The Libertarian Party's 1996 West Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate top=
s an impressive list of Libertarians who are seeking public office in the=
 1998 general election.
     Dr. Wallace Johnson, a Beckley area physician, has announced his can=
didacy for the West Virginia House of Delegates.  Johnson nearly earned 3=
% of the gubernatorial vote in 1996 and currently serves the LPWV as the =
Third Congressional District Chair.
    Running for that third district congressional seat will be Dr. Joseph=
 Whelan of Corrine.  Whelan, the LPWV VP-Campaigns, ran for WV Senate in =
1996 and earned more than 16% of the vote, the largest total for a third =
party candidate in WV history.
   Also, the LPWV Wood County Chair, Art Kelly, will be seeking a city co=
uncil seat in Parkersburg.
  If you would like to add to this list, or know anyone who would make a =
good Libertarian Candidate, please contact the LPWV at (800) 524-LPWV.
      For the first time in history West Virginians have a "third" politi=
cal party choice on voters registration forms.  "Libertarian" is now list=
ed with "Democrat" and  "Republican" as well as "Independent" and "Other =
_________" at the party choice section of the form.  Printing of the new =
forms began in August.
     "This is a major step in becoming a significant political party in W=
est Virginia," said John Brown, LPWV state chairman.  "Last year we achie=
ved Major Party Status, but this year the general public now has the proo=
f."=20
     Brown was a guest speaker at a state meeting of county clerks and ci=
rcuit clerks in August to help educate state officials on the newly recog=
nized party.  He explained how the Libertarian Party had earned Major Par=
ty status by capturing at least one percent of the gubernatorial vote in =
1996.  (Dr. Wallace Johnson won more than 16,000 votes or 2.7%.)  And wit=
h Major Party status comes automatic ballot status.  Brown told the clerk=
s that West Virginia was now one of 39 states to have a qualified third p=
arty -- 28 of which include the Libertarians.
     He also explained why West Virginia was in dire need for another par=
ty.  Of the 117 state legislative races last year, 37 were unopposed cont=
ests, and so were two of three of the U.S. Representative races. Also, De=
mocrats and Republicans are losing registrations (by percentage) while In=
dependents and Libertarians are rising.  Nationwide, the average state ha=
d 83 third party candidates for governor and/or congress between 1969 and=
 1996.  West Virginia had only four.
     The first attempt to count Libertarian registrations in the state wa=
s in March of this year.  Those numbers reflected registrations where Lib=
ertarian was written in the "Other _________" space provided.  With 46 of=
 55 counties reporting 180 are registered Libertarian, again before the o=
ption was available.  Sixty percent of the LP registrations came from fiv=
e counties:  Monongalia (36), Kanawha (25), Raleigh (17), Berkeley (15) a=
nd Cabell (15).
    All Libertarians are encouraged to register with their county clerks =
as Libertarians.
 "This is a major step in becoming a significant political party in West =
Virginia."  -  John Brown=20
      The LPWV will hold its first workshop on Libertarian issues and on =
running political campaigns.  The event will take place on October 25, 19=
97, starting at 9 AM at the State's Tamarack resort near Beckley.
    Speakers will include LPWV chair, John Brown; 1996 LP Gubernatorial C=
andidate, Dr. Wallace Johnson, and his wife Joy;  1996 LP State Senate Ca=
ndidate, Dr. Joseph Whelan; and former Bluefield mayor, Craig Hammond.
    The workshop is slated to run from 9 AM until 4 PM.  It will cover a =
variety of topics and libertarian issues that will be of value to anyone =
who is interested in libertarianism or running for office in 1998. =20
    The workshop will cost $10 and will cover all of the day's sessions.
   A registration form, along with a tentative schedule are located on pa=
ge 7.  If you have any question, please contact the LPWV at 1-800-524-LPW=
V.




(Continued on page 7)
 Volume 3, Issue 3
 September 1997
 =93Libertarian=94 is a Voters Registration Option
 LP Workshop on Issues and Campaigns
 (Continued on page #)
 Page 2                                                                  =
                                                             The WV Liber=
tarian Letter
      The reform of welfare is both a fiscal necessity and a moral impera=
tive.   It is a fiscal necessity because the natural growth of welfare ex=
penditures threatens the fiscal solvency of the nation.  In the 19th cent=
ury, it was predicted that democracy in America would last 200 years, unt=
il people found out they could vote themselves money from the public trea=
sury.  We are approaching this now.
     It is a moral imperative because welfare robs us of the features whi=
ch help to distinguish us from lower animals while purporting or attempti=
ng to strengthen those values.  It diminishes the virtues of hard work, s=
acrifice and personal charity toward those less fortunate.  Worse, as I w=
ill show, it encourages crime, illegitimacy, and the breakup of the famil=
y and a global depersonalization.
     All welfare programs start with noble intentions but we know that th=
e road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  Let us, for example, take =
a program to feed a million poor children breakfast at school. All know t=
hat a fed child learns better than a hungry one.  In the second year, the=
 directors say "Why not lunch as well?    The kids are just as poor and h=
ungry at lunch and you cannot learn on an empty stomach." So the program =
doubles.  The next year, the middle class parents say "What about our kid=
s?  They are just as deserving and we are taxpayers as well." So it doubl=
es again.
     Liberals use children as hostages, as human shields, to start what w=
ill prove to be an unpopular program when applied to adults, by beginning=
 with children, and playing on our natural affection for youngsters.
     Marvin Olasky wrote a book entitled The Tragedy of American Compassi=
on.  In it he traces the history of welfare from Plymouth Rock in 1620 to=
 the present.  It is well to remember that until 1930, charity was privat=
e. Every city had charitable organizations, functioning somewhat like the=
 Salvation Army, YMCA or Union Mission  today.  These organizations faded=
 from the scene after the New Deal institutionalized charity as a functio=
n of government. Under private charity, it never became a multi-generatio=
nal way of life.   Every effort was made to find the cause of the problem=
: be it divorce, unemployment, illness or whatever and to do as much as p=
ossible to remedy the cause.  Almost all private charities had two areas =
that served as a screening test =96 a woodpile for the men, a sewing room=
 for the women.  Two hours work was generally asked prior to receiving ch=
arity.  About 30% refused and received no help.  The wood that was choppe=
d and the clothes that were sewn were used to help those with a long-term=
 need, the so called "widows and orphans".
     When government took over welfare, it became politically incorrect t=
o require work, or to inquire as to the cause for need.  It became a bene=
fit to which one was entitled.  To obtain benefits, welfare recipients we=
re quoting chapter and verse of arcane welfare laws.  A welfare rights or=
ganization was founded which fortunately went bankrupt in the 1970's.  An=
 army of social workers conducted "outreach" operations, to make certain =
that everyone =93entitled=94 to welfare was signed up into a program.    =
The money appropriated for such activities mushroomed toward the sky, wit=
h no relief in sight, until the American people began to cry "enough".   =
  Welfare and charity, formerly a stigma and a source of embarrassment, b=
ecame an entitlement.  Yet, the problems seemed to increase -- poverty, c=
rime, homelessness, disease and disability, illegitimacy, drug usage and =
hunger.    Hunger?   We were told that ""one in eight children will go to=
 bed hungry tonight; five million people are hungry in the USA."   I alwa=
ys wondered how these figures were calculated, especially since obesity i=
s also a problem. Hunger is defined as the difference between those eligi=
ble for food stamps and those receiving food stamps.     The cover on thi=
s got blown when the "hungriest" county in the US turned out to be a rura=
l Nebraska county where everyone lived on a farm, raising their own food =
but not getting food stamps. =20
     But, at least, we could assuage our collective guilt by saying that =
there were legitimate problems that were ameliorated by government charit=
y.      However, we would not feel quite so relieved when we found that 7=
0% of the money goes not to poor people, but to the poverty industry -- t=
he army of social workers.
     In our state, Medicaid pays home health workers to cook meals, do th=
e dishes, clean the floors and do the windows.  Does your health care do =
this?  It pays firms to pick up unruly kids from home, take them to and f=
rom school and help them with homework.  Does your health plan do this?
   The decision to stay on welfare, rather than work, is a realistic econ=
omic one.  In West Virginia, it is estimated that a welfare recipient mak=
es the equivalent of $7.11 per hour.  Any starting wage less than this is=
 a cut in pay, made worse when the costs of work such as transportation, =
clothing and child care are considered.  If welfare is really more lucrat=
ive than work, we cannot solve the problem by making work better -- unfor=
tunately, we have to make welfare less attractive.
      States that have seriously looked at welfare rolls, such as Wiscons=
in, Oregon, Michigan and Mississippi, estimate that 65 - 70% of welfare r=
ecipients are capable of working.=20
      It is not the responsibility of government to provide childcare.   =
The primary responsibility for finding employment is with the individual,=
 not with government.  Government provides up to 12 - 14 years of "free" =
schooling; it is not their fault if this is not used and no job-related s=
kills are acquired. It is compassionate to try to assist those making the=
 transition from welfare to work but it does not change the primary respo=
nsibility.
     Welfare recipients have responded appropriately to perverse incentiv=
es in the laws.  Pregnant teens were encouraged to get their own apartmen=
t -- they would get a lot more than their parents could afford to give.  =
If they wanted more money, they were told that the onlyy way was to have =
another child.        Guess what happened?  Does your employer pay you mo=
re for every child?  Single mothers on AFDC are told that there are two w=
ays they could lose benefits -- going to work or marrying a working perso=
n.
     There is strong evidence that welfare actually worsens the problems =
it is trying to solve.  A study at Ohio State showed that poor people who=
 do not receive welfare were two and one-half times as likely to be over =
the poverty line in one year than people who received welfare.  A federal=
 study showed that a 50% increase in AFDC led to a 43% increase in out of=
 wedlock births.   Another federal study showed that a 50% increase in AF=
DC and food stamps caused a 117% increase in crime among young black male=
s.   The Maryland NAACP concluded that a lifetime of welfare and free soc=
ial programs was a major contributing factor to crime.
There are more than 350 federal anti-poverty programs.  The welfare state=
 should be ended, not just reformed.  Welfare should be a hand, not a han=
dout, and, in some cases, a shove.  The best ticket off of welfare is a p=
aycheck and, sometimes, only a loss of benefits will motivate individuals=
 to seek work. Sixty-nine percent of welfare recipients say they are not =
looking for work.   We have come too far on the road to nowhere; it is ti=
me retrace our steps to the point where we were lost. In the words of Bil=
l Clinton, "It is time to end welfare as we know it."
     How do we end welfare?  We have highlighted the problems.  Now lot u=
s discuss solutions.  First, welfare benefits must have a finite limit.  =
Multi-generational welfare dependency culture must be ended.  Approximate=
ly one third of recipients are not capable of ever achieving self-suffici=
ency and will require permanent aid.  This should be done in the most cos=
t-effective manner possible.  Secondly, we are the most charitable people=
 on earth, spending $125 billion annually on charity.  This could increas=
e if charitable donations were made tax credits, not tax deductions.  In =
other words, deduct the amount from your taxes, not from your income.
     Third, reduce benefits to favor work over welfare.  Subsidize employ=
ers who hire people off welfare, for a specified time.  Toughen penalties=
 for food stamp fraud, including barring merchants who trade cash for foo=
d stamps.
Fourth, extend Medicaid benefits for up to one year for children of mothe=
rs leaving AFDC but enroll them in medical savings accounts, breaking old=
 habits of expensive emergency room visits in favor of prudent health car=
e decisions.
     Fifth, require those on AFDC to spend 20 hours per week looking for =
work and 20 hours per week providing child care for AFDC recipients looki=
ng for work or those leaving AFDC for the workplace.Sixth, cap AFDC payme=
nts to maximize at two children, unless the parent has more than two at t=
ime of eligibility. Seventh, sever the automatic link between SSI and Med=
icaid.  End the practice of granting disability for conditions such as at=
tention deficit disorder.This will not solve the problems overnight.    W=
e need cool heads but not cold hearts.    In the words of John F. Kennedy=
, =93This may not be the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the b=
eginning."Even all these reforms will not totally lead us out of the welf=
are thicket.   Only when it is fully reprivatized, awakening the deep cha=
rity that resides within each of us, can we achieve that goal.  Governmen=
t welfare must be ended, not reformed.
 	Jacob G. Hornberger, president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, lea=
ds an impressive list of Libertarians to speak at the LPWV State Nominati=
ng Convention May 9, 1998.  Hornberger gave an electrifying keynote addre=
ss at the national LP convention last year in Washington, D.C.  He will a=
lso give the LPWV keynote at 7 P.M. at the Holiday Inn Charleston House.
       National LP Chairman Steve Dasbach and Dr. Mary Ruwart will be que=
st speakers in the morning session.  Other speakers will include Dr. Wall=
ace Johnson (our 1996 LP gubernatorial candidate), Dr. Joseph Whelan (our=
 1996 LP State senate candidate), Dr. Richard Kerr (our State vice-chairm=
an), and John Brown (our State chairman.)
        The convention is, in effect, West Virginia's first primary elect=
ion, and will select the first candidates to the 1998 general election to=
 be held in November.  The Democratic and Republican Parties will hold th=
eir primaries three days later on Tuesday, May 12.
        Other convention business will include election of party officers=
 and voting on LPWV constitutional amendments.
        The cost of the entire LPWV convention is $69 and includes access=
 to the morning program, the LPWV afternoon business meeting, and the eve=
ning banquet/awards event.  A "half-day" price is $49.  The hotel has res=
erved 40 rooms Friday and Saturday night at a special $79 rate.  (The reg=
ular rate is $109.)  Reservations can be made by calling Holiday Inn at 1=
-800-HOLIDAY (1-800-465-4329.)  Call John Brown at 1-800-950-3421 if you =
have other convention questions.
 (Continued from page #)
 Registration (continued)=20
 Dr. Johnson's Speech on Welfare
 The WV Libertarian Letter                                               =
                                                                         =
        page 3
 (Continued on page #)
 Candidate Campaign Management
 John Brown, LPWV State Chair
Joy Johnson, Wife of Dr. Johnson
Craig Hammond, Former Mayor of Bluefield
Joy Johnson
Dr. Joseph Whelan, LP St. Sen. Cand.
Dr. Wallace Johnson, LP Gub. Cand.

Dr. Wallace Johnson

Dr. Wallace Johnson
Craig Hammond

Dr. Joseph Whelan
John Brown
 Return by mail to:
LPWV
PO Box 75423
Charleston, WV  25375
 Johnson's Speech (continued)
 Page 4                                                                  =
                                                             The WV Liber=
tarian Letter
 (Continued from page #)
 LPWV Info


State Chair
John K Brown
54 Cedar Drive
Hurricane, WV 25526
(304) 757-3821
jkbrown@citynet.net


LPWV Executive
Committee

Vice-Chair
Dr. Richard Kerr

Sec/Treas.
John Sturgeon

1st District Chair
David Wolfe

2nd District Chair
Bill Klem

3rd District Chair
Dr. Wallace Johnson

VP-Membership
Karl Swisher

VP-Campaigns
Dr. Joseph Whelan


Libertarian Party
PO Box 75423
Charleston, WV  25375
(800) 524-LPWV
(304) 343-LPWV
lpwv@almost-heaven.com
http://www.almost-heaven.com/lpwv


WV Libertarian Letter
1040 Valley View #16
Morgantown, WV 26505
liberty@labs.net
 (Continued on page #)
 West Virginia Voters Rights Coalition

September 21,  2:00 PM
University of Charleston, Geary Student Union

A PAC created to lobby the legislature in order to get Initiative, Refere=
ndum, and Recall placed on the next general election ballot.

Speakers Include LPWV Chairman John K Brown

For more information contact:  Greg Henshall:  776-3007 grensh@newwave.ne=
t
 State LP Nominating Convention Set
 The WV Libertarian Letter                                               =
                                                                         =
        page 7
  =20
  9 am   Welcome/Deciding to Run     =20
  9:20    Role of the Spouse               =20
  9:30    Forming an Organization        =20
  9:50    The Scheduler                        =20
  10:00  Raising Money                      =20
  10:20  Dealing with the Media            =20
  10:40  BREAK
  11:00  Principals of Libertarianism     =20
  11:45  LUNCH (on your own)
  1 pm   The End of Welfare                =20
  1:45    The War on Drugs--Who's Winning? =20
  2:30    BREAK
  2:45    Criminal Justice on Trial        =20
  3:15    Separating School and State      =20
  4 pm   Adjournment
 Mail to:
LPWV
PO Box  75423
Charleston, WV 25375
 Name: _______________________________
Phone: _______________________________
Address: ______________________________
City: ____________   State: ____  ZIP: ______
 LPWV Candidate and Issue Workshop
Registration Form
October 25, 1997 - Beckley's Tamarack
Cost:  $10.00
(Make Checks Payable to: LPWV)
 LP Workshop Schedule
 West Virginia's New Choice in Politics
lpwv@almost-heaven.com                       http://www.almost-heaven.com=
/lpwv                  1-800-524-LPWV
 The WV Libertarian Letter
c/o Libertarian Party of West Virginia
P.O. Box 75423
Charleston, WV  25375
 Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Charleston, WV
25301
Permit No. 1128
 =93Montani Semper Liberi=94
 (Continued on page #)
 $25 Value: Free !!!
Free Trial LP Membership/Subscription
(Receive 12 monthly issues of the Libertarian Party News,
plus one year of The WV Libertarian Letter.)

Name___________________________________
Address_________________________________
City _______________  State ______  ZIP ____
e-mail address ___________________________

Occupation and Employer*___________________________

=93I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of =
achieving political or social goals.=94
Signature X ___________________________________           (required for n=
ew members)


Offer good only for the first 100 new members.  Void after 12-31-97.     =
                                       * Required by Federal Law
 Libertarian Ideals
 Beckley Area Hotels

Comfort Inn
255-2161

Country Inn and Suites
252-5100

Hampton Inn
252-2121
=20
Libertarian Workshop
October 25, 1997
Beckley's Tamarack
 For More Information on the Workshop Contact Dr. Wallace Johnson (304)25=
2-7427
 The WV Libertarian Letter                                               =
                                                                         =
       Page 5
 Page 6                                                                  =
                                                             The WV Liber=
tarian Letter
 LPWV Leads Fight Against Amendment One
 Party is one of few organizations which oppose the Modern Investment Ame=
ndment
 The New Voter's Registration Form
 Notice that =93Libertarian=94 is now an option for a political party on =
the Voter's Registration forms.  Stop by your county clerk's office and t=
ake the opportunity to register as a Libertarian.
 	September 27, will allow West Virginians to go to the polls to decide i=
f the state government can invest public money in the stock market.  Curr=
ently, the state's pension fund is more than $4 billion in debt, specific=
ally the teacher's  retirement plan.  The West Virginia Supreme Court has=
 ruled that money can not be invested in stocks since it violates the sta=
te constitution.  To circumvent this, the Modern Investment Amendment was=
 created, and will be Amendment One on the September 27th ballot.
    	LPWV Chairman John Brown said,  =93The Libertarian Party is against =
the Modern Investment Amendment because it does not fix problems in the s=
tate retirement system.  It does not fix the problems that resulted in a =
$3.7 billion deficit currently in the plan.  This deficit was not caused =
by the lack of stocks as an option for investment.  It was caused by gove=
rnment mismanagement.  Giving the government the option of investing in s=
tocks to solve their spending problems is like giving a near-bankrupt ind=
ividual another credit card to solve their poor spending habits.  It only=
 puts off the problem for a time, but later comes back bigger and harder =
to solve.  Our government burned us to the tune of $270 million with bond=
s in 1987.  One can only imagine what could happen with stocks.  I have b=
een a stockbroker since 1986.  A properly allocated portfolio of stocks a=
nd bonds is prudent -- but only after credit, debt and deficit problems a=
re addressed.=94
   	Brown continued, =93But the Libertarian Party is not against stocks. =
 The Libertarian Party is against government management of stocks.  A Lib=
ertarian solution would be centered around paying state employees with pe=
nsion dollars today, instead of pension promises tomorrow. This would sol=
ve two problems: First, government mismanagement would be eliminated beca=
use the funds would be out of government control.  Second, individuals wo=
uld have the freedom to choose investments prudent to their specific inve=
stment needs and objectives.=94
   	House Speaker Bob Kiss' has repeatedly said that  if the voters turn =
down this amendment, the state legislature will have no choice but to rai=
se taxes.   The LPWV does not support either measure for bailing the gove=
rnment out of it prior financial commitments.  The LP wants to see the st=
ate spending money more responsibly and not hold taxpaying citizens liabl=
e for government mistakes.
	John Brown added, =93It is reprehensible for both Democrats and Republic=
ans to threaten us with more taxes if the amendment fails. Don't let them=
 fool you -- they plan higher taxes regardless of this vote.=94
 The Libertarian Party of West Virginia
1998 Convention
May 9, 1998 - Charleston, WV - Holiday Inn (Charleston House)

Speakers Include:  Jacob G. Hornberger, Steve Dasbach, Mary Ruwart
=20
See the new voter's registration forms on page 6.
 Monongalia County LP Hosts Operation Politically Homeless
 County LP uses County Fair to Inform the Public About Libertarianism
 	    The Monongalia County Libertarian Party hosted an informational boo=
th at the Monongalia County Fair which ran from August 10 - August 16.  D=
r. Richard Kerr, LPWV Vice-Chair and  Mon. County Chair, had nothing but =
praise for the event.  =93As a result of our operation politically homele=
ss, there are at least 500 and probably 1000 people who know there is a L=
ibertarian Party,=94 said Dr. Kerr.
	According to the Libertarian National Committee, Operation Politically H=
omeless (OPH) booths are the single most effective means of finding philo=
sophical libertarians and introducing them to the Libertarian Party, allo=
wing us to build up our local and national organizations.
     The Mon County LP manned the booth during the fair and encouraged fa=
irgoers to take the =93World's Smallest Political Quiz=94 which is publis=
hed by the Advocates for Self Government and handed out Libertarian liter=
ature to those who were interested.  Kerr added, =93Of the 112 people who=
 took the quiz, 24 scored in the libertarian quadrant, and 11 were on the=
 libertarian borderline.  Those who took the quiz now know that the polit=
ical spectrum is two dimensional.  We will definitely recruit some member=
s from this effort.
    OPH booths are fun and non-threatening to members and to people who t=
ake the quiz.  Dr. Kerr has volunteered to help any county LP organizatio=
n get started with an OPH.  Kerr added, =93Our goal in 1998 should be to =
have an OPH booth at every county fair and large festival in West Virgini=
a.=94
    If you would be interested in hosting an OPH at an event in your area=
, please contact the Dr. Richard Kerr at (304) 599-8056.
 =93In West Virginia, it is estimated that a welfare recipient makes the =
equivalent of $7.11 per hour.  Any starting wage less than this is a cut =
in pay.=93

--------------27FB1CD4A419F8373795BC78--