Milwaukee Libertarians issue New Year’s Resolutions for local government

Libertarian Party of Milwaukee County
Wed. December 31, 2014

The Libertarian Party of Milwaukee County concluded the 2014 election year with their regular monthly meeting. Andy Craig, the Libertarian’s 2014 candidate for secretary of state, was selected to replace outgoing county chair Brad Sponholz, who serves on the Greenfield Planning Commission and has run as a candidate in past local elections. In the spirit of the New Year, the gathering of anti-authoritarians recommended the following resolutions to county and city leaders.

• NO to the never-ending streetcar nonsense. We could more effectively bring tourists to Milwaukee by piling a few hundred million in cash on the pitcher’s mound at Miller Park and lighting it on fire. We wish Alderman Donovan and other streetcar opponents continued success in bringing this waste of taxpayer money all the public scorn and ridicule it deserves.
• YES to the municipal marijuana decriminalization proposal. We applaud this effort by Aldermen Nik Kovac and Ashanti Hamilton, and urge the rest of the Milwaukee Common Council and Mayor Barrett to promptly support passage of this ordinance. At a time when police-community relations are at a breaking point, ending the racially disparate practice of arresting and prosecuting petty marijuana offenses is long overdue, and will increase pressure on the state and federal governments to enact broader drug law reforms.
• NO to taxpayers subsidies for billionaires. We all love the Bucks, and look forward to them staying in Milwaukee, but the petulant demands and threats for a taxpayer-subsidized arena must be firmly rejected. We oppose any TIF proposal for a new arena. If the cost of a new venue cannot be supported by private financing, billionaire team owners should not be able to lean on the taxpayers at large to support their for-profit entertainment venture.
• YES to uniform cameras for Milwaukee P.D. We share the outrage at a criminal justice system that seems incapable of applying the law to its own enforcers. We also recognize that many of the activities of protesters have been disruptive and counter-productive, and that much of the problem in our city stems from a failure to adequately police serious violent and property crimes while pouring resources into confrontational and unpopular policies that have put 1 in 8 black men in Milwaukee in state prison. There is no single answer to this complex problem, and privacy concerns must be considered in how body cameras are implemented, but evidence from other cities shows a sharp decline in both use of force incidents and citizen complaints against officers. We urge the Common Council to adopt this reform without delay, and encourage suburban departments as well as the Sheriff’s office to do the same.

The Libertarian Party is Wisconsin’s third-largest and fastest growing political party, advocating maximum individual freedom and smaller government. The Milwaukee County L.P. meets at 7pm on the last Tuesday of every month, at Los Mariachis on Layton Ave. in Greenfield. Meetings are open to the public and those interested in joining the party are encouraged to attend.