Dear Libertarian,
In a recent address to law enforcement officers, the President announced his commitment to the War on Drugs and said his administration would be “ruthless” in this war.
He blames illegal drugs for 75-80 percent of the crime in our country.
You and I know how arbitrary and manipulative that statistic is.
The President says he wants to fight gangs and that the War on Drugs will help do this.
But Libertarians know better. We know that the War on Drugs is ineffective, unfair, and immoral. We know that instead of limiting access to dangerous drugs, the War on Drugs empowers dangerous gangs that make incredible fortunes on the black market because these drugs are illegal.
Legalizing these drugs would actually be the smartest, most effective way to neutralize these gangs.
Ending the War on Drugs would also decrease the flood of refugees coming across our Southern border. The vast majority of these folks are fleeing violence and poverty, largely caused by the American War on Drugs.
Indeed, ending the War on Drugs would do more to reduce unsanctioned immigration than could any wall.
It is also simply the humane and moral thing to do.
The War on Drugs has imprisoned millions of non-violent people. This is unfair to these people and also uses up resources that would be better spent prosecuting and imprisoning people who are violent.
Truly, the War on Drugs is responsible for the militarization of police forces in America.
It has pitted police against citizens and this is unfair to both. Police need to be able to focus on protecting the American public from violent offenders and fraud.
Lastly, as Libertarians, we believe that it is immoral for the government to dictate which substances a person is permitted to consume, whether it is alcohol, tobacco, herbal remedies, saturated fat, marijuana, etc. These decisions belong to individual people, not the government.
Because of all of these things, Libertarians advocate ending the War on Drugs. Clearly, this is not the position of the President or the Republican Party or Republican leadership.
They seek to continue the status quo on the War on Drugs that has been failing for decades and cost billions of dollars, to no avail.
This administration is also working to reinvigorate civil asset forfeiture, a practice which is rife with abuses nationwide and one of the most egregious affronts to liberty in a “free” country such as ours.
And, of course, recently the President saw fit to tell law enforcement officers to be less concerned about the well being of those that they detain.
This is not justice and this is not freedom and this is not civilized.
The Libertarian Party is the only party that truly seeks to reduce government, to enable free markets to increase well-being for humanity, and to dismantle abominations to liberty and decency like civil asset forfeiture and the War on Drugs.
In short, we are the only political party committed to the rights and dignity of all people.
Our voice is desperately needed in Washington, DC, in state capitols, and townhalls nationwide.
The 2018 elections will be here so-very-soon and we are busy preparing for them right now.
Some people call odd-numbered years like 2017 “off years”. But this is NOT an “off year”.
We are working as hard as ever. We have not slowed down one bit since Election Day 2016. We are going full-throttle ahead towards 2018.
Every day, we are working to lay a solid foundation for these rapidly approaching elections.
The opportunities are coming and they are unprecedented. 2018 is a critical year for us to make a big impact.
Imagine if we had 2,000 Libertarians on ballots across America in 2018
That would be THREE TIMES the number we had in 2014.
Indeed, it is a stretch goal for us, but one worth stretching for.
If we can get that volume of candidates on ballots, the media will take more notice.
If we can get that volume of candidates on ballots, it will greatly increase the visibility of our party.
If we can get that volume of candidates on ballots, it will lift up candidates up and down ballots.
But, to do this, we need your help.
We need to build the infrastructure to reach out to liberty-minded people across America and encourage them to run as Libertarian candidates.
We need to build the infrastructure to help these candidates run ambitious, visible campaigns that communicate the benevolence and beauty of our ideas and policy proposals.
We need to build the infrastructure to help reach the millions of American voters and share our message, ideas, and candidates with them.
This requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work. This isn’t glamorous stuff. It involves a lot of computers and data. It involves upgrading our systems so that they can be more competitive with the infrastructure that our opponents possess. It involves lots of hard work, year round, to prepare for the next round of elections.
We need you to help make this possible.
In 2008 and 2012, much of Obama’s success was because his team had advanced data systems and used these highly effectively.
The Libertarian Party must develop this same expertise and systems if we want to reach out to millions of voters and win them to our side.
The only thing holding us back from this is funds. This sort of development costs money.
Friend, we are reaching for a Libertarian tipping point…a point at which we create the critical mass that will tip the scales in our favor and bring a tidal wave of success for our party and candidates.
We are on the cusp of a break through. For example, Pew Research Center Survey data shows that a whopping 84% of Americans think that marijuana should be legal in some form! Pew data also shows that 69% of law enforcement officers think that marijuana should be legal in some form!
Many Americans and cops are more in sync with our values than they know.
We need to reach out to them and show them that we are the party standing up for their values and rights.
We need to build the systems to identify and communicate with these voters who are sympathetic to our message.
But this is not possible without the investment and commitment of thousands of Libertarians such as you.
Today, I invite you to make that commitment and give as generously as you can to help us reach for the goal of recruiting and supporting 2,000 Libertarians on ballots nationwide in 2018 and providing the infrastructure upgrades needed to help them reach for success.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Sarwark
Chair, Libertarian National Committee
