June 20, 2012
The first-ever Joint State Convention between the Libertarian Parties of Minnesota and Wisconsin proved to be one of the largest regional gatherings of Libertarians in several years. The event was held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with a theme of “Moving Libertarianism Forward”. Some traveled long distances from across both states to attend, and many who came called it a smashing success.
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| Convention logo |
The convention was large enough to attract the local media, which gave it positive coverage. It was the second major coordination in a year between the two state parties to build regional support for the Libertarian message of strong civil liberties and genuine economic prosperity.
Numerous liberty-minded speakers were featured. Some were nationally-known, while others, though less well-known, entertained the crowd with insight on their areas of specialty. (For those who couldn’t attend, some videos are included at the end of this article.)
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| Gary Johnson addresses Libertarians gathered from across Minnesota and Wisconsin. |
Kicking off the speaking session, Tom Revnew focused on childcare freedom, discussing his law firm’s successful effort to help strike down Governor Dayton’s executive order which would have forced small privately-owned businesses to conduct unionization votes. Richard Carlbom, campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, decried the state government’s attempt to interfere in personal relationships and override religious freedom with the anti-gay Marriage Amendment proposal.
Marijuana advocate Jay Selthofner of NORML presented numerous practical uses of this harmless plant, adding that its most well-known use for medicine and recreation have never resulted in a single death. Campaign for Liberty activist Ken Van Doran gave an entertaining visual presentation of the erosion of the dollar’s value under the Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies, providing charts demonstrating that the federal debt has grown to a level so massive that it cannot ever be paid back. And George Meyer, LPWI’s campaign coordinator, discussed strategy. He stressed that the LP faces the issue of legitimacy, and that more Libertarians must step up to run for office in order to gain a greater impact in the public debate and to build the Libertarian Party into the public’s alternative of choice.
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| Julie Fox |
A minor Libertarian presidential candidate, Sam Sloan, made a surprise appearance and spoke briefly, drawing attention to America’s skyrocketing imprisonment rate. Julie Fox from the Libertarian Party of Illinois spoke to the convention on behalf of the Lee Wrights presidential campaign and his promise to “Stop All War”, as did Thomas Hill, Wrights’ national campaign manager.
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| Gary Johnson |
Gary Johnson shared his experiences as Governor of New Mexico and how he had governed as a Libertarian in all but in name. He promised to submit a proposal to cut federal spending by 43%, be open to the replacement of any government agency with a free-market alternative, support the freedom of gays to become married, end the disastrous War on Drugs, and stop America’s foreign wars of aggression. Having now joined the Libertarian Party, he stated his intent to remain with the LP for life, receiving a standing ovation. [Gary Johnson won the LP presidential nomination at the National Convention on May 5 and is now the Libertarian Party’s 2012 presidential candidate.]
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| Walter Block |
Keynote speaker Walter Block, renowned Austrian-school economist with the free-market Mises Institute, made his first visit to Minnesota and Wisconsin. He proposed new ideas for how marketizing the roads would serve the public much better than the road monopoly provided by government, offered his thoughts on what Ron Paul’s efforts mean to the cause of liberty, and even tackled a quandary for many libertarians: abortion.
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| Sharon Harris |
The second keynote Sharon Harris, from the Advocates for Self-Government, proposed actionable ways for libertarians to “sell liberty” to others across the political spectrum. She closed the convention with a story of how just one Libertarian getting active can generate a large cumulative effect in future years which they might not forsee today, just as activists of the past have introduced libertarian ideas which are now being seriously considered by the public.
In the convention’s morning business session, significant changes were made to the LPMN’s Bylaws. A change was made to raise the bar on platform deletions, now requiring a two-thirds supermajority, as had already been the case for additions or modifications. Several sections were reorganized, including the Nomination and Endorsement section, clarifying these processes for candidates. A new provision was approved to allow registered affiliates, such as the Rochester-based Southeast Affiliate, to nominate Libertarian candidates within their region of Minnesota.
The Judicial Committee was the most significant change. The previous obsolete life-membership structure was replaced with a new structure of members elected in both even and odd years. While the Judicial Committee has never been used in the history of the LPMN, it will now serve as a functional check on the Executive Committee, ensuring that the LPMN will continue to proudly act in accordance with our Statement of Principles well into the future.
The LPMN welcomes the new slate of members to the Judicial Committee, as well as a new member of our Executive Committee, who were elected in convention.
Several minor language adjustments were made to the Platform. A noteworthy change was made to the Money and Inflation section, expanding that plank to now explicitly support the use of gold and silver on a voluntary basis.
Concluding the morning business session, several delegates were elected to represent the LPMN at the National Libertarian Convention [held in May in Las Vegas, Nevada]. Also, a successful fundraising effort was conducted to aid the upcoming petition drive and ensure that the Libertarian presidential nominee [now Gary Johnson] will appear on the Minnesota ballot in November.
Many thanks to all who came, making this a very successful event! For those who couldn’t attend the convention, here are some video excerpts.
Gary Johnson:
Walter Block:
Sharon Harris:
And last but not least, two speakers of particular relevance to Minnesota. Tom Revnew (Seaton, Peters, & Revnew Law Firm), and beginning at the 15-minute mark, Richard Carlbom (Minnesotans United for All Families):
Concerned about the expansion of government control and the erosion of individual liberty? Please consider joining and becoming active with the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. Libertarians support liberty on all issues, all the time. Libertarianism is a philosophical and political movement to promote personal freedom, voluntary consent, a genuinely free marketplace, and peace.