Posts Tagged ‘vermont libertarian party campaign finance randall sorrell’

There are a variety of programs for alcoholics ranging from secular to non-secular, health based to cold-turkey; today is the birthday of the organization that started the self-help movement AA. What I found interesting was cofounder Bill Wilson of AA was raised in Vermont.

How Bill Wilson Invented Alcoholics Anonymous

Seventy-one years ago today, outside the Akron, Ohio, city hospital, Dr. Robert Smith swigged from a bottle of beer. He and his friend Bill Wilson had just mapped out a new way to cure alcoholism, and they were sure it would work. Smith only needed one last drink to prevent hand tremors on the job. It sounds like the recidivist?s lame excuse, but the beer did turn out to be Smith?s last. The date was June 10, 1935?now known as the official birthday of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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By the time he got a call from an old drinking buddy in 1934, Wilson had, in AA parlance, hit bottom. In 1905, when he was only 10, his father had left his mother; his maternal grandmother raised him and his sister in Vermont.

(rest of story…)

February 24, 2006

Montpelier, VT: The Vermont Libertarian Party has taken the fight to protect political free speech to the U.S. Supreme Court, as one of the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case, Randall v. Sorrell. The Court is hearing oral arguments in the case on Tuesday, February 28. The Vermont Libertarian Party is challenging a 1997 state campaign finance law that seeks to severely restrict spending by candidates and political parties, and limit private campaign contributions.

Vermont Libertarian Party Chair Hardy Machia explained that the Party is one of the original plaintiffs in the Randall v. Sorrell case. The party claims that the 1997 campaign finance law, Act 64, violates their First Amendment rights of free speech and free association by severely restricting what the state party can contribute to candidates.

Supporters of the 1997 campaign finance law say it is necessary “to combat corruption, the appearance of corruption, and to free up candidates’ time”. Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell admitted that the law has put some restrictions on candidates’ ability to express their views, but noted, “There are other competing constitutional interests, such as the integrity of the electoral process”. Should identify where and when he stated this…

In rebuttal to Sorrell’s claims, Machia says, “The Libertarian Party is raising funds for our state house candidates this year so they can focus on knocking on doors and meeting voters. The campaign finance restrictions prior to Act 64 already put minor parties at an extreme disadvantage to the Democrats and Republicans. The additional restrictions of free speech in Act 64 almost guarantee that third parties won’t be able to be heard.”

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