The Bill of Rights -- the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution -- was ratified 230 years ago today, 15 December 1791.

The Bill of Rights sets limits on the powers of the federal government, including the well-known prohibition on laws restricting freedom of speech and of the press, the right to keep and bear arms, and the right to a trial by jury. It also states explicitly two general principles: that the listing of rights does not mean these are all the rights (9th Amendment) and that if the Constitution doesn't assign a power to the federal government then it belongs to the states, or the people (10th Amendment).

Of course over the last two centuries politicians have tried their best to side-step these rules, and unfortunately have been all too successful. It's up to us to hold elected officials accountable when they go beyond the specific powers named in the Constitution, and when they violate the principles outlined in the Bill of Rights.

More info:
* National Archives
* Wikipedia

The Libertarian Party was founded 11 December 1971, and the LP of Santa Clara County celebrated the occasion with a birthday party!

Chris Le reports that he is again meeting on a mostly-weekly basis to play pool with some libertarian friends. If you don't know how to play you can learn. Or you can just hang out and talk, drink beer, or whatever.

The official date of the gubernatorial recall election is 14 September, but ballots will start arriving in voters' mailboxes about a month before that -- starting this coming week.

The Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County today announces its opposition to two parcel tax measures that will appear on the November ballot: "Measure A" in the eastern part of San Jose and "Measure B" in the Los Gatos area.

One of the most successful tactics of those who favor ever expanding government is to give their ideas new names, to disguise their true nature and avoid having to defend their past failures. One such "new" idea getting increased attention is Universal Basic Income.

The Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County urges a NO vote on Cupertino Union School District Measure A. This is a parcel tax measure. The formal election date is 4 May 2021. For more information visit: https://www.nocusdtax.org/

The recall of Governor Gavin Newsom is being supported by many different groups. Both the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County and the Libertarian Party of California are among them. However, not everybody is pushing for the Governor to be removed from office for the same reasons.  Following are some reasons why Libertarians should support this recall:

Over the past few months we have all been witness to the horrible consequences of a political party selling its soul – giving up totally on any sort of coherent message in favor of embracing a cult of personality as the only way to "win".

The Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County held its annual meeting on Saturday, 23 January. Actions at this meeting included election of officers and updates to the party's bylaws.