INDEPENDENCE, Mo – The Missouri Libertarian Party held its annual convention on Saturday, February 19th in Independence Missouri. At the convention they recruited candidates to run in the 2022 August primary and chose delegates to the National Convention scheduled for May in Reno, Nevada.
They also passed several resolutions. Robert Smith, a delegate from Vernon county, proposed a resolution to eliminate personal property tax in Missouri. Smith said “Personal Property is fundamental in a free society. If the government can charge you a fee for your property then you do not really own it, you are simply renting it from the state. Why should we relinquish property tax to a government that doesn’t even manage its own resources properly?”
LaDonna Higgins, a delegate from St. Louis county, proposed that the Missouri Libertarian Party oppose House Bill 79. HJR 79 would effectively double the number of signatures required to get an initiative on the ballot and change passage from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority. The bill has already passed the house and is now in the Missouri Senate. Higgins said “The initiative process is a basic element of the democratic process in Missouri. The citizens should have the right to make legislative changes when Missouri politicians fail to act. It is arrogant of the legislature to assume that they alone should have the power to make or change laws.”
Higgins also proposed that The Missouri Libertarian Party support clemency for Carmen Deck. Deck was convicted for the crime of murder in 1997, and sentenced to death. Deck has suffered through three trials where the defense was unable to present mitigating evidence that would have resulted in a life sentence instead of a death. During his 25 years in prison Deck has learned to function in a peaceful way. Higgins said “It costs more in litigation to execute someone than to imprison them for life. I am fundamentally opposed to the death penalty. The state should not have the power to take someone’s life, and even though juries take their responsibilities seriously they still make mistakes sometimes.” The National Libertarian Party platform calls for the elimination of the death penalty.
All three resolutions passed with a wide margin of support.
Finally, at the convention Jeff Coleman from St. Louis county presented his plan to file a law suit to include the Missouri Libertarian party in the redistricting process. The current law states that only the top two political parties can participate. Coleman said, “This is unfair to the Libertarian party and unfair to the citizens of the state. The redistricting process would be much improved and provide a more satisfactory outcome if we were included.” The delegation gave Coleman approval to proceed with his plan.