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.

The Bill of Rights -- the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution -- was ratified 229 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

[Updated 2 December] With several weeks of counting behind us, election results in California are still preliminary but close to complete. Reviewing the propositions and measures on which the LP of Santa Clara County made a recommendation, it seems that on most subjects the voters agreed with us. Unfortunately, on questions of taxation and bonds (which must be paid back through taxes), for the most part the voters disagreed with us, passing almost all of them.

Voters agreed with us on 7 out of 9 of the non-tax/bond questions on which we took a position (all results shown as yes/no percentages):

Proposition 16, which would have allowed government to discriminate by race, sex, etc., failed 43%/57%.

Early returns indicate that more than 20 Libertarian candidates won election this month across the country, including six in California.

This includes one elected to the state legislature in Wyoming, and about a dozen elected to city/town councils.

Here's the latest list:

STATE LEGISLATURE (1)

Marshall Burt - Wyoming House District 39

Resolution of the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County
Regarding Government Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Adopted 1 May 2020 by the LP SCC Executive Committee

Whereas, people own their own bodies, and it is their personal responsibility to take care of them;

Whereas, people have a natural and constitutional right to travel and trade;

Whereas, the economy of Santa Clara County and the greater Bay Area depends on the free flow of goods and people acting autonomously;

Whereas, governments, where they exist, do not have the right to impede the travel and free trade that people depend on for their well being;

Dear concerned voter:

The battle among candidates of one of the parties for their presidential nomination is dominating the headlines -- and California is one of those "Super Tuesday" states.

But if you are among the growing number of voters who are registered Libertarian, you received a ballot listing an entirely different set of choices. Do you know what these candidates stand for?  Read below for details about:

• the choices on your primary ballot
• the debate that took place two weeks ago
• who is ahead in the polls
• who are the delegates who will be selecting the nominee
• another debate coming up next week

The Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County has endorsed four candidates for federal and state office in the March 2020 primary election. The endorsements were made by the county Central Committee at its regular meeting on Saturday, 23 November 2019.

Resolution of the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County
Regarding the membership suspension of Robert and Jennifer Imhoff
Adopted by the County Central Committee, November 23, 2019

Whereas the Libertarian Party of California (LPC) Executive Committee conducted a secret trial to suspend the memberships of Robert and Jennifer Imhoff on August 10, 2019; and

Whereas the historical procedure has generally been to conduct membership suspensions in open session; and

Whereas the LPC has failed to either state the specific reason for the suspension or provide any evidence in support of their decision; and

Whereas those suspensions have disrupted the operations of the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County by removing both the county Chair and the county Treasurer, thereby severely restricting access to the bank accounts and other assets of the county party; and

Most of the partisan elections for 2020 may seem a ways off.  However, all of the candidate recruitment and preparation for the Primary Election next March is coming up this fall.  See the Secretary of State's website for filing periods and deadlines. 

We need candidates to run as Libertarians for Congress and for the State Legislature.