LPIN

The LPIN Statement of Purpose and Principles is the guiding mission statement of the LPIN, and is the paradigm through which all LPIN action is focused.

Mission:

The mission of the Libertarian Party is to move public policy in a libertarian direction by electing candidates of the Libertarian Party to public office.

The LPIN affirms the following principles:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an ironic twist of government transparency, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week's meeting on government transparency and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is closed to the public.

Upcoming Conference Providing Guidance on President Obama’s and Attorney General Holder's Memoranda on the Freedom of Information Act

On March 26, 2009, the Office of Information Policy (OIP), Department of Justice, will host a government-wide training conference to discuss President Obama’s and Attorney General Holder’s Memoranda which establish a new era of open government.

The details for this event are listed below:

When: March 26, 2009
Where: Department of Commerce’s Auditorium
14th and Constitution Avenue NW (main entrance on 14th Street)
Time: 10:00 - 12:00 noon
Who should attend: Agency Chief FOIA Officers, Agency Principal FOIA Contacts and FOIA Public Liaisons

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Attorney Paul Ogden announced plans to hold a taxpayer rally at the Indiana Statehouse on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The rally, which is called “Revolt at the State House,” is supported by several local political blogs including “Ogden on Politics” and “Hoosiers for Fair Taxation” and various taxpayer groups not only in Indianapolis but all across the state.

The rally will focus chiefly on issues relating to corporate welfare, Indiana style “pay to play” politics, property tax reform, and the need for transparency and ethics reform. Particular topics are likely to include: “The Colts, Pacers & the Capital Improvement Board, “Pay to Play Politics, Indiana Style: Campaign Contributions & Government Contracts,” “The Executive and Legislative Revolving Door,” “Corporate Welfare – How Politicians Have Used Our Tax Money to Make the Rich Richer.”

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Nominations are being accepted for the LPIN's leadership posts, to be voted on at the 2009 State Convention in Clarksville, Indiana, Saturday, May 16th.

Posts to be filled at convention include State Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary. This past Saturday, current Chairman Todd Singer and Treasurer Dale Wedel both announced intentions to seek second terms to their positions. Secretary Melanie Hughes announced she will not be seeking another term. Vice Chairman Dan Drexler is undecided whether he will seek his first full-term. Drexler is currently filling the remainder of the term vacated by Rebecca Sink-Burris, after becoming District Representative to the Libertarian National Committee.

District Representatives are chosen by the District Committees prior to the convention.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- By reader request, the LPIN is providing the ongoing review of current legislation in the Indiana General Assembly in a printable .pdf format. Versions include bills sorted by number as well as a .pdf file sorted by the date reviewed.

• Sorted by bill number, CLICK HERE
• Sorted by review date, CLICK HERE

  "It's always fun to take a look at the bills," notes LPIN Vice Chairman Dan Drexler. "Some of the fun in the review is trying to figure out why a legislator would move a bill forward and on what constituent's request. Some are very clear; others are simply a mystery."

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- When I began this blog one of the first posts I wrote dealt with the dangers of citizen apathy. I began that post with the following poem:

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Variation on a poem attributed to Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Over 50 Hoosier libertarians met Sunday night to hear one of the most electrifying speakers in the Libertarian Party. Wayne Allyn Root, the Party's candidate for Vice President this year, spoke to the Libertarian Party of Indiana at its inaugural Bill of Rights Day Celebration on December 14, 2008.

The LPIN used this night to kick off the Secretary of State race. The LPIN has automatic ballot access because Hoosiers gave two percent of their vote to LPIN candidate Mike Kole in 2006, and the LPIN will be asking voters to grant them automatic ballot access again in 2010. The LPIN leadership asked the crowd to help with the campaign by increasing their contribution to the 1994 Society to help the LPIN prepare for the campaign. The 1994 Society is the monthly contribution program to the LPIN, and is vital to spreading the message of libertarianism in Indiana.