FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RALEIGH, N.C. — Stephanie Watson, Libertarian candidate for N.C. Senate District 16 in Wake County, invites the public to a casual Meet-the-Candidate event at Frankie’s Fun Park on Thursday, September 9, between 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Frankie’s is at 11190 Fun Park Dr. off T.W. Alexander near US-70 in Raleigh.

This will be the second of two receptions this month for the Watson campaign. The first was held at Loco Lu’s Coffeehouse in Raleigh on September 2, and attendees filled the shop. At the event, Watson answered questions from the audience about state spending, transportation, education, and states’ rights.

Watson is a native to N.C. and a 1996 graduate of N.C. State University. As a Liberty advocate, Watson promotes freedom and personal responsibility. She explains, “Like many people today, I feel the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States have disenfranchised the voices of Liberty. The Libertarian Party understands that government intervention is at the heart of many of our issues, and that it’s more Liberty, not more intervention, that offers a real long-term solution.”

For the Thursday event, Watson is eager to meet more Wake County residents and discuss the local and state issues important to them. Watson encourages, “Come early, relax and enjoy some free food. Bring the kids, stay and enjoy the arcade and the park.”

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Links: Stephanie E. Watson for N.C. Senate District 16, Campaign Web site: www.GoLiberty.net

For more information about this topic, or to arrange an interview, please contact Stephanie Watson via phone at 910-960-7833 or email stef@goliberty.net.

• EVENT: Meet-the-Candidate Event at Loco Lu’s
• WHEN: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 7-9 PM
• WHERE: Loco Lu’s Coffeeshop (www.locolu.com), 5210 Hollyridge Drive, Raleigh, NC (about 1 mile West of Crabtree Valley Mall on Glenwood, then right left onto Hollyridge)
• EVENT DETAILS HERE: http://www.meetup.com/GoLiberty/calendar/14100978/

The Frankie’s Fun Park event has been rescheduled. Be sure to make a note of the change, and bring the whole family out to meet Stephanie, discuss your concerns, find out where she stands on the issues important to you, and enjoy the fun and games at the park!

• EVENT: Meet-the-Candidate Event at Frankie’s Funpark
• WHEN: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 6-8 PM
• WHERE: Frankie’s Fun Park (www.frankiesfunpark.com/raleigh/), 11190 Fun Park Drive, Raleigh, NC (in the Brier Creek area, on T.W. Alexander Drive near the intersection with Glenwood Avenue)
• EVENT DETAILS HERE: http://www.meetup.com/GoLiberty/calendar/14486127/

Stephanie is having a meet-the-candidate event at Frankie’s Fun Park in Raleigh on Thursday, September 9st, from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM.

Bring the whole family, and come early for food and a cash bar, and stay for go-carts, batting cages, and the arcade!

Most importantly, meet Stephanie, express your concerns as a voter, and discuss how Stephanie can take your concerns to the floor of the Senate next session. Bring your checkbook, too, so you can make your in-person donation!

For more information, and to RSVP (encouraged, but not required), see: http://www.meetup.com/GoLiberty/calendar/14486127/

I just nudged him. He’ll file the report over the weekend. The software from the SBOE really makes that easy (thanks SBOE!), and if I hadn’t given him all my receipts and records so far, I’d have done it myself.

Until it’s filed, in case you’re curious, here’s the rough campaign finance estimates for us through June… I collected a little over $350 in donations that went into our checking out. That’s it, I think.  There are some PayPal numbers (about $200) that haven’t been transferred to checking, too, and I have made some in-kind expenditures of about $200-300.

By November, I think my entire campaign budget might come close to paying for one or two of Perdue’s unaccounted-for flights. (Though I dare you all to prove me wrong by donating like crazy this month!)

Thanks, Adam… let’s stay on top of this! Thanks to other concerned supporters, too, for keeping us on our toes!

Here are the documents of note:

• The bill that was passed and signed into law (S.B. 1177)
• The N.C. Political Parties Financing Fund (not yet updated to reflect these changes)
• G.S. 163-96 with the state’s definition of a political party

Watson for N.C. Senate Sign

The signs are in. This is what they look like. They are a modest size of 18×12 in. The box of 100 of them wasn’t near as heavy as one of the two 50-count boxes of H-frame stands that came with them.

Now to double-check some sign ordinances and plan for the volunteer event on Sunday: http://www.meetup.com/GoLiberty/calendar/14291227/

Now, if I said nothing else about that, and you knew nothing of American history over the last decade, this may seem completely innocuous. However, there are some religious, social, and political groups who think it is in bad taste for these Americans to build this center of prayer and community support so close to the site of the World Trade Center buildings that were lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (a.k.a. “9/11″).

Why? It’s all because the 9/11 terrorists claimed to be motivated by Islamic purposes. They seem to have ignored the fact that faithful Muslims around the world have tried to dissociate themselves with these violent extremist groups, much in the way many Christian groups in the U.S. try to dissociate themselves with radical groups who bomb abortion clinics.

Unfortunately for the Libertarian Party, one of our most enthusiastic Libertarians, Wayne Allyn Root, is one of those who stands in solidarity with these “bad taste” activists. In one of his regular emails to the Root for America mailing list, Root said, “there are also the rights and sensibilities of others to consider in a free society… To build a celebration of Islam within steps of 9/11 does nothing to increase religious freedom…it inspires hatred, divides our cultures, and increases the odds of violence and hate crimes.”

I would like to say, as an individual and a Libertarian, that this is very much NOT a common Libertarian viewpoint. Muslims in American have all the same rights as those of any other culture or faith: life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Activists like Root are seeking to discourage, or even to stop, a group of Americans from exercising those rights simply because they deem the location choice an “insult.”

Root clarifies his position that “if this is privately funded by parties with no ties to a foreign government, …we have enough people in this country who are offended by the prospect… that the money can be raised to buy this land at a fair price from the owners.” I’m glad Root is expressing that it’s the individuals and economic forces rather than the government that could implement change here. However, I am appalled that he would encourage this behavior.

I’m also appalled that Root would see the funding source of the project as the determining factor as to whether the government should block these Americans’ rights. Root claims that if the funding source is a foreign government or religious group, then “the idea of this being an issue of religious freedom is a sham and an argument can be made that our Constitution would actually prohibit this mosque from being built.” The fact is that the Constitution is on their side in Root’s argument, not his. These individuals are Americans, each with his/her own rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights should be protected under the Constitution *per individual* until such time as that individual has violated the rights of others. The source of funding for the project is irrelevant here.

Mr. Root: you have a right to feel offended and to express your opinion, but you do not have a right to take away ANY Americans’ rights life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness if they have violated no laws.

The questions were, as expected, focused on business, with one exception being on the state of schools in Wake County (amidst the current controversies). I’ll make another post later touching on the education question. In the meantime, here are some of my post-forum thoughts on the business questions:

* Only business knows what’s good for business. As a legislator, I’m not going to tell you what’s best for your business. In fact, unless your business is violating the rights of others by a way you can prove in court, I’m going to leave you alone. The government needs to take the stance of “how can we best stay out of the way so you can do your thing” rather than “how can we best try to control your business.”

* The current General Assembly loves to talk about gambling. The problem is that they think that they can outlaw all forms of gambling except what they sponsor themselves. I’m not talking just about the education lottery, whose funds have been raided to pay for other projects against the lottery’s promised intent. I’m talking about the gambling the Legislative and Executive branches do with regards to business growth in NC. Instead of making an equal playing field for all businesses, they hedge their bets on select businesses and industries. This creates false incentives to start and grow a business. A smart business would be operating based on its economic viability and sustainability, not based on promises and incentives that are at the whims of elected officials. The only way to create lasting growth and lasting jobs is for government to make it easier for *everyone* to do business.

* There is inter-dependability in commercial infrastructure. A convenience store is successful because it’s on a busy corner, the corner is busy because there’s a shopping mall there,  the shopping mall is successful because of new home construction in the area, and the home construction is booming because of a new factory that opened a couple of miles away. Incentives and regulation focused on any single part of that chain throws off the balance. Good or bad, it’s still intrusive and potentially disruptive.

* We need to stop thinking of our General Assembly as a retirement community. We need anyone who is constitutionally qualified to run for office able not only to run, but also to serve in tandem with their own full-time employment. I’ve been laid off a couple of times due to economic strains on the businesses where I worked, but I’m taking the chance of having to quit temporarily in order to serve in the GA. Not everyone has the family budget to take those chances, though. We need to put some options on the table that make the part-time work of being a Senator or Representative something that the average person can do without fearing for his/her job. (Naturally, I would start with shorter sessions. )

That said, things are going to be ramping up in the next couple of weeks, and I’m going to need people to be ready to help. Keep an eye here and on meetup.com/goliberty for upcoming events and ways you can lend a hand!

North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections (NCFPE)

N.C. Voters for Clean Elections (NCVCE)

North Carolina Family Policy Council