Published for friends & supporters of the Libertarian Party

Libertarian National Committee, Inc. • 2600 Virginia Ave, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 • Phone: (202) 333-0008 • Fax: (202) 333-0072 JANUARY 1999

TOTALLY FED UP ... SHOCKING SECRET ... Syndicated radio star Gary Nolan Jerry Springer: joins Libertarian Party on the air A Libertarian? ary Nolan, a syndicated "I could tell that Nolan was a arning: There may be a radio talk show host heard good prospect for conversion, sudden outbreak of chair- Gon 45 stations around the because he was so principled and throwing and hair-pulling country, has become the latest logical," he said. "I thought the best in the libertarian movement. That's member of the broadcast industry to thing we could do was to keep because Jerry Springer says he's a join the Libertarian Party. building a relationship, and wait for libertarian. On January 12, Nolan signed him to get fed up with the GOP. According to the Liberator on the dotted line" and became a "When the Republicans passed Online, the e-mail publication of the card-carrying member of the party their latest budget bill, I knew Gary Advocates for Self-Government, the during a live, on-air broadcast of his was close to joining the LP. Then, on controversial TV talk-show host program, Nolan At Night. January 6, Nolan called and said, revealed his shocking libertarian He was joined for the occasion 'That's it; I've finally decided to join secret to Ken Bush, a long-time LP by LP National Director Steve the party.' I'm not sure which straw activist from Missouri. Dasbach and LP Press Secretary broke the camel's back, but suspect Bush, who met Springer while George Getz, who welcomed him. he was fed up with the way Republi- he was in St. Louis to promote his Nolan, a self-described "liber- cans keep promising smaller govern- new book, Ringmaster, "asked tarian-Republican," said he finally ment and delivering the opposite." Springer if he was a libertarian. decided to leave the GOP and join Nolan is syndicated on the Springer nodded his head affirma- the LP because "Republicans seem Radio America network and appears tively," reported Paul Schmidt, as anxious to spend my money as on about 45 stations around the Liberator Online editor. the Democrats." nation, including some major "Ken was a bit skeptical, so he Getz, who has been a regular markets like Seattle. He is also the gave Springer a short summary of guest on Nolan's show for several head of Capitol Watch, a conserva- what libertarians believe in: Civil months, said he was delighted by tive-leaning, budget-cutting group liberties and economic freedom. Nolan's decision—but not surprised. based in Washington, DC. Springer continued to affirm that he was a libertarian." Springer — whose trashy, raucous show has rocketed to the top LP to speak at Social Security forum of the daytime TV ratings — had a representative of the LP of California has been invited to participate very respectable previous life before in a forum about the future of Social Security — and he says he plans becoming the bad boy of tabloid TV. Ato use the opportunity to call for a completely private pension system. He has a law degree, won 10 local Juan Ros, executive director of the California LP, will be a speaker at a Emmies as a newscaster, served on Americans Discuss Social Security (ADSS) forum, which will be hosted by the the Cincinnati City Council, and was Pew Charitable Trusts. The event will take place on January 23 at the Univer- elected mayor of Cincinnati in 1977. sity of Southern California. Although not an LP member, "I believe [this forum] honestly wants to provide all sides of the issue, Springer has also been an outspoken even someone who wants to abolish Social Security," said Ros. defender of freedom of speech. Liberty Pledge News • January 1999 RIGI IT-WING RIP Laws to legalize pain-management drugs split conservatives I have long suspected that the In 1996, medical marijuana proposals appeared on marriage of convenience be- ballots in California and Arizona. They passed in both tween religious-right and nanny- states. state conservatives must inevita- Federal government officials promptly went ballis- bly end in a messy divorce. tic. A furious Gen. Barry McCaffrey, White House Other than a desire to achieve drug czar, threatened to pull the prescription writing political power in order to com- privileges of any doctor who dared recommend mari- pel the rest of us to follow their juana to a patient (the drug has proven effective in vision (by force, if necessary), ameliorating the side-effects of cancer and AIDS these two groups actually have treatments as well as relieving the symptoms of Tim no more in common than, say, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and other chronic mala- O'Brien environmentalists and feminists dies.) of the — strange bedfellows from the 'This year similar measures appeared on ballots in, Libertarian other wing of the bird. Washington, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska and the District Now, it appears the catalyst of Columbia. Also, the legislature in Arizona put -a Party for the final breakup may have referendum on the ballot asking its citizens if they of Michigan appeared on the scene in the didn't want to reconsider their 1996 vote. person of Jack Kevorkian. The results were that laws allowing medical mari- Right to Life, tl c Roman Catholic Church and their juana use passed in all four additional states. fellow travelers are well aware that their successful Furthermore, the good folks in Arizona said they campaign to defeat Proposal B last month (which were not interested in rescinding the approval they would have permitted physician-assisted suicide under had given previously. strictly regulated conditions) is ultimately only a However, the results of the vote in Washington, holding action. D.C. remain unknown. It seems that Rep. Bob Barr, R- The scare tactics about granny Ga., managed to insert a provi- being brow-beaten into submission sion in the District's budget au, by greedy heirs — and, ironically, thorization bill last October that the appeal to libertarian objections prohibited the local government, about the proposed bureaucracy's The fight against from expending any funds what- intrusiveness — will give way to ever on any vote for any measure the sensible notion that human assisted suicide that would reduce the penaltieg beings are entitled to at least the means adopting for marijuana possession. Too same level of compassion society late to amend the already printed. has for its suffering pets. a new attitude about ballots, the vote went ahead. The Kevorkian made this point rath- results were simply withheld. er forcefully a few weeks ago on the use of drugs. The American Civil Liberties network television. Union promptly filed a lawsuit That's why some of the Citizens demanding that the results be for Compassionate Care who released under the Freedom .of fought Proposal B are now calling for a significant Information Act and alleging that the measure attempt- overhaul of state laws regarding pain management. ing to prohibit the vote was an unconstitutional This, of course, means adopting a new attitude "viewpoint-based restriction" in violation of First about and approach to the use of drugs — the ultimate Amendment in any case. bugaboo of their erstwhile allies in the conservative The Libertarian _Tarty has filed a friend-of-the-court movement. brief and joined the complaint, which was heard by Now there is little dispute in the scientific commu- U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts on Dec. 18. A 111 The Detroit nity that the most efficacious treatment for intractable ruling is expected by year's end. Free Press pain would be the refined version of morphine, the Whatever the outcome, one thing recent events Detroit, Michigan best drug currently available. have made manifest about the nanny-state branch 'of December 23, 1998 Not surprisingly, the more potent form provides conservatism — is that their drug jihad hysteria has better pain relief at lower doses and with fewer side- reached truly astonishing proportions. 'They not only effects. Indeed, this drug was originally developed no longer care about the wishes of the people, but more than a century ago for precisely those reasons. refuse to even recognize that in a democratic system Prior to being made completely illegal, it was market- citizens have a right to make their wishes known. ed in the United States by the Bayer company under Of course, the religious-right zealots who want to the trade name: Heroin. stop Kevorkian at all costs are a pretty determined We can probably gauge the reaction of the nanny- bunch themselves. state conservatives to a proposal to make heroin It's definitely going to be messy divorce. available for medical use by their response to similar recent proposals with regard to marijuana (a drug so Tim . O'Brien is chairman of the Libertarian Party of mild that there has never been so much a single Michigan. Write to him in care of the Free Press, recorded instance of a fatal overdose). Editorial Page; 600 If Fort St., Detroit, Mich. 48226. Liberty Pledge News • January 1999

Water board boasts Evasion parties Harry Browne, the 1996 Liber- tarian presidential candidate, two Libertarians didn't have a submission for our By RON HAWKINS supply is appropriate. contest to help President Clinton "Libertarians believe that the choose a fitting New Year's Res- Staff Writer role of government is to ensure olution, but he did hand Inside that one person does not violate the Beltway his resolution: Prince William County resi- another person's rights," Reams "I resolve not to adopt the tac- dents had never elected a said. "Clearly, this is one area tics of Republicans and Demo- Libertarian to office prior to last where we have to have regula- crats. They.use character assassi- week but on Tuesday they put tions." nation, evasions, and intimidation two party members on the same Lawry, who runs a computer because they have no real bene- board. systems design company In Dale fits to offer Americans. We, on Libertarians Jennifer Reams 'City. agreed. saying that it Is the other hand, are offering to set and William F. Lawry were elect- "perfectly justifiable" for the gov- people free — and so we can win ed to the Prince William Soil and ernment to be involved in soil simply by focusing on the better Water Conservation • District life our proposals will bring." Board of Direckirs and will take and water issues. their seats in January. He said he does not know how Reams was the only person the presence of two Libertarians A The Washington Times listed on the ballot for three offi- will affect the board. Washington DC, December 31, 1998 cially non-partisan positions on "We're going to hve to wait the board while Lawry, the and see." he said. county registrar's office Reams and Lawry were the announced Friday, received 82 only Libertarians holding elected write-in votes to earn his spot. office in Virginia, according to Jeff Guide, a Democrat, received party officials. 120 write-in votes to take the Guide, a Dale City resident remaining spot. who works at the Library of Reams, a Woodbridge resi- Congress and once worked for dent who works for Kaiser- the U.S. Environmental Permanente, said that, while Protection Agency, said he has Damaged Good libertarians believe in keeping "always been interested" in con- government regulations to a servation issues. Steve Dasbach, national director of the Libertarian Party, is tired of the hy- minimum, government involve- He decided to run. he said. pocrisy in Washington and says politicians ought to be held to the same standard ment in ensuring the cleanliness when he learned of the lack of of accountability as regular stiffs. But Dasbach isn't referring to the debate about and safety of the soil and water candidates on the ballot. whether perjury laws apply to Bill Clinton. His position is that if politicians can de- clare war on the manufacturers and merchants of tobacco, guns, and ammunition — insisting that damages be paid for the death and destruction caused by such products — then ordinary Americans ought to be able to sue politicians for the damages of government programs. For instance: • Why don't the parents of the 49 children who have been killed by govern- • The Potomac News ment-mandated air bags have a right to sue legislators for the circumstances that Woodbridge, Virginia, November 7, 1998 led to their loss? 110. The Richmond Times-Dispatch • Given that 18 states (including Virginia) control the sale of liquor, why Richmond, Virginia, December 17, 1998 aren't those states legally liable for every liquor-caused crash? • In states that haven't toughened parole, prisoners are released years be- V State Government News fde the end of their sentences. Shouldn't the officials who turn them loose be held Lexington, Kentuvky, December 15, 1998 responsible if parolees commit subsequent crimes? • State-sponsored gambling is directly responsible for innumerable bank- ruptcies, suicides, and divorces. So why aren't the states held accountable for the damages their lotteries et al. conduce? Dasbach knows he is engaging in Third partg ticket wishful thinking — yet his point is well taken. After all, if it is wrong for business- he Libertarian Party 73 percent of the ballots es to sell products individuals may will- T ingly buy or misuse, then isn't it even was running more candi- nationwide, including 253 worse when individuals arc damaged dates for public office in candidates for state represen- merely by complying with the law (e.g., 1998 than any third party tative and 85 candidates for airbags)? Perhaps if lawmakers had to in 50 years, the party state senator, the party said. worry that reckless legislation could make announced in October. The party said the them the target of lawsuits, they would be The party said 836 Socialist Party in the mid- blessedly hesitant to enact so many dam- Libertarian candidates 1930s was the last third age-inflicting measures. were on ballots in 44 states. party to run as many Libertarians appeared on candidates. Liberty Pledge News • January 1999 The public wage-scale scandal JUAN C. ROS ing his campaign promise — a workers in the country. use of semantics right out of What can be done to bring the Clinton playbook. government salaries closer to Gov.-elect Gray Davis's re- But the problem isn't the bro- private salaries? In 1995, the cent reversal on his campaign ken promise or the raise itself. American Legislative Exchange promise not to accept a pay The problem extends far be- Council published a model raise comes as no surprise. Vot- yond Davis. He is just one out of piece of legislation called the ers have long been accustomed 234,000 state government em- Public Pay Equity Act, which, if to career politicians like Davis ployees, most of whom have not enacted, would introduce com- having a poor record of keep- received a pay raise since 1995. petitive forces into the determi- ing campaign promises. The real problem is the nation of public-sector salaries. The raise itself is not much growing divide between pri- Those competitive forces are of a surprise. Some voters ex- vate-sector and government exactly what drive wages in the pressed outrage last salaries. State gov- private sector, and it is in the March when the Cal- ernment wages and public interest to do the same l. Toe North ifornia Citizens salaries exceed pri- in the government sector. County Timex Compensation Corn- vate wages and The Public Pay Equity Act Escondido, California mission, the appoint- salaries in 44 states, would establish an annual ceil- December 21, 1998 ed panel that de- including California, ing limiting public salaries to cides pay raises for legislators according to a report issued in the same rate of change as the and statewide officers, voted to August by the Public Interest private sector. If private increase annual salaries for Institute at Iowa Wesleyan Col- salaries increase, average pub- those positions by 26 percent. lege. The report also shows: lic salaries can increase by no But things were relatively II Average annual state gov- more than that amount. But if quiet on Dec. 1, when the raises ernment wages in California private salaries decrease, pub- kicked in. State legislator pay- are $39,663, while average pri- lic salaries must decrease by at checks suddenly increased vate-sector wages are $31,183 least the same percentage. from $78,624 to $99,000, while — a 27 percent difference and It will probably take a gover- the governor's salary jumped the seventh-highest pay advan- nor with more courage than from $131,040 to $165,000. tage over private-sector work- Davis has thus far demonstrat- Back when the raises were ers in the country ed to guide such a bill through announced, Davis called them ■ State government wages the Legislature while under "unthinkable" and said he was in California are 26 percent the intense pressure of the "shocked and disappointed." higher than the national aver- state employees' union. He pledged not to accept a age of $31,418 and are the third Taxpayers will probably nev- raise if elected governor. highest in the country, behind er get their money's worth On Dec. 7, the first day of New Jersey and Massachusetts when it comes to government the new biennial legislative $ Even local governments — but they can at least demand session, Davis did an about-face are problematic: Average annu- fairness and equity of pay. and announced he would ac- al local government wages in Of course, Davis can alwa3.; cept a salary of $156,750 — a California are $32,782 — 5 per- decide to eliminate thousan6 • mere 5 percent below the au- cent higher than the private- of unnecessary state goveri thorized full salary, but a 19.6 sector average ment jobs. That will more tha• percent raise nevertheless. In Iowa, state employees are pay for his raise. Davis defended his actions paid almost 50 percent more by arguing that he isn't accept- than private-sector Iowans on Juan C. Ros is executive director of ing the full raise he is entitled average — the biggest pay ad- the Libertarian Party of California. to by law and is therefore keep- vantage over private-sector [email protected].

Local Libertarians optimistic -4 The Daily Timee Farmington, STAFF REPORT issued by the party, there are 154 date for public lands commission- New Mexico registered Libertarians in San er, the second highest vote total December 5, 1998 The head of-.the San Juan Juan County, compared with 84 among the state's 33 counties. County Libertarian Party says registered Greens. "We've had an active party here things are looking up for the party "The Greens may be the third- before and we're going to again," in the local area. largest party in New Mexico, but local activist Joseph Knight said. "I've seen an increased interest that's not the case nationally nor in Mathers said the local party in the party," said Margaret Math- San Juan County," Mathers said. will hold a convention sometime ers, the longtime chairwoman for During the Nov. 3 election, San in January to elect new officers the local Libertarian Party. Juan County gave Maurice and to plan its local voter registra- According to a news release McDonald, the Libertarian candi- tion drive.