Vermont Libertarian Party

Vermont Libertarian Party Convention 2008

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:58:07 EST

Come celebrate with like minded Vermonters on March 29 at the Orchid in South Burlington at the Vermont Libertarian Party state convention.

Vermont Libertarian Party Reorganizes, Elects New Leadership

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 18:42:45 EST

I'm pleased to announce that the Vermont Libertarian Party has successfully reorganized! We held our biannual reorganization meeting on Saturday, Dec 22 in Burlington.

State Committee Meeting

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:52:36 EST

Upcoming Towns to Caucus

Time to Caucus

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:11:17 EST

It's time for all parties in Vermont to reform their town committees. The Vermont Libertarian Party will hold its town caucuses on September 26. If you are interested forming a town committee in your town, then contact me asap so I can send you the forms you need and the directions.

Friedman Quote

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:24:25 EST

The free market is the only mechanism that has ever been discovered for achieving participatory democracy. -- Milton Friedman in the Introduction to the Fiftieth Anniversary Edition of The Road to Serfdom

Milton Friedman Anniversary Celebration

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:55:27 EST

Join Us for a Celebration of the Life and Ideas of Dr. Milton Friedman on the 95th Anniversary of his Birth. Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - Social Hour 6 p.m. - Dinner at 7 p.m. Windjammer Restaurant - S. Burlington, Vermont.

Washington Times Article– Libertarian Ranks up 18%

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:57:26 EST

Polls show that fewer Americans are calling themselves Republicans or Democrats and the number of Americans unaffiliated with either party has reached an all-time high � good news for Libertarians, say officials of the nation's third-largest party.

ACLU To Host Drug Policy Conference June 7

Wed, 6 Jun 2007 08:15:08 EST

ACLU To Host Drug Policy Conference June 7

MONTPELIER - Vermont spends considerable resources fighting substance abuse - enforcing drug laws, treating those addicted, and educating young people. While the "war on drugs" has been waged for many years, some question whether much headway is being made.

"Drug Policies - Are We Taking The Right Approach?" is the topic of a day-long conference Thursday, June 7 in Montpelier sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.

Speakers will include Windsor County State's Attorney Robert Sand, who advocates a new approach in the "war on drugs," and former Middlebury President John McCardell, whose "Choose Responsibility" group believes the 21-year-old drinking age law isn't working.

A series of panels will discuss the speakers' ideas as well as offer their own insights on state and federal drug laws.

Panelists will include Assistant U.S. Attorney William Darrow, Vermont Bar Association Director of Education and Communication Kevin Ryan, and Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon.

The conference is designed for citizens, community leaders, policy-makers, law enforcement officers, legislators, academics, counselors, and attorneys. Lawyers may earn 4.5 hours of Continuing Legal Education credits by attending.

More information is available at http–//www.acluvt.org/ or by calling the ACLU at 223-6304.

VT House Committee passes Medical Marijuna Enchancement Bill

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:06:12 EST

From MPP �

The Vermont House Committee on Human Services voted 10-1 yesterday in favor of S.7. The bill now goes to the House Committee on Judiciary, which will schedule hearings shortly. The Senate already overwhelmingly passed S.7 on March 1.

If you have not already done so, please take action now and�write a letter to the editor of your local paper. The opinion page is one of the most read parts of the newspaper, and legislators often look to the opinion pages to see where their constituents stand on an issue. It�s imperative that they see supportive letters.

If you are a medical marijuana patient who does not currently qualify under the medical marijuana law or who finds the plant limits insufficient, and you are interested in helping to expand the law, please contact me by e-mailing Zane@mpp.org. If you are a medical professional, a law enforcement official, or a clergy member, you can also be of special help.

Then, if you have not already done so, please�send a letter to your representatives urging them to support the medical marijuana bills. We have several pre-written letters available for you, but a personally crafted letter is much more effective. Please take a moment to personalize your letter before sending it. If you need additional information about medical marijuana, you can use some material from�our library.

Vermont's law is currently very restrictive, both in terms of qualifying conditions and amount of medical marijuana plants patients can cultivate. Currently, only patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis qualify for Vermont's medical marijuana program. S.7 will add serious conditions that cause nausea, wasting, chronic pain, or seizures to the law. Additionally, this compassionate legislation will increase the number of plants that a patient in the program may possess, because the current limits are not adequate for patients. It also reduces the program registration fee from $100 to $50.

Please take action now to enact this compassionate bill– If you have not done so already, please�write your state legislators�and�submit a letter to the editor of one or more local newspapers. Then, ask your friends and family to do the same. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project.

Seven Myths about Taxes

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:02:39 EST

Seven Myths about Taxes for April 15th 1.) �I didn�t pay any taxes this year!� This irritating myth, often uttered around in early April, stems from a confusion between one�s tax burden throughout the year�and any additional taxes one must pay by April 15th if they didn�t pay enough earlier in the year. �I didn�t pay� usually means �I didn�t have to pay any more to Uncle Sam on Tax Day�. 2.) �No, I really didn�t have a tax burden this year!� That�s certainly possible. Many lower-income and lower-middle class folk don�t pay federal income taxes�especially if they have children. Federal income taxes are paid almost exclusively by those in the upper half of earned income. But that�s at the Federal level. What about state and local income taxes? In Indiana and Kentucky, many hard-working people in the lower income brackets have to cough up money to support state government�including many below the poverty line. 3.) �No, I didn�t pay any state or local income taxes either.� Well, you don�t make much money then! In any case, you still paid a significant tax on your income�through the payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare. No wage income is exempted and there are no deductions, so the 15.3% flat tax is applied to every dollar you earn (up to a cap of nearly $94,200 in 2006). About 80% of wage earners lose more to this tax on income than its far more famous cousin, �the income tax�. 4.) �OK, but the employer pays half of that tax, right?� Not quite. Firms are often able to shift the burden of taxation. Who do you think pays the tax on gasoline? The tax is imposed on firms and they cut a check to the government, but they easily pass on that burden to consumers through higher prices. In a similar manner, firms pass on the cost of the Social Security tax to workers through lower wages. 5.) �Well, at least the corporations are paying their share.� Yes and no. Again, companies will pass the burden to consumers as much as the market allows. Beyond that, a corporation is made up of people�so the extent to which the burden remains with the firm, it will be shared by workers and owners/shareholders. Many taxes start with corporations but are transmitted to consumers, workers, and shareholders– sales taxes on most items and special taxes on everything from cigarettes to liquor, from telephones to recreational vehicles. And don�t forget about tariffs�taxes on all sorts of foreign-produced goods. 6.) �Well, taxes could be worse.� Yes�and they probably will be. Whatever one thinks of current taxes, things are actually worse because of government debt and unfunded mandates. Debt must be repaid�and government debt must be repaid through higher future taxes. Unfunded mandates like Social Security and Medicare (tens of trillions of dollars in promised payments) must be paid through future taxes�or defaulted upon. So, save up now�and support politicians who courageously address these difficult topics! 7.) �Of all tax reforms, the flat income tax would be the worst since it�s regressive.� Nope. The flat income tax has a number of merits, including the elimination of �loopholes� and greatly reducing the amount of time spent filling out forms. Beyond that, a flat tax is at least proportional�the same marginal tax rate is applied above some exempted income level. Or using the common definition, a flat tax is progressive; the average tax rate would rise as income increases. Assume a tax system with a 20% marginal tax rate applied to all income earned above $30,000. Someone earning $30,000 would pay no taxes�a 0% average tax rate. Someone earning $40,000 would have $10,000 in taxable income (above the $30,000 of exempted income), pay $2,000 in taxes, and face a 5% average tax rate. Someone earning $100,000 would have $70,000 in taxable income, pay $14,000 in taxes, and face a 14% average tax rate. Imagine how much easier life could be with a less complex and burdensome tax system. Or maybe you should let your imagination roam after you finish filling out your 1040s this year. It might be too frustrating to think about until your task is done. D. Eric Schansberg Professor of Economics, Indiana University (New Albany) Adjunct Scholar, Indiana Policy Review Author, Turn Neither to the Right nor to the Left– A Thinking Christian�s Guide to Politics and Public Policy