A logical look at liberty by Stephanie E. Watson.

For those following the blog, I just noticed that a very educational comment from csteventucker was marked as screened, so I unscreened it. It has a lot of great information and links about “universal” healthcare that you won’t find in the mainstream media. Check it out at the end of my “A Quick Look at Single-payer Health Insurance” post here.

The Libertarian Party of North Carolina (LPNC.org) had their annual state convention in Burlington this past weekend (April 17-19, 2009). Michael Cloud and Mary Ruwart were distinguished guests and speakers who offered wisdom from their LP experiences. The convention also included an informative panel on economic issues including Michael Beitler, Mike Munger, and Jim Capo. The business meeting included adopting a State Sovereignty resolution, updating LPNC Bylaws, and electing new Executive and Judicial committees. There were many in attendance who were newly active in the LPNC, and all seemed excited about the future of libertarianism as they celebrated the success of two long-fought hurdles: meeting NC ballot access requirements through petition signatures, and retaining ballot access through the success of gubernatorial candidate Mike Munger.

That’s all I have time for today… I am still working on my Dix 306/FDDP research, which has been very enlightening, and I hope to make a new post for that series later this week.

Last night at the NCSU University Club in Raleigh, Libertarians gathered in support of Mike Munger and other Libertarians running for state offices. Throughout the evening, there were cheers each time the number of precinct s reporting rose and Munger continued to have well over the 2% minimum requirement of votes for governor to keep Libertarians on the ballot through 2012. Spirits were high, and there was a great sense of relief and hope as Libertarians looked forward to dedicating time and resources to campaigns instead of another round of petitioning.

With 100% reporting, Munger appears to have received 2.87% of the gubernatorial votes, with 3.76% in Wake County alone. Also, state-wide, the lieutenant governor race showed even more voters taking a chance on Phillip Rhodes, who ended the night at 3.04%. Overall voter turnout rose from previous elections to 68.37%, and the voters have sent a message that they want change in the state, with a growing number seeing the Libertarian Party as representative of the kind of change they want to see.

View more of the (currently unofficial) State Board of Elections results

A message to Munger:
Mike, thanks again for running an effective campaign and conveying a Libertarian message that people in NC can understand as the party begins to break negative Libertarian stereotypes. I look forward to running alongside you for a General Assembly seat for 2010.

Running to win in 2010!

So, I discovered this week that according to the North Carolina Constitution, I will not have lived in my current NC Senate district long enough by November 3, 2008, to be eligible to run for that Senate seat. I moved over New Years, but to be eligible I would have needed to live in the district for a full year prior to the election day itself. Because my party is broke after trying to get on the ballot to start with, we don’t have money to front for our many candidates, and each candidate is doing his own fund-raising or personal contributions to pay for his filing fees… and I don’t have the personal funds or the time to raise them to get on the ballot for an office for which I *am* eligible.

So… the Watson campaign is on a two-year delay while I throw my GoLiberty.net efforts behind our gubernatorial candidate, Mike Munger. Look for the Watson campaign to revive in 2010!