LCI Exclusive: Libertarian Party of Washington State Convention 4.21-4.22.2017 Coverage

2017 Libertarian Party of Washington (LPWA) State Convention in Moses Lake, WA

The 2017 Libertarian Party of Washington State Convention was held in Moses Lake, WA from April 21st to 23rd, 2017.  LCI was on-site for the Friday and Saturday festivities.  Training for candidates and volunteers were held on the 23rd.

LPWA Website: https://lpwa.org/
LPWA Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/libertarianpartyofWA/

LCI Exclusive: 2017 LPWA State Convention (FB Livestream Coverage Video) 4.21.2017

There was a great deal of surprise to everyone in attendance as current LPWA State Chair, David Traynor reported to the attendees that they were 3 members short of reaching quorum requirements to hold the business meeting portion on the convention.  It was agreed upon by the body to host the business meeting portions of the State Convention on July 8th and possibly 9th, 2017; likely within King County to address the attendance situation.  State leadership is said to have had the event in Moses Lake since City Council member, Don Myers is located there; along with the fact that Eastern Washington has held 4 of the last State Conventions and the East Side needed a turn.  Despite the convenience of the location, only a small number of Eastern Washington Libertarians made the convention, primarily being an approximate 3/4 attendance from King, Snohomoish and Kitsap Counties.

LPWA Chair, David Traynor Addressing Quorum Issue at LPWA State Convention 4.22.2017

Libertarian Party of King County Vice Chair, Matt Dubin addressed the crowd and words of encouragement for the State Party.

LPKC Website: https://www.lpkingcounty.com/
LPKC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingCountyLP/

LPKC Vice Chair Matt Dubin, speaks at LPWA State Convention 4.22.2017 

Caryn Ann Harlos, National Region 1 Representative and Libertarian Historian presented the "Statement of Principles" and history on the LP back in 1972-74.  You can see Caryn Ann's handout with the presentation at the following link:
http://www.libertychronicle.net/2017/04/caryn-ann-harlos-presentation.html

Caryn Ann Harlos Speaks at LPWA State Convention 4.22.2017 - "Statement of Principles" of 1974

2017 Kent City Council Candidate, Paul Addis addressed the convention with his own "Letter from Paul" to rally together members of the state party.

You can view our previous interview with Paul here:
http://www.libertychronicle.net/2017/02/paul-addis-l-kent-wa-city-council.html

Addis Website: http://www.addis4kent.com/
Addis Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Addis4Kent/ 

Paul Addis Speaks at Libertarian Party of Washington (LPWA) State Convention 4.22.2017

2018 Potential Governor Candidate, Larry Sharpe had informative words as well, for the Washington State Libertarian Party in his presentation.

Sharpe Website: https://www.threadsofliberty.com/collections/the-look-sharpe-collection
Sharpe Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Sharpe4LPVP/

Larry Sharpe speaks at LPWA State Convention 4.22.2017 (HD Version)

Don Myers, current Libertarian City Council member of Moses Lake, WA closed out the speaking session for that Saturday and had more words of inspiration for the LPWA body in attendance.

Don Myers, Moses Lake City Council memeber speaks at the LPWA State Convention 2017 4.22.2017

LPWA will continue on with their business session of the convention in July 2017.  Stay posted with their website at https://lpwa.org/ and their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/libertarianpartyofWA/.

This contribution is from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar, Editor in Chief for the Liberty Chronicle Independent; and publishes content to other online publications.

David Traynor,Matt Dubin, and Don Myers video courtesy of LCI Independent Contributor, Alex Love of Love 4 Liberty.  Editing by LCI E.I.C. David Malekar.

LCI Exclusive Interview with Snohomish County's Libertarian Party WA chapter 4.4.2017

Libertarian Party of Snohomish County, Washington

In the following videos, we are able to interview Anthony Welti (Chair), Brian Luke (Communications Director), Mike Luke (Political Director), and Dave Shriner (Graphics Designer) about the newly formed Chapter and what plans they all have in store for SnoCo.

Libertarian Party of Snohomish County (LPSC)
website: https://snocolp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SnoCoLP/

Anthony Welti - Chair of Libertarian Party of Snohomish County Interview with LCI 4.4.2017

Brian Luke - Communications Director of Libertarian Party of Sno. County Interview with LCI 4.4.2017 

Mike Luke - Political Director of Libertarian Party of Snohomish County Interview with LCI 4.4.2017

Dave Shriner Graphics Designer of Libertarian Party of Snohomish County Interview with LCI 4.4.2017

Don't forget to like their page on Facebook and check their website.  Go for more info on how to get involved, donate and keep up with events and candidates running in Snohomish County.

Libertarian Party of Snohomish County (LPSC)
website: https://snocolp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SnoCoLP/

This contribution is from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar, Editor in Chief for the Liberty Chronicle Independent; and publishes content to other online publications.

Washington State Snohomish County Open Candidate Forum 7.10.2016 (Topics Include Criminal Justice Reform, Homelessness Epidemic in Washington, and much more)

Washington State Snohomish County

Open Candidate Forum 7.10.2016 

The following contribution and live coverage was from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar; who regularly publishes content to the WashCo Chronicle and other online publications.

 

Brian & Mike Luke and Scott Stafne

Main topics of discussion during the forum were Criminal Justice Reform, Homelessness in Seattle and Washington, fighting Cronyism and many other hot issues of today.  Be sure to check out all of the candidates who appeared and their following Facebook/websites below.

  Part 1

Part 2

Tim Turner - Secretary of State candidate
http://www.facebook.com/ElectTimTurner
http://www.electtimturner.com/

Michael Scott - House of Representatives District 10
https://www.facebook.com/RealMichaelScottOffice

Justin Murta - Insurance Commissioner
http://www.facebook.com/electjustinmurta
http://electjustinmurta.com/

Alex Hels - 21st District Sate Rep Position 1
http://www.facebook.com/hels4staterep
http://www.helsforstaterep.com/

Bruce B. Guthrie - 21st District Sate Rep Position 2
http://www.bruceguthrie4wa.com/

Alex Hart - 32nd District State Rep
https://www.facebook.com/Elect-Alex-Hart-for-district-32-state-rep-1761443114089602/

Shane Driscoll - 38th District State Rep
https://www.facebook.com/Shanedriscollforstaterep/
http://www.electshanedriscoll.com/

Michelle Darnell - 48th District House of Rep
http://www.facebook.com/MDarnellWashington
http://www.michelleforthehouse.com

Mike Luke - Senate
https://www.facebook.com/luke4senate
http://luke4senate.com/

Brian Luke - Congress
https://www.facebook.com/BrianLukeforCongress
http://www.luke4congress.com/

Scott Stafne -  Congress
https://www.facebook.com/ScottStafne
http://www.scottstafne.com/

From the Invite:

Snohomish County Federal Candidates Forum

Sunday, July 10th, 2016
2:30pm – 4:30pm

Everett Public Library
2702 Hoyt
Everett, WA 98201

This event is not sponsored by the Everett Public Library.

This will be a forum for Libertarian Federal Candidates in Snohomish County: Mike Luke (U.S. Senate), Scott Stafne (1st Congressional District), and Brian Luke (2nd Congressional District). A question and answer session will follow opening statements.

Also Speaking will be Libertarian Statewide Executive and Snohomish County State Legislative District Candidates.

Parking Information: The Everett Public Library on Hoyt has a public parking garage. Furthermore, there is parking on the streets and nearby pay parking lots.

This Event is Planned by 2nd Congressional District Candidate Brian Luke.

Brian Luke for Washington State's 2nd Congressional District lays it out in this Hard Hitting Interview

The following contribution is from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar; who regularly publishes content to the WashCo Chronicle and other online publications.  The interviewee Brian Luke, is running for Washington's 2nd Congressional District as a Libertarian.  You can find more information on Brian at the website http://www.luke4congress.com and follow on Facebook at facebook.com/BrianLukeforCongress/.

DM:  Thank you Brian for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this sit-down.  What is the driving force behind your entrance into campaigning for Congress?

BL:  The driving force behind my run for Washington’s 2nd Congressional District is to show voters that there is a choice other than the Republican and Democratic parties. That choice is the Libertarian Party. With regards to the federal government, the Libertarian Party stands for fiscal responsibility, a non-interventionist foreign policy, the importance of property and maximizing freedom.

Before becoming a member of the Libertarian Party this year, I was involved in the Republican Party for eight years. I thought that libertarian-leaning ideas could be pushed within that party but I found that to be too difficult. Furthermore, I found the Republican Party to be fiscally irresponsible at the national level. That party practices a policy of lowering taxes without getting domestic spending cuts and then on top of that cranking up military spending. That policy produces huge deficits. We started to see the results of this policy during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, who presided over a near tripling of the national debt. To show you and your readers how the debt grew during Reagan’s presidency, I wanted to provide a U.S. Treasury link to the growth of the debt from 1950-1999: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo4.htm

Although I disagreed with the results of national GOP policy, I also noticed that the GOP had very little youth appeal. I found that the GOP largely consisted of baby boomers and primarily catered to them. There is nothing wrong with baby boomers, but a political party cannot be made up of primarily one age group. I recently attended the Libertarian Party of Washington’s convention and was pleased to see all age groups, especially young people in their 20s and 30s.

DM: There is certainly a noticeable amount of support from the Libertarian Party from younger people.  How much of a difference have you seen in your campaign thus far as a Libertarian, from the 30 and under crowd?

BL:  Although my campaign is just starting, I am really impressed with Libertarians in the 30 and under crowd. They are far more eager to spread the word about Libertarian news, candidates and the message in general. And they are tech savvy and willing to try new methods of getting the word out. This impressive crowd is different than what I saw in the GOP, which changed too slowly. The GOP took the youth for granted and it will suffer greatly for it. The youth must be respected for their abilities, experience and openness to try new ways of doing things.

DM:  The "old guard" really did pass up on the future voters and those who are concerned about the well being of their future.  What words of encouragement can you provide for those who will be fighting tooth and nail for their retirement, let alone being able to purchase their own home?

BL:  I would just recommend that they save and be frugal. As we saw in 2008, the economy can change for the worse and people can lose so much. It is good to try to pay as much of your stuff off as possible and start saving a little bit each month (no matter what the amount) in case an emergency comes.

One of the big things for people under 30 is student loan debt. I would strongly recommend that people go no more than $20,000 in debt. And students should try to work at least part-time so debt does not get out of hand. If that means going to school part-time, maybe that is the best option. The goal is to not load yourself up with massive debt when you are done because the interest on those loans will come. If you do not get a decent paying job for your education, you are still stuck with having to pay for that loan.

Everyone holds their future in their hands. That being said, unexpected things do indeed happen.

DM:  Day one in office; let's hear what goes down.

BL:   Day one begins the task of meeting other U.S. House members in which I can collaborate. I will have to work with Republicans and Democrats in order to address my unique campaign platform that involves improving trade, fiscal, tribal, marijuana and foreign policy. My viewpoints on these issues can be viewed on my campaign website: http://www.luke4congress.com/issues

DM:  It's hard to predict everything that would come your way during your term; ideally, what would you like to see finished (or on the path to be) the day you complete your last day in office

BL:  Ideally, I would like to see everything checked off the list – but I know that will not happen. Things happen slowly. So, I would really like it if I could get a few of my issues to legislatively move in a better direction. If I could not accomplish that, to at least start or join a conversation about how to change policy on issues, which may not see actual change until later down the road.

DM:  What efforts do you hope to accomplish as far as criminal justice reform is concerned.  What action can be taken?

BL:  I would like to look at whether there is just compensation for those people affected by unjust federal prosecutorial practices, reforming the sentencing and treatment of non-violent federal offenders, removing the federal prohibition of marijuana, and assuring due process is available for those people negatively affected by federal agencies. I still need to learn more about these issues and determine the best strategy for dealing with them. I will say that I am really impressed with how U.S. Senator Rand Paul has educated the public about criminal justice reform issues and has worked with his colleagues across the aisle to introduce legislation. If I were to be elected, I would definitely want to meet with him.

DM:  What other major issue have we not covered yet, that your opponents are ignoring?  How do you plan on addressing it?

BL:  Although I mentioned it in the last question, to my knowledge, I do not believe any of the other candidates in my race have talked about removing the federal prohibition of marijuana. I do not believe that the U.S. Constitution allows Congress to deal with marijuana in Washington State. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution only allows Congress to deal with commerce with foreign nations, the tribes, and between the states (interstate commerce), but says nothing about commerce within a state (intrastate commerce). I believe that the marijuana community has been villainized without good reason, sometimes hindering the sick from something that helps them.

Ultimately, marijuana is legal in Washington State but illegal under federal law. You have to remove the federal prohibition to maximize freedom for all in this area.

DM:  It's been great talking with you, Mr. Luke.  We wish you the best in your run for Congress this year.  In closing, what final thoughts do you want to leave with readers going into the polls come election day?

BL:  I would like your readers to consider voting Libertarian from the top to the bottom of their ballot. Libertarians have a vision that may offer a way out of a number of conundrums in American domestic and foreign policy.  

Thank you for the interview David.

Press Release - Libertarian Candidate Opposes TPP, Brian Luke

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2016

2nd Congressional District Candidate Opposes Trans-Pacific Partnership
Libertarian Party candidate for Washington State’s 2nd Congressional District Brian Luke has come out in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is a proposed trade agreement between Pacific Rim countries.

Luke states his reasoning for opposing the TPP: “Although international commerce is important to the United States, I believe that the United States should be cautious of trade agreements with countries that do not have a similar standard of living (wages, laws, and regulations). Furthermore, I am cautious of multi-country trade agreements. Trade agreements with individual countries might be acceptable, but they should be reviewed.”

Luke also disagrees with the congressional approval process for this agreement: “I oppose trade promotion authority (TPA), also known as “fast track,” which does not allow Congress to amend trade agreements negotiated by the President and only allows an up or down vote.” Luke further states that, “it is important that Congress scrutinize these agreements for the sake of American workers and businesses.” Incumbent Congressman for the 2nd Congressional District Rick Larsen voted to renew TPA in 2015.

Just to avoid confusion, Luke’s brother Mike Luke is running for the U.S. Senate in Washington State as a Libertarian. He also opposes the TPP.

Brian Luke is one of over 30 Libertarians in Washington State running in federal, congressional, state executive, state legislative or county commissioner offices. Luke is endorsed by the Libertarian Party of Washington.

Washington State’s 2nd Congressional District comprises all or parts of Snohomish, Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan and Island counties.

Luke is 43, lives in Lynnwood, and has worked in the grocery business for 20 years. He has an M.A. in International Studies (Middle East focus) from the University of Washington and a paralegal certificate from Edmonds Community College.

Luke is focusing on several issues, including trade, fiscal and foreign policy.

For more information or to contact Brian Luke, please see the following:
Website: http://luke4congress.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BrianLukeforCongress/
Email: luke4congress@frontier.com
Phone: (425) 242-7660