Document:New York Newsletter April 2000 Free New York

FREE NEW YORK APRIL 2000 Circ. 1440

CONTENTS

Inside This Issue

John Lott, Harry Browne Page 1

Cooper for State Chair Page 3

Martin on Campaigns Page 4

And More . . .

Address Changes

All address changes/corrections should be sent to:

The Libertarian Party Watergate Office Building 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20037

SEND YOUR ARTICLES Let your fellow libertarians know what you are doing to further the cause of liberty in New York.

Elections and Party politics come first. But we will consider other stories of interest to libertarians.

To Contact Free New York US Mail Jeff Doty P.O. Box 27 Cuba, NY 14727

Phone: (716) 372-8232

Fax: (716) 968-9087 - 24 hrs

E-mail: FreeNY@Prodigy.net

Where's Harry?

Prof. John Lott to be Luncheon Speaker

Prof. John R. Lott, Jr., author of More Guns, Less Crime (Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws), will be the luncheon speaker at our annual convention on April 29 in Yonkers. The often contentious debate about gun control laws is usually centered on whether gun ownership makes our society more violent or more secure. Prof. Lott has performed the most thorough study yet on gun control laws. He has shown that when citizens are given the freedom to legally carry concealed weapons, the rate of violent crime drops. Furthermore, the more populous a region is, the greater the effect on crime reduction. Prof. Lott will talk about his study, and some of the reaction to it from those who insist that guns make our society more violent.

Harry Browne Will or Won't He?

As of March 13, Harry Browne still hadn't decided on whether or not he will be attending our convention. Two other states, Alaska and Washington, also have their conventions on April 29. Apparently there is some discussion on just where Mr. Browne should go. You can check our website (http://ny.lp.org) for the latest info.

U.S. Senate Race

The selection of our candidate for U.S. Senate should prove to be interesting this year. Three Libertarian Party activists have shown some interest in the nomination. They are William P. McMillen from Delmar, Richard A. Cooper from Westbury, and John Clifton from Jamaica. In addition, Tom Loughlin, Jr. of the Independence Party is also interested in the nomination and will be at the state convention to explain why he believes we should endorse him. His website, which includes his platform, is at http:// www.senatortom.com

Proposed Agenda

8:00-9:00 Registration

9:00-9:15 Welcome (by Chair Dave Harnett)

9:15-9:45 Selection of delegates, electors, committee on vacancy

9:45-10:00 Speaker (TBA)

10:00-10:15 Nominations for State Committee

10:15-10:45 Break

10:45-11:00 Election of LPNY officers

11:00-11:30 Speaker - Workshop

11:30-12:30 Lunch with Speaker (John Lott, Jr.)

Afternoon will be filled with speakers/workshops

6:00 PM Dinner Speaker (TBA) and Fundraiser

The Libertarian Party of New York presents 2000 State Convention at the Royal Regency Hotel in Yonkers 165 Tuckahoe Road (exit 6 off of I-87) April 29, 2000 To register for the convention, contact the LPNY at : LPNY P.O. Box 728 Bellport, New York 11713

You can also contact Audrey Capozzi-Pappaeliou at: (631) 286-7631 or 1 (800) 204-6209 option #2.

Or e-mail her at: Audgeo@aol.com.

If registered by:

After Feb 15: Lunch - $33 Dinner - $52 Both - $79 Speakers Only $23 $27 $49

At Door: Lunch - $40 Dinner - $55 Both - $89 Speakers Only $30 $40 $59

Rooms at the Royal Regency Hotel are approximately $109 plus tax, but you can obtain a 20% discount by mentioning the LPNY. Call them at (914) 969-7500 for room reservations.

NASSAU, SUFFOLK COUNTIES PLAN JOINT CONVENTION

A joint convention of the Nassau and Suffolk parties will be held on May 20, 2000 in Islandia, LI. The theme will be, Guns Save Lives. The speaker line-up includes Ray Keating, Newsday columnist; Greg Bush, Professor of Economics; and a speaker from the National Rifle Association. Local libertarian activists have been reaching out to other people by speaking at local NRA meetings, property rights associations, and other like-minded groups. (Read adjacent article). They hope to beat the attendance at last year's convention which had 80 attendees! The convention will be held at the New Grand Buffet, 1704 Veteran's Highway, Islandia from noon until 3PM. The cost is $19.99 per person. Register with SCLO, c/o Barry Loberfeld, 12 Wichard Blvd., Commack, NY 11725. Phone: (631) 543-3510.

OUT-REACH EFFORTS ON LONG ISLAND

by Audrey Capozzi Audrey Capozzi spoke at a local NRA meeting, having garnered the invitation after questioning Rep. Carolyn McCarthy at a public talk on gun control. Ms. McCarthy seems to have the 1st Amendment in her sights as well as having targeted the 2nd Amendment. Her talk was chock full of blame for video games and violent movies as the cause of youth violence and school yard shootings. She had no idea that there were 82 people killed in schools, but 99 by government regulation (airbags). Richard Cooper addressed the Coalition of Landlords, Homeowners, & Merchants on Libertarians Defending Property Rights. Barry Loberfeld recently addressed the LI Progressive Coalition on issues of liberty. The LI Liberty Coalition, Barry Loberfeld's brainchild, has brought Libertarians together with many other groups which support freedom, some less than others. But we are now getting invited to speak at various organizations and are able to spread our ideas to larger numbers.

RICHARD A. COOPER ANNOUNCES FOR STATE CHAIR

Longtime Libertarian Party activist Richard A. Cooper, a Westbury business executive and writer, declared himself a candidate for Chair of the Libertarian Party of New York. Cooper is currently the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Nassau County and is also the Media Director of the LPNY. He has a degree in History from Columbia College and is Vice President of Spectronics Corporation of Westbury. Among his priorities are: . Organizing a citywide New York City party; . Creating multi-county chapters in order to organize the entire state. As the party grows, individual county chapters will be spun off; . Reaching out to New York's youths by advertising in college newspapers. The young seem to have a natural affinity to libertarian principles; . Reaching out to retired people. They, generally, have more time and money as well as community ties; . He wants to explore the possibility of having a Community Access TV program that can be offered to cable channels around the state which will present Libertarians and others with messages that matter. "We need volunteers", Cooper says, "but we should also start thinking about raising serious money and spending it wisely. The state-wide petition drive should use both volunteers and paid workers from the very beginning." In 1998, the Libertarian Party of New York went into debt by more than $30,000 to pay for petition signatures. Only a quarter of the signatures were obtained by party members. Richard Cooper hopes to create an "invigorated, successful, and respected Libertarian Party that will have an impact on New York affairs." He challenges his fellow New York Libertarians by stating, "We can make a difference in New York. We must work hard, but wisely. We must spend money, but wisely. We must fight, but wisely. Up to now, the Libertarian Party of New York has lagged behind. We must change the party and set an example for Libertarians everywhere."

2000 LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES

by Bruce A. Martin This year's Libertarian candidates will be chosen at state and local conventions and placed on the ballot by petitioning, probably during July and early August. Petitioning is an annoying but not a daunting obstacle. With our growing membership and recent campaign momentum, plus outside help due to the Presidential race, a smart and efficient approach can be developed to make 2000 the year that New Yorkers finally see Libertarians on their ballot in significant numbers. In turn, the synergism between local and statewide candidacies can boost our vote totals well beyond what we usually receive with isolated local candidates or statewide candidates only. A voter who sees candidates clear across the Libertarian line (even if they don't fill every seat) is far more likely to pull one of our levers. When our line looks more like a party than a fluke, the libertarian-leaning voter gives more serious consideration to voting for at least some LP candidates, and becomes less likely to defect and waste votes on the lesser of two major evils. For far too long, LPNY has concentrated on the statewide candidates and neglected local candidate recruitment, to the detriment of both. It is time to change this and become a political party!

2000 Libertarian Candidates

Promoting and assisting local Libertarian candidates in the year 2000 will pay off doubly, by boosting the statewide races at the same time. Local LP candidates always publicize the top of the ticket, riding the coattails of the statewide candidates. But coattails run both ways. An examination of voting patterns bears this out. The numbers show that in years when local candidates' petitions were carried, vote totals in those counties for statewide races were considerably greater than regional and statewide averages. In the past two elections, there were as many as eight Libertarian candidates on some ballots, giving the impression of a genuine political party. Sadly, in some areas last year, there were none. For this year's "2000 Libertarian Candidates" the possibilities in New York include one U.S. Senator, 31 House seats, and about 200 state legislators, as well as many other, more-local elected positions (not to mention the Presidential ticket). Since this is more than the combined total of LPNY candidates in its 28-year history (excluding Presidential electors), we are unlikely to fill the ballot everywhere. However, we might be able to run enough to have a theoretical possibility of electing a majority of the NY Congressional delegation and/or controlling a state legislative chamber. Nobody believes they would all win but, theoretical or not, this happens to be a very important symbolic threshold which the media takes seriously.

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2000 Libertarian Candidates

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For this year's election, the Libertarian National Committee has set a high-but-reachable goal to have 2000 Libertarian Candidates appear on ballots across the nation, including 218 U.S. Representatives. This would be the first time in recent history that any third party had even a theoretical chance of organizing the House and choosing a Speaker. That's news! It would also provide a "reverse-coattail" effect greatly helping our Presidential ticket (and vice versa) in those states participating. On a population basis, LPNY's share would be nearly 150 candidates but, more realistically, on a per-capita membership basis the target is more like sixty. Given our recent growth surges, with LPNY membership topping 1000, record numbers of LPNY officeholders, substantial press coverage of local LP candidates, and other advances, 2000 is the year to break the 28-year curse of "invisibility" by running a Libertarian slate that stretches (with gaps) all the way across the ballot line in several districts. The press has gotten far more receptive to third parties in recent years; now is the time to capitalize on it! It is within our power, if we choose to do it.

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2000 Libertarian Candidates

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I suggest that, next month, the LPNY convention adopt a resolution that: .Endorses the LNC goal for 2000 Candidates .Sets its own state goal of, say 60 candidates. (If we were more ambitious, we might add a dozen, to recall the first LP ballot presence in '72. ) .Mandates the new state committee to promote, assist, and facilitate local LP candidacies as part of its duties, wherever possible, so that the will of the convention will be carried forth, even after adjournment. Of course, decisions to run, and conduct of, campaigns remain local (and individual) concerns. Nevertheless, there are many, many ways that the state organization can spur local action, provide advice, facilitate networking between candidates, enable pooling of resources, and muster volunteer resources to focus assistance on those areas where there is local action.

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2000 Libertarian Candidates - by the numbers

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To avoid breaking the Libertarian string of 50-state ballot presence for President, New York needs to have a target of about 25,000 to 30,000 signatures to insure against the expected challenges. A dozen Congressional candidates need over 3500 signatures each. Twenty-five Assembly candidates need over 1500 each; 3000 for State Senator; county and local offices each require 1500 or less. Adding all these numbers together yields a mind-boggling total, perhaps approaching a quarter of a million. But, fortunately, that's not how it works! The same signatures may be used for multiple offices in many cases, and the same person can sign an additional sheet or two in a tiny fraction of the time it takes to get the first signature. Therefore, the work of getting the statewide candidates on ballot provides most of what we need to get local candidates on, too! Also, local petitioners will happily carry the state petitions, easing the burden (and possibly making it less costly). Organizing for action, under the guidance of an effective and active state party, the volunteer who gets a signature for State Assembly makes multiple use of his effort by also getting signatures for Congress, Senator, and President, as well as County Clerk or whatever. It takes only a few more seconds! Most of the effort is in making contact and explaining what a petition is for. (Very often, the citizen is outraged that the government makes this necessary and opines that "everybody should have a chance".) Presidential petitioners should carry all appropriate legislative and local petitions. (Perhaps a small additional percentage should be added for paid petitioners, to compensate for the roughly 10% extra effort; local chapters should probably bear this cost.) The state party is the ideal (and probably the only) vehicle to coordinate this multi-level effort. There is much experience available among members, former candidates, former campaign managers, etc. all over the state (and elsewhere). However, a key job of the state party is to network and broker contacts to connect the knowledge supply with the demand. No local organization can do this, and it's about time the state party began. Proper organization can make all this possible. The big question is: "Will we make the effort to do it?". That is up to the convention.

DATES OF INTEREST

May 6, 2000 Million Marijuana March New York City

May 17, 2000 Cato City Seminar Waldorf Astoria Hotel 301 Park Avenue, NYC (www.cato.org)

June 24-29, 2000 FEE Student Intro. Seminar Irvington-on-Hudson, NY (www.fee.org)

July 23 - 28, 2000 ISIL's Annual World Libertarian Conference U of Western Ontario, London, Ont. (www.libertyconferences.com)

CALENDAR

April 29, 2000 LPNY State Convention Yonkers

April 29, 2000 State Committee Meeting (At the Convention)

May 13, 2000 Deadline for FNY Articles

May 20, 2000 Nassau/Suffolk Conv. Islandia, LI

June Next Issue of FNY