I read in the letters all the time about the Republican this and the Democrat that. How tea partiers are disgruntled Republicans with no where to go. How disillusioned and enlightened Democrats have no place to turn except fringe groups. Conservative group meetings are full of people who feel there is no place for them in current politics because they can't stand either side.

Yet, there is a political party that has supported the Constitution faithfully for over 40 years. There is a political party (and not just a fringe group) that favors reducing governments influence in our daily lives and would allow us to take responsibility for ourselves.

This party has been much maligned in the past for being a maverick political party, but now is seen as being prescient in advocating for the very things most people are talking about in politics today. This party used to be considered far to one side (or another).

Yet In today's politically charged, bi-partisan slugfest, they are actually middle-of-the road, taking the best points from both sides. This party, by its very nature, has been full of wingnuts and political activists that sometimes are not perceived in the best light. But years of taking political heat and standing by its principles has matured this party.

I am talking of course about the Libertarian Party, founded in Colorado almost 40 years ago. Some of the Libertarian candidates are the best the party has ever had. You would do yourself a great political disservice if you did not take a moment to check them out.

Re: “Pot at the Tea Party,” letters, April 29.) Boulder Weekly letter-writer Brain Sherwin writes in the April 29 edition, “And don’t tell us that the free market will take care of [uninsured sick people], because it’s had multiple decades to get it right and it hasn’t.”

But is that really true? And what is a free market anyway?

A free market is a market where the government’s only roles are to protect people participating in it from force and fraud, to settle disputes and to enforce contracts. If there is any other government interference in the market, by definition it’s not a free market.

Does the U.S. health care market over the past few decades meet the definition of a free market? Not at all, because government interference in the health care market is everywhere:

Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are licensed by the government. The FDA controls which medical procedures and drugs are permitted and drives up health care prices with Byzantine testing requirements. Almost half of every health care dollar spent in the U.S. is spent by government, through such programs as Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, government employee health coverage and VA health benefits, among others.

The states mandate certain health care insurance coverage (Colorado has 51 mandates), but bar buying health insurance across state lines. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) forces hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency health care treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay.

Government interference in the health care market is so pervasive that the DEA is waging a war on sick people by making doctors fearful of prescribing adequate pain medication and outlawing beneficial drugs such as medical marijuana. One cannot even buy certain cold and hay fever medications without signing your name and showing government-issued identification.

The U.S. health care market has been clearly dominated by government interference for many decades. That’s not a free market. Libertarians say it can only be called a “politically controlled” market; a truly free market would indeed solve most health care problems.

Chuck Wright/Westminster

Hello All!

I'm Norm Olsen, Region 4 Representative on the Libertarian National Committee (LNC). I have been a member of the Libertarian Party since 1993 and have served on the Board of Directors of the Libertarian Party of Colorado seven years; including a stint as State Chair.

In St. Louis, the regions were reformed such that a maximum number of regional representatives could exist within the framework of the Party's by-laws. As a result, the following states are now in what has been designated as Region 4: AZ, CO, HI, KS, MT, NM, NV, UT, and WY. Thus, I am the regional representative of your state on the LNC. Don Wills, State Chair of Wyoming, was elected as the Alternate representative for our region. Should you wish to express a concern, an opinion, an idea, or simply a comment, please contact me at "Norman.Olsen@lp.org" and/or Don at "Don.Wills@lp.org".

I'm pleased to report that the St. Louis convention, under the direction of Admiral Colley, actually produced a profit; a rare occurrence for a non-presidential election year I am told. Also, more than $50,000 was raised at the traditional fund raising banquet. So, financially, the LNC is in a strong position to pursue the objectives chosen by the committee members.

At the LNC meeting immediately following the national convention in St. Louis, the normal organizational business of forming and appointing committees was accomplished. Of more general interest, the LNC approved an expenditure of $15,000 to support the Libertarian Party of California's effort to defeat Proposition 14 (i.e. "Top Two" elections) which we now know to have been a futile effort. I voted in favor of this measure. Generally I do not intend to support large expenditures for ballot access where the benefit is limited to a single election cycle. However, I do support expenditures where the benefits achieved, assuming success, would have a long lasting effect (more than just one election cycle). In my opinion, this was the case concerning Proposition 14.

Issues brought before the committee, which have not been decided and will/may be subject to future deliberations, which you may wish to weigh in on include the following:

First, there are two sites being considered for the 2012 national convention: Indianapolis and Philadelphia. Assuming that having our convention at the same time and place as the Indianapolis 500 would not significantly increase the cost of attendance to the convention delegates, it would be a good choice. Philadelphia, on the other hand, is within a reasonable drive for one third of the population of the US. The average cost to a delegate would be the primary basis for my decision.

Second, there is a proposal to move the time of future (beyond 2012) presidential nomination conventions to the autumn preceding the presidential election. This proposal has been made as doing so would greatly simplify getting our presidential candidate on the ballot in several states. I'll decide when I receive information on exactly how many states are involved.

Third, there was a proposal to establish a new position as "National Party Spokesperson", certainly with idea of appointing Wayne Root to that position. I hold strongly that the National Chair is the Party's spokesperson. If the chair decides to delegate all or a portion of that responsibility, that is his/her choice; a choice in this case I would be comfortable with. We definitely need to take advantage of Wayne's abilities and contacts, but creating new official positions should be based on long term organizational need; not temporary personnel situations.

The schedule for the next three LNC meetings is as follows:

July 10, 2010 - Las Vegas, NV (one day meeting)
November 20 - 21, 2010 - Philadelphia
February 19-20, 2011 - Seattle

The specific venues are unknown to me. I will not be able to attend the Las Vegas meeting on July 10, 2010. Don Wills, the Alternate LNC representative for our region, will be attending in my place.

Dear Friend of Liberty,

While our recent national convention was a lot of work, I am especially encouraged that well over 500 people attended, when we were only expecting about 400. It was a huge success.

Your new Libertarian National Committee officers and representatives are already hard at work and leading by example.

Libertarian National Committee Officers:

Mark Hinkle, Chairman:

• Joined the Libertarian Party in 1974.
• Has made over 400 get-out-the-vote calls to registered Libertarians in California to fight Prop. 14, the Top Two initiative.
• Is a candidate for California State Senate District 15.

Mark Rutherford, Vice Chairman:

• Served seven years as Libertarian Party of Indiana state chairman
• Serves on the board of directors of Advocates for Self Government
• June 3rd, 2010 - was a guest on Indianapolis' Abdul in the Morning radio show to discuss his election as Vice Chairman of the National Libertarian Party.

Alicia Mattson, Secretary:

• Member since 1996.
• Served as platform committee chair. (Click here for the newly amended platform).

James Oaksun, Treasurer:

• Recently helped restart the Libertarian Party of Maine affiliate and serves as Vice Chairman.
• Recently elected Chairman of the Outright Libertarians.

The Five At-Large Representatives:

Kevin Knedler

• Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Ohio.
• Recruited over 50 Libertarian candidates for the May 4 primary. (the LPO lacked ballot access for some years before that and was fielding 5 to 10 independent candidates only)

David Nolan

• Co-found the Libertarian Party in 1971.
• Creator of the Nolan Chart which was later adapted into the World's Smallest Political Quiz.
• 2010 candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona currently held by John McCain.

William Redpath

• National Libertarian Party Chairman, 2006-2010
• Ballot access champion
• 2010 candidate for U.S. Representative in Virginia.
• Has already completed his own petition drive, and spent last weekend collecting petition signatures to get other Virginia candidates onto the ballot.

Wayne Allyn Root

• 2008 Vice Presidential nominee and 2010 runner-up for LNC Chairman.
• Author of the book, "The Conscience of a Libertarian".
• Continues to rack up media appearances: was a guest last Friday on The Big Biz Show Today to attack Prop 14.
  The Big Biz Show airs nationally on CBS Radio, Business Talk Radio Network and American Forces Radio Network.

Mary Ruwart

• 2008 runner-up for the LP presidential nomination
• Author of the book, "Healing Our World".
• 2010 candidate for State Comptroller in Texas.
• Scheduled to speak in Austin at the Libertarian Party of Texas state convention this coming weekend.

We have an all-star leadership team of proven performers. Those leaders along with the Regional LNC representatives are listed on our website.

Republicans and Democrats have our country mired in wars, debt, and corruption. America needs to hear the principled message of liberty that Libertarian Party leaders and candidates can provide. While I am concerned about the future of America, I am excited about the near-term potential for the Libertarian Party to make a positive difference.

P.S. If you have not yet become a member of the Libertarian Party and wish to do so,
please use this link and join the only political party dedicated to free markets and
civil liberties: http://announce.lp.org/t/26989/713088/465/0/

If you would like to make a contribution separate from membership, please use this link: http://announce.lp.org/t/26989/713088/472/0/

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Paid for by the Libertarian National Committee
2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
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Another candidate has emerged in Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, adding competition for the area’s independent votes.

Aurora Libertarian Rob McNealy, a flooring-company owner and blogger, announced his decision to run in January and has since raised $21,000 for his campaign.

McNealy’s platform is different from those of his opponents, incumbent Rep. Mike Coffman and South Jeffco Democrat John Flerlage. McNealy wants to hack away at the federal government, making it as small as conceivably possible, placing more authority in the hands of individual states. He favors ending the war on drugs, an immediate pullout of all U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and a one-year tax holiday for all businesses as an attempt to restart the economy.

And he raps, sort of. McNealy’s website features a spoof video of him and supporters walking aimlessly about LoDo in Denver while he repeatedly pelts lyrics of being a “Twitter gangster,” in reference to his regular use of the specific Web forum.

“I’m running a fun, interesting and out-of-the-box campaign,” said McNealy, 37, who also runs a social-media marketing business. Other links on his website direct visitors to purchase “Twitter gangster” T-shirts featuring a bluebird wearing an off-axis baseball cap and a gold chain. Also for sale are similarly themed novelty colognes.

The light-hearted side of his campaign aside, McNealy said being able to compete against Coffman is directly related to how much money he can raise, and consequently how much airtime he can afford for TV ads.

Through March, Coffman had already raised more than $543,000 in contributions, and Flerlage currently pegs his funds at $85,000. An independent candidate, Evergreen resident Michael Kearns, has announced an apparent intention to run, though it is not clear how much money he has raised or whether his name will even be on the ballot in November.

“I think it makes a good contrast for all the voters,” said Flerlage, explaining that the district will have another candidate to whom he can be compared. “I’m out there talking to unaffiliated (and) Republican voters all the time.”

And McNealy isn’t necessarily counting on votes from hard-line Republicans or Democrats. The bulk of his support will likely come from politically independent voters, he said.

“A lot of people in this district are really concerned about the economy,” he said. Discontent with the usual political camps may also fuel his campaign, he said. “People want another option. They want choice.”

And concerning his positions on most political issues, McNealy is a distinct candidate. He fits well into the Libertarian mold of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism, and he favors massive overhauls in federal authority and spending.

“I feel the federal government should be almost nonexistent,” he said. “I’m not an anarchist. I do believe we have specific reasons (for which) we need government.”

One of his targets for reform is education. And though he has identified a problem with the system, he admittedly knows much less about a viable solution. The country spends far too much money for poor results, he said.

“There isn’t a lot of accountability in schools right now,” said McNealy, the son of a Detroit public school teacher. McNealy and his wife, Kristie, home-school their four children.

“We’re one of the worst countries in the world as far as education. … I’m not an expert. I just know that what we’re doing now doesn’t work. Kids are coming out of high school illiterate.

“I don’t think money is the problem. We’re educating my kids at $500 a year.”

Referring to his declared position as an anti-war candidate, McNealy said he stands out.

“What I’m finding is that I’m the only anti-war candidate in this election,” he said.

Flerlage however, says he favors implementing exit strategies in both Iraq and Afghanistan, though he may not necessarily support an immediate and total withdrawal. “What we’re doing in the Middle East is adventurism. It’s not defense,” McNealy said.

Despite perceived misconceptions about his party, the majority of people, whether they are even aware of it, are Libertarians, McNealy said.

“Most people don’t understand that Libertarians are really social moderates,” he said. “Most people, I believe, are Libertarians. … On the social issues, most people want the government to leave them alone.”

Audio of the 60-minute interview with Christine Smith conducted by Jet Lacey on "Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock" Morning Show broadcast.

Christine Smith, Libertarian Party of Colorado candidate for HD60 was interviewed live April 30th, 2010 where she discussed Libertarianism and the path Christine's life took to it. Her campaign and the Libertarian Party of Colorado was also discussed.

Listen Here.

Audio of the 60-minute interview with Maclyn Stringer conducted by Matthew A. Brower on "The Hour of Power" online radio broadcast.

Maclyn Stringer, Libertarian Party of Colorado candidate for U.S. Senate was interviewed live May 17th, 2010 where he discussed his run for U.S. Senate in Colorado.

Listen Here.