into the race for the Libertarian Party's nomination. Even the mainstream media has been reporting his candidacy, as well as that of Mike Gravel. Based on the way these men are covered, you would have thought that the party had previously planned not to run a Presidential candidate, or that it hasn't run a candidate in every Presidential race since it's founding. Nonetheless, many are thrilled with the idea that, if we nominate Bob Barr, this press coverage could continue. Others see the Barr candidacy as an opportunity to continue the energy of the Ron Paul campaign. I believe the excitement over the Barr candidacy is misplaced, will lead to disappointment, and that Barr should not receive the LP's Presidential nomination.
Read the entire article at LewRockwell.com
Subcategories
NJ Libertarian Blog
Imported from NJ Libertarian News from the published feed
Videos
This is a page of various videos that we have either created or found interesting. Be sure to check out and follow our YouTube page.
Open Government Advocacy Project
The Open Government Advocacy Project is a committee of the NJ Libertarian Party. Its goal is to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels of government. Articles posted here are a subset of the work of the committee. For more information visit the Open Government Advocacy Project blog.
If you would like to demand accountability and ensure that your local governing body or school board adheres to the Open Public Records Act we can help you request information from them. Contact John Paff, the project chair here.
Insight New Jersey
NJ government is huge and complex. Private industry is shrinking while the size and cost of government bureacracy continues to grow. The articles posted here provide a guide of the NJ State Government and can be used by citizens and candidates for office to evaluate what departments can be reduced drastically in size.
We'll start with just some of the departments and provide a breakdown on what they do (or purport to do), how many employees they have and how big their budget is.
Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project
The New Jersey Libertarian Party's Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project (“the Project”) seeks to get New Jersey municipalities to repeal loitering ordinances that should have been -- but were not -- repealed when the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice was enacted in 1979. The Project has successfully had loitering ordinances repealed in over 30 towns. For a summary listing of all the towns see Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project page.
Police Accountability Project
The Police Accountability Project is a committee of the NJ Libertarian Party. Its goal is to search out cases of police misconduct, file former Internal Affairs (IA) complaints when appropriate, and to publicize violations of rules and laws by the police. There may be other stories posted on the NJLP Police Internal Affairs Complaint Blog page.
If you would like to help or know of a case we should be looking at, contact the committee at
Legislative Affairs Committee
The Legislative Affairs Committee was created to allow a select core of Volunteers to take action on legislation and policies which directly affects the people of New Jersey.
[INTRO VIDEO - HOSTED ON NJLP STATE YOUTUBE AND EMBEDED HERE]
Staff
Legislative Director and Committee Chair
Volunteers: