Posted by theodore on 07/28/09

Greetings All Maryland Campaign for Liberty Members,

The Harford Chapter of the Campaign for Liberty is, as I write this, the largest chapter in the state at 101 members-now becoming the first chapter in the state of Maryland to break 100 members!  They are three ahead of Baltimore County at 98, the 2^nd largest chapter.  They also beat Montgomery County which is 3rd at 80 members and Anne Arundel which is 4th at 79 members.  In January of 2009 the Harford County chapter barely had 10 people at that month's chapter meeting, now they regularly have 70-80 people attending chapter meetings.  The Harford chapter has also spearheaded several Tea Parties, protests, and rallies to fight against higher taxes, bloated government, and regulatory impediments on the private sector.  Some in political circles in Harford County refer to the Harford chapter as the "third rail" of county politics.   

In January the Harford Chapter was 10% of the total state membership, today they sit at 15%.  I will tell you that county percentage numbers seldom change so this accomplishment cannot be understated.  For their chapter to move from 10% to 15% percent of the state members, at a time when state membership is constantly rising, is a monumental task. 

Some Facts:

Harford County is only 4% of Maryland's population.

Harford County is in the 6th slot in terms of general population in the state of Maryland. 

Harford has 25% of the population of Montgomery County.

Harford has 31% of the population of Baltimore County.

Harford has 47% of the population of Anne Arundel County.

Basically this all means that Harford's membership numbers are a direct result of their hard work.  They have proven that membership growth is directly tied to reaching out and taking the issues to the local community.  The entire Maryland Campaign for Liberty membership should take a moment and celebrate this accomplishment.  It provides inspiration to not only other chapters in the state, but to chapters around the country proving that local activism based on the Campaign for Liberty principles and grassroots organizing works!

The Harford chapter stands as a clear example today that organization, hard work, and outreach play a key role in determining chapter size.

Thanks,

Ted

Theodore Patterson

State Coordinator

Maryland Campaign for Liberty

E-mail: Theodore@udel.edu

Phone: 443-350-5065

www.campaignforliberty.com

Posted 07/29/09 TheeVagabond Abingdon, MD

This is awesome!

Posted by theodore on 06/21/09

To the Editor:

It is no longer just a theory.

This past Wednesday, the Treasury's auction of $19 billion in 10 year Notes was met with tepid investor interest.  To induce folks to buy these bonds, the Treasury had to raise the interest rate on them to nearly 4%.

When Treasury rates rise, so too do rates on all sorts of things, including business loans, mortgages, and car loans.

Higher rates choke off all sorts of economic activity.  For example, if a business has to pay more to borrow money, will it?  Or, if you have to make higher mortgage payments thanks to a rising rate, are you likely to buy a new house?  And so on.

Rising interest rates are a very serious consequence of our government's runaway spending, a great example being the so-called stimulus bill.  Because we are running a massive deficit of $1.8 trillion to pay for the stimulus bill and other spending, and expect to run trillion-dollar deficits for years to come, it is very realistic to expect further increases in interest rates as the Treasury seeks buyers for its bonds.

But it doesn't have to be this way!  Our government could have a balanced budget.  We could live within our means, so we don't need to borrow.  It's time that government returned to its limited, Constitutional role instead of the expensive leviathan it is today.  Because instead of being a benign, or even benevolent government, what we have is choking our economy.  Wednesday's Treasury auction is proof. 

Michael Andersen

County Coordinator

Eastern Shore Campaign for Liberty

Posted by theodore on 06/21/09

Hello Western MD Campaign for Liberty,

Here's a summary of our June chapter meeting.  I believe that it was one of our most productive meetings to date.  If you wish to be removed from this email list, please let me know.

Report from the Frederick Gun Show (June 13 & 14)

Jason, Ted, Russell & Allen passed out hundreds of pieces of educational literature and plugged our chapter meeting date & times.  People were very receptive.  We also handed out 75 pocket U.S Constitutions and some limited bumper stickers, especially for those who donated.  Thanks to Russell's fast action we had a terrific C4L banner and a donation box.  All in all this was a very successful outreach and we will plan to do other similar events in the future.  Thanks to Jason, Christina, Russell & Allen for purchasing the space.

Treasurer

Nominations for a treasurer were made.  Russell Burdette was elected by consensus.  It was agreed by the members present that all donations to this local chapter will be used to purchase educational materials and purchase additional opportunities for outreach.  If you are interested in buying materials from the website, it is suggested that you do so through one of our coordinators as they receive a 20% discount (or better yet, consider becoming a local coordinator yourself !).

C4L Website

Jason shared some pointers on the C4L website.  Members are encouraged to log in frequently, write blogs and stay in touch.  More will be presented in the future when we obtain a satellite or modem internet connection during the chapter meeting. 

Guest Speaker

The Maryland C4L state interim coordinator, Ted Patterson, provided an overview of our state's strategy, update on chapters and suggestions for recruitment & growth.

Continued presence and outreach at events such as the gun shows and the upcoming TEA Parties are vital to new membership and growth.  We discussed how to generate publicity such as writing newspaper editorials, calling local radio shows and confronting locally issues publically.  We also discussed physical distance as a geographic barrier to greater participation by Allegany & Frederick residents at this time.  Some suggestions included providing a live, interactive blog feed during the meeting, or recording parts of the meeting for posting & distribution later.  Everyone present agreed that they want a summary of the chapter meeting sent via email.  Also it was agreed that email names should be seen so that we are able to contact each other more readily between chapter meetings or as needed.

To have success and obtain greater influence on our elected community officials we must focus on local issues that will resonate with the public and that we can gain traction with.  After some discussion and brainstorming we decided to work on:

1.  defeating the implementation of speed cameras,

2.  reducing taxes or wasteful spending by local government.

A future plan will be to help establish a Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter on western MD college campuses.

Action Items

June 20 - Our chapter's steering committee will participate in a state wide strategy meeting.

June 20 - Timonium gun show.  Our new members Gordon & Chris took flyers to distribute during the show.

Homework - Kristy (Allegany Co.), David (Washington Co.) and Jason (Frederick Co.) will work on researching the status of speed cameras plans in their respective counties and report back to our chapter.

July 4 - TEA Parties in Cumberland & Frederick.  Members are encouraged to take part by wearing C4L t-shirts, distribute info and continue to gather signatures on our Audit the Fed petition.  Names & contact info will be follow up at a later date.

July 9 - TEA Party in Hagerstown 3pm - 6pm at the University Plaza.  Our chapter will have a presence as described above.  All C4L members are encouraged to participate as time and schedules allow.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday July 16, 2009 7pm - 9pm at Tony's Pizza Hagerstown, MD

Posted by theodore on 06/16/09

 Dear Patriots,

The Southern Maryland Chapter of the Campaign for Liberty is well on its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with. At our initial May chapter meeting, 11 people came out to show their support for the principles of the Campaign for Liberty: respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, individual liberty, sound money, and a noninterventionist foreign policy.

While the Southern Maryland Campaign for Liberty Chapter is officially off the ground and running, we still need fresh ideas and new members. We want to invite all of you to our next chapter meeting. The meeting will consist of a presentation from one of our members, a  reading of a section of the Constitution and discussion, a discussion about the chapter's organization and direction, and several other action-oriented items that will make us into a powerhouse that our elected officials in Southern Maryland will have to answer to. Additionally, state coordinator Ted Patterson will be in attendance to discuss how the other Maryland chapters are operating throughout our state and provide support for our chapter as we move forward.

Here's the meeting information:

Date: Monday, June 22^nd

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Greene Turtle Restaurant

   14150 Baltimore Avenue

             &n
bsp;     Laurel, MD 20707

The way I see it, we have two choices. We can sit back and let our elected officials lead us down a reckless road of disrespecting the Constitution and our individual liberties; making poor monetary and economic judgments wrought with reckless taxing, borrowing, and spending; and pursuing a dangerous interventionist foreign policy. Or, we can stand up and fight. I hope you'll join us.

If you have any questions or need to contact someone about the Southern Maryland Campaign for Liberty Chapter, you can simply reply to this e-mail or call me, Zach Swartz, at (202)-251-7942.

Thank you,

Zach Swartz

Interim Chapter Coordinator

Posted by theodore on 06/16/09

Citizens of Baltimore and friends of liberty:

Legislators serving in Baltimore City Council will soon hear on an ordinance imposing a surcharge on certain plastic bags provided at grocery stores and other various retail outlets. The proposed legislation is spearheaded by Councilman Bill Henry (Council District 4) and has enough cosponsors to motion a much likely vote by July of this year. ABC News reports that:

Councilman Henry says small bags will be exempt, and so will the bags for produce and meat. But he's confident the 25-cent plan will be much more effective than the five-cent tax Washington DC is considering. 'I'd like to see change, he said. 'I'd like to see behavioral change and I think that if you give people the choice between paying a quarter and taking a bag, people will say I'd rather keep my quarter.

WBAL Interview: City Councilman Bill Henry speaks to this issue >>Click Here

We must stand against this as citizens; we mustn't allow Group think and coercion govern our lives, for we are self-governing. This proposed surcharge on plastic bags sounds fine and dandy when given the choice of whether or not to provide your own article transportation. However, little does City Council think that the city's general consensus lies within that same framework. Or do they? Do not let your voice go quietly in the night -- speak out to City Council. Demand jurisprudence.

This issue will be covered more this Wednesday, June 10th @ 7pm for our June Baltimore Campaign for Liberty Meeting in Lutherville/Timonium. >>Click here for details:  Please consider to attend, and bring a friend.

In liberty,

C. Richard Swann III
Baltimore (City) Coordinator
Maryland Campaign for Liberty
Cell: (410) 499-4023
c.richardswann3@gmail.com


http://www.campaignforliberty.com

Posted 06/16/09 Unchained Soul Guangzhou, China

Taxing bags is not quite so crazy. Here in China there is a plastic bag tax as well. The result: Everyone uses the much more rugged (and reusable) canvas bags when they shop or when they go out to the market. Saves oil, saves power and you get more than your money's worth out of the canvas bag. The big difference is the matter of choice. You will at least be able to let the city know your thoughts. In China, the gov't said it and it was so.

Posted 06/24/09 LibertyMage Baltimore, MD

The difference is not only a matter of choice but a matter of practicality. Stores here already offer price discounts for people who bring their own bags. This actually lowers prices. Adding a tax to bags is only going to make prices go up. The real issue is replacing the decision making power of entire communities with central planning and how it only makes things more expensive.

Posted 06/25/09 multifaceted Baltimore, MD

Unchained Soul and LibertyMage: I agree with you both on the matter of choice. If they want to be more 'practical', City Council then ought to offer a tax cut on participating businesses to consume the cost having to impose the surcharge on it's customers and patrons. If the business owner cared enough about both, then perhaps he or she would pass on the benefit to their customers in the form of discounts on certain items, or even, offer discounts on patrons who provide their own reusable bags. That way, the only incentive is one of symbiosis, no particular party is to benefit over another -- the equilibrium. Imposing a behavioral change through legislation is one thing, educating and teaching the public is another...