LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF TEXAS FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE

The Libertarian Party of Texas is challenging the constitutionality of provisions in Texas Election Code that infringe on their right to free speech, free association, and equal protection

The recent events involving the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire (LPNH) and the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) have led to a variety of concerns among our members, donors, staff, and leadership teams.

Do Vaccine Passports Necessarily Equate to Bigger Government?

April 2, 2021

by Liz Solomon

It was Hippocrates who said, "As to diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least, to do no harm." Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have mandated lockdowns, masks, quarantines, school closures, and now they are proposing that their citizens carry "Vaccine Passports." 

On January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 13998, which calls for recommendations from various "respective agencies [to] impose additional public health measures for domestic travel." Shortly after that, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) began looking into a global solution. The solution is a "vaccine passport," proof that you are free from the infectious disease COVID-19. These organizations propose a solution that is "simple, free, open-source, accessible to people both digitally and on paper, and designed from the start to protect people's privacy," Jeff Zients, a WHO representative, said at a public briefing on March 12, 2021. The vaccine passport would show proof of either having had COVID-19, a recent, negative COVID-19 test, or having received a COVID-19 vaccination. We've allowed the government to dictate and normalize free citizens' behaviors, essentially giving the government more power throughout the pandemic. Let us consider the virtues and defects of the vaccine passport and answer the question, "Do vaccine passports necessarily equate to bigger government?" 

There are almost 7000 bills in the current 87th Texas legislative session that are being considered within a 6 month time frame. The capitol is working around the clock passing laws daily, and if we aren’t there to tell them to pause and think about it, they won’t.

Visiting the capitol and lobbying is an important experience to understand the size and scope of what Libertarians are up against when it comes to making a difference. Texas Libertarians had a volunteer citizen lobbying day in March 2021 to try and convince the representatives to vote against certain liberty infringing bills like HB1812.

Joe Burnes attended the event, and it was his first time to lobby. Joe is a long time LPTexas activist, SLEC member, and also works with the Development Department, and he came away from that day fired up to make a difference. Joe said, “Nothing is more clear about how small our party is than when you go to the Texas State Capitol. I felt like a sheep in a room full of wolves. But they are still people, and they can be persuaded, and I found that lobbying on behalf of LPTexas does make a difference.” 

This article breaks down the fundamentals of citizen lobbying in Texas to help anyone walk in prepared.

It's a good day to be a plumber in Texas. In the wake of last week's freezing temperatures, demand for plumbing professionals is high, and the supply is low. If you are a plumber in Texas or the surrounding states, you can be sure of a full calendar; and for those of us in need of a plumber, we can be sure of extended wait times.