Speakers:

Keynote Speaker: Bob Barr

Bob Barr represented the Libertarian Party as our 2008 candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America. On November 4, 2008 he received 523,686 votes, 0.4% of the national vote. This was the second highest number of votes nationwide that a Libertarian Party presidential candidate has received. He is a former federal prosecutor and a former member of the United States House of Representatives (1995 – 2003). In the 2004 presidential election, Barr left the Republican Party and publicly endorsed our Libertarian Party presidential nominee Michael Badnarik. In 2006, he became a member of the Libertarian National Committee, serving as the Representative for Region 4 until 2008. As one of his numerous projects, Bob is currently a weekly columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Neal Boortz: For those of you who don’t know, Neal Boortz has been a Talk Show Host in Atlanta, Georgia since 1969. He is now in his 40th year of talk radio. Since 1993 Neal has been holding forth on News Talk 750 WSB, a radio station with a 50,000 watt afterburner. Since early 1999 his show has been syndicated on radio stations from Maine to California and from Alaska to Florida. The program airs live from 8:30 to 1:00 pm each weekday. The Neal Boortz Show has about five million listeners nationwide and is carried on around 230 radio stations.

Jeff Davis: A North Carolina native and descendant of the Confederacy’s President Jefferson Davis, Jeff lives in Hollywood and among other things produces ‘The Thought Zone’, a series of radio spot commentaries frequently mentioning Libertarians and championing libertarian sentiments. The accompanying website is dedicated “to the great thinkers, few of whom aspire to run for public office. The Thought Zone (is) creative commentary for the common sense mind.”

Dave Nolan: Mr. Nolan was the prime mover behind the formation of the Libertarian Party in 1971. He holds a degree in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his career has included work in publishing, advertising and marketing. Aside from his role in founding the LP, Mr. Nolan is best known as the originator of the “Nolan Chart,” a two-dimensional map that shows how different political systems relate to one another. This map has largely replaced the old left-right linear political spectrum, and is the basis for the World’s Smallest Political Quiz. Its impact on political thinking led to Mr. Nolan’s being selected for inclusion in 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th Century, a reference work published by the International Biographical Centre (Cambridge, England) in 2000. A recent Google search using the phrase “Nolan Chart” turned up more than 30,000 references. Mr. Nolan was a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in California (2000) and Arizona (2006). He is currently chairman of the Pima County, AZ Libertarian Party.

Wayne Allyn Root: Wayne is one of the most charismatic, colorful, passionate, fiery, and outspoken political personalities in America today. Wayne was the 2008 Libertarian Party Vice Presidential nominee. A college classmate of Barack Obama at Columbia University (Class of ‘83), he is now the face and voice of Libertarian politics in the mainstream national media. The media calls him “the Anti-Obama.” Wayne calls himself a REAGAN LIBERTARIAN- modeled after his heroes Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater and Thomas Jefferson.

Mary J. Ruwart, Ph.D: Ms Ruwart is the author of the award-winning libertarian primer, Healing Our World. A free download of the 1992 version is available at her website at ruwart.com. Dr. Ruwart also wrote Short Answers to the Tough Questions, based on her popular e-zine column with the Advocates for Self-Government. Dr. Ruwart currently serves as an At-Large Representative on the Libertarian National Committee. She also serves on the Board of the International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) and was elected Chairman of the ISIL in January of 2010.

Schedule:
Friday (May 28)
1:30pm to 5:00pm Libertarian National Committee Meeting
7:00pm to 10:30pm Welcome Reception

Saturday (May 29)
7:00am to 8:30am Breakfast (Mary Ruwart, Speaker)
8:45am to 12:00pm Convention Business
12:00pm to 1:30pm Award Lunch (Jeff Davis, Speaker)
1:30pm to 2:30pm Keynote Speech (Bob Barr, Speaker)
2:30pm to 5:30pm Convention Business
6:00pm to 7:00pm Torch Club Cocktail Party
7:00pm to 8:30pm National Chair Candidates Forum

Sunday (May 30)
7:00am to 8:30am Breakfast (David Nolan, Speaker)
8:45am to 12:00pm Convention Business
12:00pm to 1:30pm Lunch (Wayne Allyn Root, Speaker)
1:30pm to 5:00pm Convention Business
5:30pm to 6:30pm Pre-Banquet Cocktail Hour
6:30pm to 9:30pm Banquet Dinner (Neal Boortz, Speaker)

Monday (May 31)
8:45am to 12:00pm Convention Business
1:30pm to 5:00pm Libertarian National Committee Meeting

I know the Tea Party movement is a non-partisan one, but as a person who attends Tea Party meetings, I know the mindset of the Tea party groups are for fiscal responsibility and personal freedoms. Many of the people who go to the meetings are Independents, Libertarians and Republicans. Quite a few are Democrats that are thinking (if not already) jumping ship and changing their political affiliation. As a Libertarian, more of us need to attend these meetings and inform the people that there’s another choice than the two parties.

We see from the work being done on the health care bill, it’s a matter of one politician voting on something for a kick-back or a favor later down the road. We need to get the word out that the true Free-American political party are the Libertarians. The free market, free trade, smaller government, true liberty, personal freedom, Constitutional-abiding type of government that this country was founded on.

On Monday, January 18, 2010, the Ocala Tea party (along with some surrounding area chapters), are having a rally in Ocala. Since the day is a national holiday in observance of Martin Luther King, Everyone should be off from work and make it their business to go to this Rally. Not only for the Tea Party movement, but also for the sake of this great country. I know there are many in the Marion County area that feel the same as I do about the direction of this country and as Americans, we need to show support so the media will take notice. At the same time, we (Libertarians) need to be heard at this rally. I spoke with Alex Snitker (Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate) and he said that he was waiting for a reply from Mary or Butch (Tea Party Solutions), to speak at the event. Hopefully he will get the opportunity to do so.

The Tea Party movement has come so far in just a short time. Libertarians can and will do the same.

John Wayne Smith
2010 Libertarian Candidate For Governor
JWSmith42000@aol.com
www.johnwayne4gov.com.

Alexander Snitker
2010 Libertarian Candidate for US Senate.
asnitker@tampabay.rr.com
snitker2010.com

George Scott MacNaughton
2910 Libertarian Candidate for United States Representative District 3
gscottmacn@hotmail.com

Jeff Shoobridge
2010 Libertarian Candidate for Florida House Dist 42
jeff.shoobridge@yahoo.com

Franklin Perez
State House Seat 33

http://www.fperez1776.com

perezfranklin@hotmail.com

Joe Haynes
State House 51
haynes4house2010@tampabay.rr.com

Karl Dickey
Palm Beach County Commission
karldickey@gmail.com

Brandon Newton
Hillsborough County Commission District 5
bnewton2010@gmail.com,

Geoff Scott
Bay County Commission
www.electgeoff.com
geoff@baylp.org

Justin Guthrie
Bay County Commission
justin@baylp.org

One of the most important questions asked was;

Is there anything else you’d like to add so voters know why you’re running and why you should enter the Florida executive office?

He replied (in part);

….most voters are quickly becoming fed up with both the democrat and republican parties. I often ask myself why, after so many years of these parties being in power, are people just now coming to realize they don’t like what is going on. The answer, believe it or not, is because their Libertarian leanings are surfacing.

You see, most people, by nature, are Libertarians. Everyone wants to be free. While this entire time people were willing to tolerate the intrusions because they were minor, the government impositions are no longer trivial. They are affecting the very ability for people to survive.

As a member of the Libertarian party, I present the only viable option in a political party that will answer the needs and solve the conundrum currently facing the people. Anything other than a Libertarian in the executive office will only end up as more of the same. The people are tired of business as usual and want change, change in their favor, and I am the only candidate in a political party that can provide the desired change.

Click for the entire interview:
John Wayne Smith interview