LP Illinois News - September 2008 #1
Convention Update: Barr to Headline Saturday Night Banquet!
We are thrilled to announce that Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr will be the keynote speaker for the Saturday night banquet at the LP Illinois annual convention.
The convention is being held October 3-5 in Oak Brook. This year's convention theme is: Vote Libertarian – Win a Free Country. Plenty of "Platinum" packages are still available - you can be seated at Bob Barr's table for dinner if you act fast.
You can check out the website, LP Illinois.org, for more info on the convention and how to register.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: the Doubletree Hotel is providing a special Libertarian Party of Illinois $82 discounted room rate for the convention. So visit their website to reserve your room, but hurry! This rate is only good through September 13.
LP Illinois Officers Election
One of the main agenda items at the Convention business meeting on October 5th is the election of LP Illinois Officers.
The benefits of volunteering to serve in one of these positions include:
- Improving your skills: The managerial experience you gain by organizing libertarian activities or campaigns can be reapplied to all areas of your life, personal and professional.
- Implement YOUR great ideas: The best way to grow and advance the party is by being an active officer and working with the State Organizing Committee to put your ideas for improving the party to work.
- Making new friends: There's nothing like working in the trenches with your fellow freedom fighters to forge bonds that can last a lifetime.
- Earning respect: A string of successful accomplishments is the best way to increase your self-respect and gain the respect of others.
- Advancing liberty: Volunteering with the Libertarian Party is all about the knowledge that the more free we make our world the better it will be. It's great to be doing your part to make liberty happen.
Every LP Illinois officer position will be up for election. If you are interested in learning more about the officer positions available, there is a list with descriptions in the "About Us" section at LP Illinois.org.
We will also have an informational conference call on Sunday, September 14th at 7 p.m. for anyone toying with the idea of taking that next step and learning more about the responsibilities of officers. The phone number is (218) 486-1300 and the bridge number is 355861. If you can't make the call and would like to discuss a position or make you intent to run for an office known, call State Chair, Val Vetter, at (800) 735-1776. Make this your first step to the party's next two GREAT years of growth and increasing influence in Illinois politics. LP Illinois needs YOU!
Convention Sponsorships
Sponsor the Convention with a $25 (or more) donation and we will recognize your contribution with a business-card- sized ad within the program. If you are the first to donate $200 (or more), we will feature your organization with an exclusive full-page ad on the back of the program.
Campaign Update: Stafford Endorsed by Taxpayer Organization
Our candidate for the U.S. Senate, Larry Stafford, is making headway as we inch ever closer to the November election. In a letter from Larry himself, he explains the nature of his most recent success:
Just wanted to pass on the good news...
Today I received a letter signed by Jim Tobin. The letter was an endorsement of our campaign for US Senate by the Tax Accountability 2008 group (The political action affiliate of National Taxpayers United of Illinois).
I did sign their Taxpayer Protection Pledge to oppose any effort to increase taxes.
NTUI is the largest taxpayer organization in Illinois with 10,000 members.
I want to thank all the hard work and efforts of all the volunteers that have put us into this position to receive such an endorsement! Please pass this on to all who care about their government tax burden!
For more information on Larry Stafford and his campaign, check out his new and improved website at StaffordForSenate. com.
Illinois Constitutional Convention Debate
The Fox Valley Freedom Coalition is hosting a debate on the pros and cons of holding an Illinois Constitutional Convention (a.k.a. ConCon) in 2009. The question will be on the ballot in the November 4 election and few Illinois voters know enough about it to make an informed decision.
The debate will be held at Family Taxpayers Foundation, 8 East Main St., Carpentersville, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 20. For more information contact Julie Fox at jfox1214@sbcglobal. net or at 847-528-1126.
Bob Barr on Glenn Beck
Did you miss Glenn Beck's hour-long segment featuring Bob Barr? Don't fret. Check it out on YouTube.com.
Zogby Reception, Lecture, and Book Signing
A recent Zogby poll had Bob Barr at 6% of the vote nationally, and 5% of the vote in Illinois. Here's your chance to learn more about this pollster.
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs will be holding a reception, lecture and book signing featuring John Zogby, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zogby International. Zogby will be discussing his new book, The Way We'll Be, which will be available for purchase and signing at the program.
The event will be held on Thursday, September 18th at the Chicago Hilton on 720 S. Michigan Ave., at 5:30 p.m.
For more information on times and registration, check out TheChicagoCouncil. org, or contact Alex Talcott at alex.talcott@ gmail.com.
Don't Forget: Register To Vote
The November election is approaching, and with it, the deadline for voter registration. If you plan on voting in November, and have not yet registered, you need to consult elections.il. gov for information about registration and the deadline.
Support the Libertarian Party of Illinois
Regardless of party affiliation, there is one element that fuels all political campaigns: money. Whether it's running a petition to get our candidates on the ballot or raising funds to organize the annual convention, we need your support and contributions to keep the message of freedom and liberty alive!
Please make a donation to the Libertarian Party of Illinois today!
Volunteers Needed
Would you like to make a monetary donation to the Libertarian Party of Illinois, but feel that you are financially unable to do so? Why not donate your time?
The Libertarian Party greatly emphasizes the importance of local and grassroots politics. There is no better way to help the cause of freedom and liberty than to personally get involved.
Contacting the media is a great way to volunteer your time. Newspapers, radio, TV and other news outlets are key in the dissemination of information. Tapping into any and all of these outlets would significantly help spread our message and increase our coverage as we draw closer to the election.
Check out the "Contact the Media" section on the Volunteer page of our website, LP Illinois.org. There you can find a list of sample letters, each having been published in an Illinois newspaper. Let them serve as an inspiration to your own efforts of making your voice heard.
Words of Wisdom
"Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place."
~ Frederic Bastiat, The Law