St. Louis Missouri Libertarian Party Candidate Forum July 19th (June 24, 2008)

Come meet the Libertarian Party candidates running for office in the August primary! Libertarian Party candidates from the St. Louis area and from across the state will be on hand to present their views and appeal for support in the upcoming elections. Featuring our Special Guest: Wayne Allyn Root Libertarian Party Candidate for Vice President of the United States. More ...

Libertarian Dime Podcast: Missouri LP State Chair on National LP Convention (June 2, 2008)

Shane and Johnathan at the Libertarian Dime Podcast interviewed me after I returned from the 2008 National Libertarian Party Convention in Denver. We discussed the NLP Convention, the nomination of Congressman Bob Barr for President by the Libertarian Party and we got off topic a bit talking about the environment and carbon credits. More ...

Ballot Access Procedures Could Improve (May 16, 2008)

Wes Upchurch, a Libertarian Candidate for Secretary of State, would like to applaud the Missouri House for passing SB 797. The bill, which was introduced by Democratic Senator Joan Bray, improves the procedures for the petition to qualify a new political party. More ...

Mercantilism and the National Animal Identification System (May 11, 2008)

Senator Purgason's strong words against the lobbyist's and leadership of Missouri Farm Bureau are shared by myself and many others across the state that are aware of their activities. Most people don't realize that American Farm Bureau was instrumental in the development of NAIS, or the National Animal Identification System. More ...

2008 Missouri LP Karl Wetzel and Champion of Freedom Awards (May 11, 2008)

The Missouri Libertarian Party presented its annual awards during the 2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City April 5th. John Schultz, Missouri Libertarian Party Secretary and Boone County Libertarian Party Chair, was presented with our highest honor, the Karl Wetzel Award. Michael Hurley, Erik Buck, Bill Wayne, Jim Givens and Kevin Babcock were presented with Champion of Freedom Awards. More ...

2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference - A Resounding Success (April 27, 2008)

The 2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference held in Kansas City, MO April 4th-5th was a resounding success. There were 130 people attending the conference and even some national media. Both CNN and the Atlanta Journal Consitution reported on the conference along with a Kansas City NPR station. More ...

Libertarian Principles, Rights and Smoking Bans (April 19, 2008)

Missouri libertarians have opposed smoking bans in communities all across Missouri. In some cases, helping to prevent a smoking ban from being enacted. Here is my response to a recent e-mail received by the Missouri Libertarian Party regarding our opposition to smoking bans: More ...

There Oughta Be a Law (April 19, 2008)

There was an interesting little flier in the local Sunday newspaper this week. It was a one-page piece of card stock from State Representative Sara Lampe entitled, “There Oughta Be a Law.” Her premise is that she represents her constituents and that she wants to know what they feel should be enacted. More ...

NPR coverage of 2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference (April 16, 2008)

KCUR 89.3FM, an NPR station in Kansas City published a story today of the 2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference almost 5 minutes in length. Several members of the Missouri Libertarian Party attending the conference were interviewed. More ...

Libertarian Dime Podcast: Missouri LP State Chair Interview (April 14, 2008)

The Libertarian Dime is a new podcast dedicated to showing a modern version of libertarianism as applied to politics, religion, science, and culture. The show is hosted by Shane Brady and Jonathan Farr. Shane, a libertarian, recently moved to Missouri from Kansas and Jonathan is a libertarian living in New Mexico. My interview starts 10-15 minutes into the podcast and lasts over an hour covering a wide range of topics. More ...

2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference - Libertarian Presidential Candidate Debate (April 5, 2008)

Six of the seventeen candidates for the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination participated in a debate at the 2008 Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City April 5th. In his keynote address, former Republican Congressman Bob Barr, who switched to the Libertarian Party in 2006 and now serves on the Libertarian Party National Committee, announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible run for President as a Libertarian. More ...

MO-CPR Says Missouri Supreme Court Decision Shows Need for Constitutional Changes (March 18, 2008)

Missouri Citizens for Property Rights' chairman Ron Calzone made the following statement regarding the Missouri Supreme Court's decision in the case of Arnold v. Tourkakis: "My heart goes out to Homer and his wife, who are now a step closer to having a quarter-century of hard work destroyed by city bulldozers. The high court ignored the clear statement in Article I Section 28 that 'private property shall not be taken for private use with or without compensation' as Missourian's fundamental protection against private use eminent domain." More ...

Mid Missouri Libertarian Meet & Greet March 22nd 3-6PM (March 12, 2008)

Many freedom-loving citizens of Missouri were energized by the Presidential campaign of Congressman Ron Paul. The Boone County Libertarian Party invites like-minded individuals to learn more about the party at the Mid-Missouri Libertarian Meet & Greet on Saturday, March 22nd from 3:00 to 6:00 PM at Grand Cru, 2600 S. Providence Road in Columbia. More ...

Small College Libertarian Group Makes Big Impact (March 11, 2008)

Just over six months ago there was no College Libertarian Group at Truman State University. The year before I thought I could further my political goals through the College Democrats or College Republicans depending on the issue. After going to a couple meetings I found that both groups were ineffective and they rejected my alternative beliefs. More ...

Pardon My Pique, But It’s OUR Money!! (March 9, 2008)

Today’s headlines in the Springfield, MO daily newspaper provide a perfect example of why there needs to be an active and vibrant Libertarian party. The first headline points out that Missouri Governor Matt Blunt’s office is demanding a fee of approximately $540,000 from Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon’s office for emails necessary to an investigation of whether the governor and his staff violated the state Sunshine Law by deleting old emails. More ...

A Successful St. Louis Area Libertarian Caucus Meeting (March 2, 2008)

Libertarians from several eastern counties -- and farther afield -- kicked off the 2008 election season on February 23rd, gathering in at the Best Western Airport Hotel and Conference Center for the second biennial St. Louis Area Libertarian Caucus. More ...

Universal Health Care: What Possible Benefit? (February 29, 2008)

As the general manager in a small organization that employs about 18 individuals, many of them female, I was greatly troubled by the recent news coverage this weekend regarding Hillary Clinton’s proposal for universal medical coverage. More ...

Missouri LP State Chair speaks at Southern Missouri Ron Paul a thon (February 18, 2008)

I along with the Constitution Party State Chair were invited to speak at the Southern Missouri Paul-a-thon January 25th in Mountain View, MO. The southern Missouri Ron Paul Meetup groups did a great job organizing this event which drew over 200 people. More ...

Anti Eminent Domain Abuse Group Reaches Major Funding Goal (February 12, 2008)

The grassroots effort to abolish eminent domain abuse in Missouri got a major boost on Tuesday as Missouri Citizens for Property Rights announced it has begun paid signature gathering for two constitutional amendments that will prohibit the use of eminent domain for private profit. More ...

A message to Ron Paul supporters from the Missouri LP (February 7, 2008)

Though Ron Paul has been elected to Congress 10 times as a Republican and is now running for the Republican Party nomination for President, he has deep roots in the libertarian movement. Ron Paul was the Libertarian Party Presidential candidate in 1988 and is a lifetime member of the party. More ...

Missouri LP State Chair interview on KOPN 89.5FM in Columbia (February 7, 2008)

I was interviewed January 29th, 2008 for an hour by Steve Spellman on KOPN 89.5FM, a community radio station in Columbia, MO. We discussed the upcoming Presidential Primary in Missouri, third party politics, libertarianism, the environment and Congressman Ron Paul's run for the Republican Party Presidential nomination. More ...

Be a county committee person for the Libertarian Party (February 6, 2008)

Be a county committee person for the Libertarian Party. It's the kind of job everyone wants--you don't have to do any work and you get a title. (Sorry, no pay). There are some advantages to being a county committee person.

• A county committee person is automatically a voting member of the Missouri Libertarian Party. Normally you have to contribute at least $50 a year to be a voting member.
• You get to select who the Libertarian Party candidate is for special elections to fill open elective offices where you live.

The Libertarian Party's Response to the State of the Union Address (January 28, 2008)

Tonight's State of the Union address went much as expected. Instead of calling for a more limited role of the federal government in American society, the President laid out plans that would only increase the government's intervention into the realm of economics, health care, education and foreign policy. More ...

Smoking Ban Economic Studies - Who do you trust? (January 15, 2008)

I defended Dr. Pakko in an op-ed in the Columbia Daily Tribune, Smoking ban study critic ill-informed and then raised questions about the veracity of an economic study published by our own Missouri Dept. of Health and Senior Services. More ...

Missouri LP State Chair - Missouri Viewpoints Interview (January 13, 2008)

Embedded is my Missouri Viewpoints interview released Sunday January 13th, 2008. Libertarian Mike Ferguson performs the interviews for the political affairs online show and David White does a great job video taping and producing the videos for YouTube. More ...

Libertarian Reelected Chairman of City Committee, Appointed to Another Committee in Grandview (January 11, 2008)

In 2004, Mike Ferguson was the Libertarian nominee for Missouri Lt. Governor. The Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Grandview, Missouri liked what they saw in that campaign enough to appoint him to the city's Transportation Committee in early 2005, which reviews all changes to ordinances that pertain to traffic, parking and other safety issues. More ...

Libertarian Presidential Candidates' Debate Coming to Kansas City in April (January 6, 2008)

The top candidates of America's most prominent third party will face off in Kansas City during the first major debate in the race for the Libertarian Presidential nomination. The debate will be part of the Heartland Libertarian Conference which will take place in Kansas City, MO on April 5th, 2008. More ...

Are We Reaching the Turning Point? (December 25, 2007)

In early 2007 there was discussion among 2nd Amendment supporters about how the major media had a reputation for rarely reporting on citizens defending themselves with a firearm. On those occasions when they did, there were notable times when the media would omit the fact that it was a citizen with a firearm that had stopped the bad guy. More ...

Steve Kinder seeks State House seat (December 15, 2007)

Steve Kinder is our candidate for State Representative, district 158, in the special election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the incumbent. Steve is a pharmacist and he and his wife, Mary, are chair and vice chair of the Cape Girardeau County Libertarian Party. More ...

Springfield City Finance Audit To Be Released December 6th (December 4, 2007)

The State Auditors' report on the city of Springfield will be released Thursday, December 6th. This report has long been anticipated by the previous chief petitioner, Springfield Councilman Doug Burlison, and the current chief petitioner, Tom Martz, also of Springfield, and by those who supported the petition effort. More ...

Sullentrup Wins Anti-Corruption Award in NYC (December 2, 2007)

Rock-The-Debates, Inc. founder and Libertarian Party National Secretary Bob Sullentrup will be honored in New York City on December 18 being presented with the "Anti Corruption" award by the Independence Party of New York County. More ...

Justice Or Just Us? (December 2, 2007)

While speaking recently to a local unit of the League of Women Voters in Springfield, I attempted to frame the question in terms of something other than the various complaints I discussed in an earlier “ShowMeFreedom” column. A chart showing the pattern of immigration from 1960 to the present was distributed—it showed a relatively flat trend line for most of the chart and then a rapid increase over the last ten years. More ...

Heartland Libertarian Conference and Missouri LP State Convention April 4-5, 2008 (November 22, 2007)

Even though we're still over four months away, the 2008 Missouri LP state convention is already off to a great start. Like the 2004 convention, we will be meeting jointly with the Kansas LP and possibly with folks from the Iowa and Nebraska LP. More ...

Show Me Libertarians - Live Weekly Missouri Libertarian Talk Show (October 26, 2007)

Teddy Fleck, Greene County LP Secretary, has started a new weekly live libertarian talk show, Show Me Libertarians which you can listen to over the internet. You can even call in to the show, live, and ask questions of his guests. More ...

Missouri LP State Chair - What I did on my summer vacation (October 21, 2007)

I didn't have a vacation this summer from my day job or from my position as State Chair of the Missouri Libertarian Party. What I did do (outside of my day job) was continue all my libertarian activism locally in Boone County, work on statewide issues and travel the state attending libertarian and other events. More ...

David Boaz offers A Libertarian Critique of the Bush Administration on Tuesday, October 23 (October 12, 2007)

The Cato Institute's Executive Vice President David Boaz offers A Libertarian Critique of the Bush Administration on Tuesday, October 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. More ...

Blowing in The Wind of Immigration (October 8, 2007)

One of the hot-button topics "on the street" is that of immigration. Regardless of whom you talk to, you rarely find anyone with no opinion whatsoever. The main issue is that of the thousands of illegal immigrants coming into our country through Mexico. More ...

Fiscal Irresponsibility (October 7, 2007)

You might not have noticed that the Republicans and Democrats in Washington recently pulled-off a remarkable feat of bipartisan cooperation. With little fanfare, they raised the U.S. debt ceiling -- the limit on how much the U.S. government can borrow on behalf of future taxpayers. More ...

Missouri State House Special Election February 5th 2008 (September 2, 2007)

A special election has been called for State House Districts 16, 65 and 158. We need candidates and, especially in the 16th and 65th districts, people to nominate them. More ...

Bob Barr-B-Q to be held in St. Louis (August 27, 2007)

Congressman Bob Barr will be visiting St. Louis on September 8. The Libertarian Coalition for Responsibility is hosting a "Bob Barr-B-Q" where local libertarians will have a chance to meet and hear from Mr. Barr. More ...

The Show-Me (Nothing) State (August 14, 2007)

The Constitution of the State of Missouri is a mess. At least that's how it appears to me, compared with the federal document of the same name. That constitution is little more than a pamphlet, setting forth, briefly and in general terms, the extent of the powers of the federal government. More ...

Greene County Libertarian Party Supports Springfield Financial Audit (August 1, 2007)

The August 2nd state audit of the Springfield Municipal Court is the first step in getting a better financial picture of the city's health, according to new chief audit petitioner, Tom Martz. More ...

Omigosh! They're Trying to Be Us!! (July 29, 2007)

Last week a friend handed me a magazine, saying, "his sounds like you." I'm always a bit leery of comments like that since my libertarian leanings are well-known among my friends and associates. However, I found myself holding the summer issue of Rising Tide, billed as "The magazine of the Republican National Committee." More ...

Boone County Libertarians Team Up With Missouri Citizens For Property Rights (July 23, 2007)

The Boone County Libertarian Party (BCLP) will have a booth this year at the Boone County Fair July 23rd-29th. Libertarians manning the booth will be giving out the World's Smallest Political Quiz and helping Missouri Citizens for Property Rights gather signatures for petitions to amend the Missouri Constitution to prevent the use of eminent domain for private development. More ...

Is Two the Ultimate Number? (July 8, 2007)

Here in southwest Missouri there is a program locally produced on the PBS station and hosted by the League of Women Voters entitled "Making Democracy Work." A couple of months ago, I was invited to be interviewed on libertarianism in general and the Libertarian Party in particular. More ...

Governor Vetoes New Eminent Domain Authority (July 6, 2007)

On Friday, July 6, 2007, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt vetoed HB 327, a one-hundred-forty-plus-page catalog of economic development programs that contains tax credits, training programs, alternative fuels incentives, ticket scalping laws, and a provision creating new eminent domain authority. More ...

Democrat and Republican Affiliation Drops While Libertarian Party Numbers Surge (June 14, 2007)

At a time when Libertarian Party membership continues to rise, a recent Rasmussen Report survey indicates that Republican Party affiliation continues to decline while Democratic Party affiliation is decreasing, as well. More ...

Novel Defense Spares Arnold Dentist from Eminent Domain (May 21, 2007)

Dentist Homer Tourkakis scored a major victory Monday in the battle to save his dental practice from eminent domain abuse. The city and their chosen developer, THF Realty, backed down from their effort to take his dental practice through eminent domain rather than risk a precedent setting supreme court decision. More ...

My first ten days as Missouri Libertarian Party Chair (May 17, 2007)

My first ten days as Missouri Libertarian Party Chair have been very busy. Here are some of the highlights from the first ten days. More ...

Missouri Libertarian Party Elects New Officers At May 5th State Convention (May 14, 2007)

The Missouri Libertarian party elected new officers at the state committee meeting held May 5th during the state convention. Glenn Nielsen of Columbia was elected Chair. Mr. Nielsen has been active in the party for seven years, has served as webmaster for five years and has been very active working on local issues in Boone County Missouri. More ...

The battle to save our American farms - The fight to stop NAIS (May 4, 2007)

I am writing this as an open letter to all the members of the Missouri House of Representatives and all other State and Federal legislatures across the country. The National Animal Identification System currently being implemented and enforced will be devastating to small farmers and ranchers. More ...

Restoring the 2nd Amendment in Missouri (May 3, 2007)

The HCS/SCS/SBs 62 & 41 bill is very close to going on to the Governor for a signature. It would define that a lawful citizen "has no duty to retreat and has the right to meet force with force if he or she reasonably believes it necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony." More ...

SIGNED: Confiscation Protection During State Emergencies (May 3, 2007)

On April 13th, 2007, at the NRA Convention in St.Louis, Governor Matt Blunt signed SB-257 into law. This legislation prohibits the confiscation of lawfully possessed firearms or ammunition from citizens during a state of emergency. More ...

Missouri moving towards opting out of national ID (REAL ID) (April 30, 2007)

Missouri along with 31 other states is moving towards passing legislation to opt out of implementing national identification mandated by the federal government by the REAL ID act of 2005. More ...

NAIS Action Alert: Tuesday May 1st 8:30AM (April 30, 2007)

Here is a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Missouri State Legislature action alert for May 1st 8:30AM. Thanks to Doreen Hannes for getting this out. More ...

Clayton Eminent Domain Overturned - Case Goes to Missouri Supreme Court(April 29, 2007)

Clayton Missouri property owners have won an appeal to prevent their property from being taken for the Centene Corporation commercial development. This case is similar to the Kelo vs New London Development Corporation US Supreme Court case which upheld the right of municipalities to take private property for commercial development. More ...

Anti NAIS Bill Passes Missouri Senate, tell your State Representative to vote YES (April 24, 2007)

SB 428 has been approved by the Senate by a vote of 29-2!!!! It will now go to the House, where we face a tough fight. Call your Representative to urge him or her to support SB 428 when it comes before the House. More ...

Libertarians Win Three Of Five Municipal Elections April 3rd (April 16, 2007)

Libertarians in Missouri won three out of five races in municipal elections held April 3rd in Missouri. More ...

Libertarian Doug Burlison Wins Springfield City Council Seat (April 5, 2007)

Doug Burlison won a City Council seat this week, beating an incumbent with more resources and contacts, and he did it by running on his principles - along with his efforts to have the city of Springfield, Missouri investigated by the State Auditors' Office. More ...