Arizona Libertarian Party

4802 E. Ray Rd., #23-255

Phoenix, AZ 85044

602.248.8425

http://azlp.org

January 17, 2007

Dear Arizona Libertarian State Committeeman:

I am writing to notify you, pursuant to A.R.S. §16-826(B), that the elected Board of the Arizona Libertarian Party has called a State Convention to be held on Saturday, January 27, 2007, at Coco's Bakery Restaurant, 4514 E. Cactus, Phoenix, Arizona. The business session will be called to order promptly at 12:00pm noon, so please arrive by 11:30am to allow time for registration and seating.  The Convention will probably conclude by 5:00pm but no later than 6:00pm.

We ask that everyone attending and partaking of the lunch, dessert, and the use of the facilities please prepay $22 per person (use PayPal to pay "treasurer@azlp.org"), or you may pay $25 the day of the Convention.  Please let us know, at your earliest convenience, that you will be attending, as we will need to provide a headcount to the venue in the days before the Convention.  An e-mail to "2007@azlp.org" with your name will suffice.

The Agenda for our Convention on Saturday, January 27, shall be as follows:

11:30 am: Registration/Credentialing
12:00 pm: Call to Order, Opening Remarks

12:10 pm: Credentials Report
12:15 pm: Adoption of Agenda
12:20 pm: Secretary’s Report, Approval of Minutes
12:30 pm: Treasurer’s Report, Approval of Treasurer's Report

12:40 pm: Old Business

12:45 pm: County Organizing Report

1:00 pm: Amendments to Platform, Platform Committee Chairman's Report

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Lunch Buffet - Lunch will consist of a variety of sliced meats, cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, assorted breads or rolls, ice tea, coffee and soft drinks

2:00 pm: Voter Registration Updates & Projects

2:10 pm: New Business

2:10 pm: Election of Officers

2:15 pm: Election of State Chair

2:25 pm: Election of State Treasurer

2:35 pm: Election of State Secretary

2:45 pm: Election of First Vice Chair
2:50 pm: Election of Second Vice Chair

2:55 pm: Election of Assistant Treasurer

3:00 pm: Election of Assistant Secretary

3:05 pm: Platform Statement and Issues

3:05 pm: Current Platform reflects 2004 National Platform

3:10 pm: Submission of Platform Changes by Platform Committee

3:15 pm: Submission of Platform Changes by Platform Committee Dissent

3:20 pm: Vote on Platform Changes

3:30 pm: Break: Assorted cookies or brownies, ice tea, coffee and soft drinks

 

3:45 pm: Resolutions from the Floor for Consideration by the State Committee

3:50 pm: War on Terrorism

4:00 pm: Prohibition of Party Property to Taxpayer Funded Candidates

4:10 pm: Party Organization And Government Repeal

4:20 pm: 17th Amendment Repeal

4:30 pm: Open Forum

5:00 pm: Adjournment

As you can see from the agenda, there is a considerable amount of business to transact in a limited time. Therefore, I ask that everyone bear in mind the following:

• Times stated on the agenda will be observed.

• Any comments that are not substantial and relevant will be considered out of order.  Please attempt to organize your thoughts clearly before rising to speak, limit the duration of your comments so that everyone may have an opportunity to voice their opinions, and refrain from repeating comments already heard.

Before and after the business session, I look forward to joining you and our fellow Libertarians, and meeting as many of you as I can.

Sincerely,

/s/ 

Michael Kielsky

Chairman, Arizona Libertarian Party

Proposed Platform Change Submitted by Platform Committee

Taxation Plank:

ISSUE: The extensive and, to many legislators, elastic revenues generated by the State of Arizona's several forms of taxation have allowed it to expand its scope to matters best left to civil society and the free market.  At the same time, taxation is a burden to Arizonans, both as a direct drain on their pocketbooks and through associated compliance costs.

PRINCIPLE:  Taxation is at best a necessary evil, compulsively taking resources away from those who produced or earned them.  Taxes levied for the protection of the rights of the individual ought to be fair and as low as is practically possible, impose few compliance costs, and distort the free market as little as possible.  All other government services ought to be paid for by their users.

SOLUTION (Action/Transition):  We support the lowering of all tax rates, and oppose the creation of any new taxes.   We propose that the state individual income tax be eliminated.

LONG-TERM VISION (Solution): Most taxes should be replaced with service fees, and the remaining taxes ought be few in number, fair, and as low as is practically possible.

Proposed Platform Change Submitted by Platform Committee Dissent

Taxation Plank:

ISSUE: Government manipulation of the economy creates an entrenched privileged class -- those with access to tax money -- and an exploited class -- those who are net taxpayers. Politicians show favoritism toward certain groups of people, both rich and poor, and place the burden of paying the government bills on those without organized political clout. As a result, the size of government has increased at a rate that far surpasses the rates of inflation and population growth combined.

PRINCIPLE: We believe that all persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We oppose all government activity that consists of the forcible collection of money or goods from individuals in violation of that right. No tax can ever be fair, simple, or neutral to the free market. To the extent that government activity carries a cost, that cost should be borne by the users of that activity to the fullest extent possible.

SOLUTION: We support the repeal of the income tax, the sales tax, and most excise taxes. All government services that are not related to the protection of individual rights (police and courts of law) should be privatized. Only when government bureaucracy is minimized can the economy truly thrive for everyone on the economic spectrum.

TRANSITION: As a first step, we support the immediate repeal of the income tax. The repeal of the income tax will reduce government revenues only by one-third, and the loss of this revenue stream can easily be offset by reducing the largesse of waste in government bureaucracy. No new spending programs should be created unless they are shown to be absolutely necessary and proper under our Constitution, and existing bureaucracies must be reduced by the same amount so that the size of government does not continue to increase.

War on Terrorism Resolution

WHEREAS American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world, and conduct foreign policy based on the enlightened principles of non-intervention as espoused by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; and
 
WHEREAS the United States government should return to its historical libertarian tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, foreign quarrels and imperialist adventures, while recognizing the natural right to unrestricted trade and travel; and
 
WHEREAS the United States has intervened in the affairs of Iraq and Afghanistan, nations that neither directly attacked nor threatened America, and our invasion of their sovereign territories is an attempt to impose our values on people in other lands; and
 
WHEREAS such overt hostilities are immoral and contrary to the principles of the philosophy of libertarianism and the Libertarian Party; and
 
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Arizona Libertarian Party demands that the President of the United States and U.S. Congress act to immediately end the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Armed Forces of the United States have the full support of the Maricopa County Libertarian Party. We believe that the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces will better ensure their safety and create a more manageable situation for the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan to maintain civil order; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Arizona Libertarian Party calls upon the United States Congress to impeach President George W. Bush for lying to the American public about the reasons for invading Iraq and Afghanistan; violating the War Crimes Act of 1996, the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th Amendments of the Bill of Rights and Article 1 Sections 8 & 9 of the United States Constitution by allowing the illegal surveillance of American citizens; approving the illegal torturing of prisoners of war; sanctioning the holding of prisoners of war without formal charges, legal representation or a trial by jury; invading sovereign countries without a Congressional declaration of war and illegally using government funds for domestic political propaganda related to the war on drugs; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the passage of this resolution will be communicated by the Secretary of the Arizona Libertarian Party to the Libertarian National Committee, the President and Vice President of the United States, all members of Arizona’s Congressional delegation, and all major news media outlets in the Phoenix metropolitan area.


 

Prohibition of Party Property to Taxpayer Funded Candidates Resolution

WHEREAS, in 1998 Arizona voters approved the Clean Elections Act in hopes of curbing the influence of special interest groups in Arizona politics,
 
WHEREAS, Arizona’s Clean Elections Law provides for taxpayer financing for participating candidates in the form of a lump sum and also provides matching funds to participating candidates in amounts equal to any funds over the lump-sum amount that their non-participating opponents have raised or that have been spent on independent ads; and
 
WHEREAS, candidates for President of the United States can qualify for matching funds given to them by the Federal Elections Commission; and
 
WHEREAS, participation in such a system or acceptance of tax money on the part of any candidate for the purposes of financing their political campaigns is immoral and contrary to the principles of the philosophy of libertarianism and the Maricopa County Libertarian Party; and
 
WHEREAS, the result of the passage of the so-called Clean Elections Law is that it unfairly favors taxpayer financed candidates since those who do not take tax money are subject to more regulations than those who participate; and
 
WHEREAS, the Arizona Libertarian Party is organized to influence public policy in a libertarian direction by electing candidates to public office as well as conducting other forms of political activism; and
 
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, no facilities property or services of the Arizona Libertarian Party will go to futher, promote or support any candidate for office that accepts tax money for the purposes of financing their political campaign.
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED we request that the national Libertarian Party endorse and adopt a similar resolution at its convention to be held between Friday, May 23rd and Monday, May 26th in Denver, Colorado; and; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution will be transmitted by the Secretary of the Arizona Libertarian Party to the Libertarian National Committee.

 

Party Organization And Government Repeal Resolution

WHEREAS Arizona Revised Statutes 16-821 thru 828 governs the structure of political parties in Arizona; and
 
WHEREAS political parties are private organizations organized by individuals with a common purpose to influence the outcome of public policy either by electing candidates to office or raising their party’s issue positions in the marketplace of ideas via the electoral process; and
 
WHEREAS ARS 821 thru 828 opens the Arizona Libertarian Party to the public which can lead to groups hostile to our party’s mission to conduct a takeover of our party’s structure similar to how the Christian Coalition now dominates the structure and policies of the Republican Party; and
 
WHEREAS the Arizona Libertarian Party (a.k.a. AZ.L.P.) is organized to influence public policy in a libertarian direction; and
 
WHEREAS ARS 16-821 thru 828 hinders the AZ.L.P.’s ability to operate effectively and requires AZ..L.P. officers to first be elected in a manner that violates the Non-Aggression Principle of libertarian philosophy where taxpayers are forced to pay for the election of Precinct Committeemen that make up our party’s internal structure; and
 
WHEREAS ARS 16-821 thru 828 not only violates the right of free association but is also discriminatory since a registered Libertarian cannot participate as an Executive Officer of the Arizona Libertarian Party or any of its affiliated parties unless they are elected as a Precinct Committeeman in the party’s primary held every 2 years or appointed a Precinct Committeeman by the Party Chairman; and
 
WHEREAS as a result of the requirements in ARS 16-821 thru 828 the creation, organization, and operation of political parties other than the Republicans and Democrats is hindered and minimizes competition by design.
 
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Arizona Libertarian Party calls upon the Legislature and Governor of Arizona to work to immediately repeal ARS 16-821 thru 828 during every legislative session starting in 2007 until the Party Organization and Government statutes are repealed or until voluntary compliance with the laws is allowed; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, upon passage of this resolution a copy of it will be transmitted by the AZ.L.P. Secretary to the Governor of the State of Arizona, the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives and the President of the Arizona State Senate.

 

17^th Amendment Repeal Resolution

WHEREAS, the "Great Compromise" of the Constitutional Convention provided for proportional representation in the House of Representatives of the United States and equal representation for the states in the Senate of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers determined that equal representation of the states in the Senate of the United States recognized the individual sovereignty of each state; and

WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers concluded that because the legislatures of the states were themselves "select bodies of men", the choice of United States Senators would generally be made "with peculiar care and judgment" by the legislatures themselves as originally provided for in Article I, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment declared a division of authority between the states and the United States and was for the first 140 years invoked by the Supreme Court of the United States as a constitutional limit of congressional power as against the powers of the several states; and

WHEREAS, the election of the United States Senators by the state legislatures was the political mechanism against congressional encroachment into the sovereignty of the states; and

WHEREAS, one of the essential aspects of the states' exercise of this political mechanism is the United States Senate's advice and consent for treaties and appointments of executive and judicial officers made by the President of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 changed the election of the United States Senators from the state legislatures to the popular vote of the people of the states, thereby divesting the states of any direct voice in the federal government; and

WHEREAS, due to the differing modes of representation and election in the House and Senate prior to 1913, each branch provided a balance of legislative power against, and an independent check upon, the other; and

WHEREAS, prior to 1913, history reveals that in choosing their Senators, the individual state legislatures supported the federal government, thereby providing harmony between the governments of the states and the government of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States has, since the ratification of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments, steadily encroached upon the sovereignty of Arizona and the other states united by and under the Constitution of the United States through the "general welfare" provision of the tax clause, the commerce clause, deficit spending and the indiscriminate use of unfunded mandates; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Arizona Libertarian Party finds and declares the current process of electing United States Senators by the popular vote of the people to be defective; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Arizona Libertarian Party calls upon the United States Congress, in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the United States, to immediately propose and transmit to the several states for ratification an amendment to the Constitution repealing the Seventeenth Amendment; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, if repeal of the 17th Amendment by Congress is not feasible, the Arizona Libertarian Party encourages the Arizona legislature to work to nullify the 17th Amendment by choosing a U.S. Senate candidate each time an election for U.S. Senator is to be held based on a simple majority vote of members of both houses of the state legislature and then the Speaker of the Arizona House and President of the Arizona Senate communicate their choice of U.S. Senate candidate to the public via all available print and electronic media; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of the Arizona Libertarian Party shall transmit copies of this Resolution to the Presidents of the United States and Arizona State Senate, the Speakers of the United States and Arizona House of Representatives and each Member of the Arizona Congressional Delegation.