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====ADDRESS CHANGE====
====ADDRESS CHANGE====
SECRETARY
SECRETARY
[[Diana Amsden]]
[[Diana Amsden]]<br />
The Citadel
The Citadel<br />
1520 University NE
1520 University NE<br />
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Albuquerque, NM 87102


NEVADA
NEVADA<br />
[[David A. Lizzio]]
[[David A. Lizzio]]<br />
5905 Halifax Avenue
5905 Halifax Avenue<br />
Las vegas, NV 89107
Las Vegas, NV 89107


NEW YORK
NEW YORK<br />
[[Jerome J. Klasman]]
[[Jerome J. Klasman]]<br />
FLP, Rm. 201  
FLP, Rm. 201 <br />
15 W. 38th Street, N.Y. N.Y., 10018
15 W. 38th Street, N.Y. N.Y., 10018


OHIO
OHIO<br />
[[Kay G. Harroff]]
[[Kay G. Harroff]]<br />
22125 Libby Road
22125 Libby Road<br />
#102-I
102-I<br />
Bedford Heights, OH 44146
Bedford Heights, OH 44146


====NEW STATE CHAIRMAN====
ALASKA<br />
[[Grant C. LaPoint]]<br />
Libertarian Party<br />
Box 87026<br />
College, AK 99701


FLORIDA<br />
[[Joel P. Weiner]]<br />
14202 JoAnn Court<br />
Lutz, Florida 33549


====NEW STATE CHAIRMAN====
OREGON<br />
[[James C. Casterline]]<br />
4365 SW Garden Home Road<br />
Portland, Oregon 97219


==SPOTLIGHT ON STATE PARTIES==
==SPOTLIGHT ON STATE PARTIES==
The [[Arizona Libertarian Party|ARIZONA Party]] will hold a [[Arizona Convention 1973|conversion on February 24th]], to adopt a Constitutions and By-Laws, and elect officers.  Sixty-Six delegates were registered at last county, with a number of observers and guests also expected to attend.  NEW JERSEY is also planning a convention for that date, with 30-plus expected.
[[Libertarian Party of Louisiana|LOUISIANA]] held its [[Louisiana Convention 1973|convention on January 13]], with 21 delegates present; press coverage was good.  No word in yet from [[Liberarian Party of Hawaii|HAWAII]], which had its [[Hawaii Convention 1973|convention]] scheduled for January, also.
[[Alaska Libertarian Party|ALASKA]] [[Alaska Convention 1973|convention planned for February 17-19]] (Brrr!); they hope to have [[Tonie Nathan]] as a guest speaker.  ALASKA, incidentally, had the highest per-capita vote for [[Hospers and Nathan Presidential Campaign 1972|Hospers-Nathan]] of any write-in State.  NEW HAMPSHIRE was second.
[[Georgiann Trammell]] of TEXAS will be representing the LP at the upcoming get-together of the National Women's Political Caucus; she tried to get [[Tonie Nathan]] a speaking spot, but they were already booked up.
[[Libertarian Party of Illinois|ILLINOIS]] recently hosted [[Tibor Nachan]] in a presentation on Human Rights, held at Loyola University; turnout was approx. 100.  Next project; an investment seminar, with emphasis on gold.  They hope to have nationally-known speaks, and draw in members of the business community.
In NEW YORK, [[Sanford P. Cohen]] has already announced for the '74 Congressional race in the 25th district (Poughkeepsie).  NY Party now has a real office too!


==POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE==
==POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE==


'''VIII. FOUR MORE YEARS'''
'''IX. BLUNDERING TOWARDS THE MILLENIUM or HAVE THINGS FINALLY STOPPED GETTING WORSE?'''
 
It is the fashion, in libertarian circles, to continuously bemoan the current state of affairs, wailing almost incessantly that every day brings us closer to the Final Collapse or the Death of Freedom. And, _ undeniably, things have been going downhill; there is no question that we have less free­ dom today than we did ten, twenty, or sixty years ago.
 
But we must not let this generally justifi­ able lack of sanguinity become an unshakable habit. Favorable developments do occur, occasionally. And lately there have been more than is usually the case -- so many, in fact, that we may perhaps hope that things have "bottomed out," and that while they may not get better, on balance, in the forseeable future, at least they may have stopped getting worse.
 
To be sure, the picture is by no means entirely rosy. The Nixon Administration's accelerating crusade to manage the national media, for example, is certainly a develop­ ment to be viewed with alarm. And the proposed Federal Budget for the upcoming fiscal year is (as usual) a New World's Record. Nonetheless, a lot of relatively nice things have happened in the last few months, and in toto they are cause for at least some minor rejoicing.
 
First, of course, is the fact that the ghastly Vietnam War now appears to really be headed for a conclusion, complete with a return of American prisoners, and an end (at least temporarily) of the hideous Selective Slavery System. Indeed, it appears that America may now be entering a new era of military isolationism. Nixon as much as said so in his Inaugural speech, and while RMN is certainly not the most trustworthy of men, one suspects that he correctly senses that the American people are fed to the gills with global adventu­rism.
 
On the economic front, recent weeks have witnessed several advances. In a tacit admission that wage/price controls were a complete failure, our Fuhrer has effec­ tively thrown in the towel; we're not out of the woods yet, but at least we're heading in the right direction. And in a surprisingly rational move to force prices down the only way they can effectively be forced down -- i.e. through decontrolling the market, and thus increasing competi­ tion -- the Administration is lifting a number of import quotas. Restrictions against Americdn citizens owning gold may
soon be lifted, also ... although there will probably be a whopping tax on transactions.
In another unexpectedly rational move, the rising cost of food is being combatted the right way -- by getting rid of farm subsidies. There is serious talk of letting that great White Elephant, Amtrak, die a natural death at the end of this fiscal year. And -- will wonders never cease -- Richard Nixon actually said something positively libertarian in his Inaugu­aral address; hard to believe though it may be, he really did say "Ask not what your government can do for you; ask rather what you can do for yourself." I hardly could have said it better myself. Now, if only he means it.
 
Even in the area of civil liberties, all is not bleak. The Supreme Court's ruling on abortion is a real milestone; whether or not one approves of abortions, one cannot help but be elated that our highest court actually went on record as saying that people should have dominion over their own bodies, and that it is none of the government's damn business what they do to them­ selves (at least in certain cases). Nice going, Supremes. Now, how about applying the same logic to sex laws, drug laws, and idiotic pro­ posals like compulsory installation of airbags in automobiles? Heck, fellas, even Bill Buckley has now come out in favor of decriminalizing the possesion of grass.
 
It would be tempting to believe that all of these promising developments (or likely develop­ ments) are the result of a conversion to liber­tarianism on the part of our rulers. Unfortu­nately, that almost certainly is not the explanation; they're almost certainly the same old pragmatists they always were, and are doing the right things simply because they've tried everything else, and nothing else has worked. Still it is nice that although they may still be bl'unde-ring about aimlessly, at least they're now blundering in the right direction.
 
And, although we certainly can't claim that they've started to act more libertarian because of the influence libertarians have had on mass opinion, our efforts have undoubtedly helped.
Hospers' one Electoral Vote and semi-libertarian Schmitz's million popular votes surely didn't go completely unnoticed. And the reluctant con­ version of people like Bill Buckley to a less
un-libertarian position than they formerly held is almost certainly due at least in part to their realization that the libertarian movement has been siphoning off some of their supporters.
 
So, although the battle is far from over, it ap­ pears that we may now have reached a point where it is appropriate to quote Sir Winston Churchill's remark upon hearing of the first Allied victory in Africa: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."


We are pleased to announce that for the first time ever, the current issue of LP News has a circulation greater than that of the current issue of LIFE.  Onward and Upward!


==BITS & PIECES==
==BITS & PIECES==


===THE LIBERTY AMENDMENT===
Enclosed with this issue you will find a card giving the full text of the proposed [[Liberty Amendment]] to the US Constitution, and a brief summary of what its passage would accomplish, economically. The [[Liberty Amend­ment]] is endorsed in our [[Platform 1972|1972 Platform]], and has been described by no less an authority than [[Murray Rothbard]] as "magnificently libertarian." The [[Liberty Amendment Commit­tee]], which is the organization behind this proposal, is -- depending on how you look at it -- either the most libertarian of the conservative groups in America, or the most conservative of the libertarian groups. We highly recommend the Liberty Amendment as a project for State LPs in this non-election year, and suggest that all interested LP members contact the LAC to find out who to get in touch with in their area; LA supporters should be good prospects for recruitment, too.
==="THE YOUNG PAY FOR THE OLD"===
That's the title of a revealing article in the January 14 issue of the New York Times Magazine, dealing with the m hs of Social "Security."  Its author, a liberal, debunks the old lie that SS is an "insurance" program, and says it's time we openly admit that it's nothing more than another tax. He happens to favor the whole idea of Social Security, but the article is a good source of ammunition
for arguments against it -- especially con­sidering where it appeared.
===LIBERTARIAN POSTERS===


A series of high-quality posters, dealing with issues ranging from ecology to free enterprise is now being offered by the Campus Studies Institute, 11722 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego CA 92121.  These are available at no cost to students and faculty members (in reasonable quantities); for others, there is a small charge. Free samples and price list on request.
===LIBERTARIAN CALENDAR===
A very professionally-executed calendar featuring photos of libertarian heroes and giving the dates of over 250 historical events of interest is available for $2.50 (two for $4.50) from the [[Laissez Faire Book Store]], 208A Mercer Street, New York NY 10012.  The pages for the month of June feature a photo of 1972 LP campaign material, in commemoration of our first National Convention.
===MEDICAL CARE IS A RIGHT ...===
A Refutation by Robert M. Sade is reprinted from the New England Journal of Medicine by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (2111 Enco Drive, Suite N-515, Oak Brook, IL 60521). There is no charge for one copy; quantity prices on request. Highly recornmended.
   
   
==='73 CONVENTION TO BE HELD IN CLEVELAND, JUNE 8-10===
Cleveland, Ohio has been selected as the site of this year's National Convention; as reported in the last Newsletter, this year's get-together will occur on June 8, 9 and 10. Reserve those dates now; full details on accommodations, program and registration will be in the next Newsletter.
===MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL NOTICES===
... and subscription expiration notices are being mailed to those of you whose memberships and subscriptions are due for renewal as of this issue.  Those of you who don't receive one this time will receive it when the appropriate time arrives.  We hope each and every one of you will renew your membership, and bring in an extra member or two with you.
===A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS ...===
We would like to belatedly thank AGAINST THE WALL (PO  Box 444, Westfield NJ 07091) for their endorsement of the Hospers/Nathan ticket and also for their reprinting of the entire Platform in their issue No. 2. For a sample copy of this new libertarian publication, send 25¢ to the address above.
We have also had many inquiries as a result of a mention of the Party in THE INTERNATIONAL HARRY SCHULTZ LETTER, #289. Our economic and gold positions were cited.
===LIFE MEMBERS===
Since our last report, we have two new Life Members and one Life Sustaining Member. In addition to holding Life Memberships, [[Freeman Fox]] of Arizona and [[Edmund Contoski]] of Minnesota are serving as chairmen of their respective states.  [[Bruce J. Cameron]] of Arizona is our new Life Sustaining Member.  We offer our special thanks to these three individuals for their support.
===CORRECTION CONCERNING RAND LETTER===
The following statement has been submitted by [[Paul Hodgson]]:
"The ExecComm motion for a latter to [[Ayn Rand]] called for a 'reply to her recent criticism and attacks on the LP', and specified the questions of: (a) 'prematurity' of political action, (b) LP opposition to RMN, and (c) validity of LP principles and objectives; and of whether she would reconsider supporting our effort to provide a principled alternative to statism while there is still time.
"I don't propose to 'point out her inconsistencies in endorsing Nixon' (per se) or to ask her 'to explain her position' (cf. last Newsletter).  That would be an exercise in futility; I hardly expect her to even read the letter which I have drafted it it is sent.  It is a statement for the record."
'''<big>Declare Your Independence</big>'''
==One dollar less for the government, one dollar more for the Party==
This year, for the first time, you have the opportunity to keep one dollar of your taxes out of Uncle Sam's pockets, and put it into the Libertarian Party's treasury. With your 1972 Federal Income Tax forms, you will find included a new item -- Form 4875, a piece of paper you can fill out and attach to your other forms, to let the Feds know that one dollar of the money they are stealing from you is not to be put into the general boodle­ basket, but rather is to be set aside in· a special fund to be disbursed to the 1976 residential candidates.
All you have to do is fill in Libertarian Party in the appropriate blank, supply your name and SS number, and sign and date it. If you're filing a joint return, husband and wife may both file Form 4875 with their return.
Don't pass up this opportunity to make Uncle Sam a dollar poorer, and the LP a dollar richer!
==Latest Hospers- Nathan vote  figures==
Several members have written to National HQ asking us to explain the discrepancy between our estimate of 5000+ votes cast for the [[Hospers and Nathan Presidential Campaign 1972|Hospers-Nathan ticket]] last November, and the figure of 2,648 reported in a UPI story sent out in late December.
The 2,648 figure represents only the votes received by [[Hospers and Nathan Presidential Campaign 1972|Hospers and Nathan]] in the two states where the LP ticket was on the ballot -- 1,537 in Washington and 1,111 in Colorado. In addition, we now have the following figures for write-ins: California 980, Texas 394, New Hampshire 142, Wisconsin 101, Alaska 68, Illinois 46, Massachusetts 43, Missouri 25 and Utah 19. These bring the total to 4,466.
We also know that in many States (e.g. New York) our write-ins were not counted at all, and that in others, they were tallied only sporadically. Thus, we still feel confident that the actual total number cast was over 5,000 ... although we will never know exactly how many, for sure.
The exact number is unimportant, in any case; we were not trying to roll up votes, but rather to spread libertarian ideas, and to lay the groundwork for effective political
action in future years. And in these respects, we succeeded.
We suggest that if anyone asks you how many votes we got in '72, you, simply say "approxi­mately 5,000" and let it go at that.
==The truth about Congress==
Or at least an approximation thereof, can be gleaned from two recently-issued "score­ sheets". In the November issue of the radical [[Libertarian Forum]], there is a tally of the Senate, based on 45 unidentified votes, and in the October 25 issue of the conservative Review of the News, there are ratings of members of both houses, based on 10 identi­fied votes in each case.
Comparing the two Senate tallies, we find that six of the LF's top eleven are the same as six of RN's top eleven -- these being Byrd, Fannin, Curtis, Buckley, Hansen and Jordan. LF's other five are Roth, Ervin, Dominick, Proxmire, and Brock, while RN gives the nod to Tower, Stennis, Bennett, Allen, and Gambrell. LF's six 11 worsts" are Inouye, McIntyre, Williams (NJ), Jackson, Stevens, and Stafford, all of whom also score very poorly (20% or less) on the RN tally. Both LF and RN give low-to-abysmal ratings to a majority of the Senate.
Although these ratings are probably not 100% in accordance with those we would assign if we made our own tally, they give a rough indication of who the best and worst cases are. Fortunately, we will not have to rely on second-hand appraisals much longer; [[Eric Scott Royce]], our Region 7 ExecComm member, has volunteered to compile ratings of both Houses from now on, and we will the have our own "report card" starting later this year.
==Sharing the responsibilities==
The LP has now grown to the point that we cannot efficiently handle all National business out of our Westminster office. For this reason, each member of the National ExecComm has been assigned certain respon­ sibilities. Some of these assignments are purely internal-administrative in nature, but several are of the sort that you, the members, can be of help in performing.
FUND-RAISING: [[D Frank Robinson]] will be working on ways to raise money for the Party. If you have any ideas, or know of someone who might be a good bet for a big contribution, contact Frank.
PRESS RELATIONS: [[Mark Frazier]] of Massachusetts will be handling our nation press releases from now on. If you know of any libertarian-leaning people in media, send their name and address (along with an indication of what paper or radio/TV station they represent) to Mark.
V.I.P. LETTERS: [[Liz Jacobsen]] and [[John Taylor]] in California will be writing letters to any public figure who seems to be a good pros­pect for conversion to libertarianism. Any time you hear or read of someone who looks like a good prospect, send all available info (clippings, address, etc.) to John or Liz. Addresses of the above are on your Green Sheet.
LP NEWS is published bi-monthly by the National Office of the Libertarian Party.  Items of interest to LP members are welcome.  [[David F. Nolan]], Editor.
Subscription Price: $2 for six issues.
Base Circulation This Issue: 1,029 copies.
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[[Category: LP News|1973-01]]
[[Category: LP News|1973-01]]
[[Category: National Party Newsletters from the 1970s|1973-01]]
[[Category: National Party Newsletters from the 1970s|1973-01]]
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