I’ve not always been hopeful about the ARLP. In fact, several years ago, when I felt like barriers were being put up every time I suggested doing something, I walked away from involvement in the ARLP.
In the last year, however, I see things happening that give me reason to hope that the ARLP has a bright future. Some younger, thoughtful and energetic individuals have come forward who are investing their efforts in the ARLP.
I think our present executive committee consists of some of these younger people and deserves our wholehearted support.
We’ve lost a decade of possible growth, but now we can begin to function as a real, organized political party. We need to reach out to former friends who have been alienated and to new friends and bring them all into the party.
We need to establish some regularity in the party. We need to make sure that we keep willing and capable people on the executive committee, starting with the state chair and vice chair and moving through the other state officers and to the four regional representatives. We need to make sure each member of this group can function in his or her office and has the cooperation of all the members. Particularly, the chair needs to be a thoughtful leader who can work well with our members and with the public.
The secretary needs to be able to keep records of the activities of the party, and the treasurer needs to handle the financial activities and carry out the decisions of the executive committee. Regional representatives are also extremely important because it is their primary responsibility to work with local members and groups to increase membership and political activity at the local level.
We need to have regular, quarterly reports from the executive committee to the members about current activities of the party. There should be a “state of the party” summary from the chair. And, there should also be reports on current membership from the secretary and a report on money gained and expended from the treasurer. Not only does the executive committee need to be effective, but members need to know that their party is making progress.
I agree with Rodger Paxton’s recent statement that ballot access, growth in membership, and growth in financial support are important goals for the immediate future. And, he is right when he says that we need to do more than just get ballot access. We need to find and run attractive candidates for state and local offices. We need to start supporting candidates and winning elections.
In addition to the above mentioned goals, there are some other activities that need to be considered.
First, as we grow, we will need to look at our decade-old constitution to see what changes need to be made. It was written in a different environment and needs to be adapted to our current needs.
Second, we need to continue to expand ways for members to communicate. The recent creations of a website for members and of our new blog are giant steps forward. I personally think the development of a regularly published newsletter that encourages members to share their experiences as libertarians would be a significant addition. And, the expanding role of a press secretary can be invaluable to let the people in the state know that we’re here.
Third, I think an advertising project would help to inform the citizens of Arkansas that there is a rational alternative to more and more intrusive government. Such a project may be beyond our present resources, but I hope we keep it in mind as an important subject to develop in a year or two.
Fourth, we also need to make a special effort to have a presence on the campuses of our colleges and universities. That’s where most of our new membership and leaders will come from. Many college teachers are to the left of Chairman Mao; there’s little hope of our making much inroads with faculty. But young minds are looking for answers to their questions. Libertarian philosophy can be a seed planted in fertile soil there.
Fifth, the current initiative to establish committees of volunteers with special interests and knowledge to work on party projects and report their recommendations back to the membership and to the executive committee for action is a great idea that can only improve the use of our resources.
Sixth, the party should work to find an issue and develop a proposal that would be consistent with our libertarian philosophy and that would also attract many voters in Arkansas. Perhaps support for a change in drug laws would be a good choice. Or, tax relief for those homeschooling their own children is another possibility. Or, repeal of a sales tax on used cars. But, whatever issue(s) we select, we need to find something to “put us on the map” politically in the state.
Seventh, continuing to expand our efforts to create a productive and motivational state convention is also important. This last convention actually had a nationally known guest speaker, something we’ve never had before. Mr. Root would not have been on my short list for a speaker; nevertheless, we did have a nationally known speaker. I hope we can continue that practice for the next convention.
The convention we had at the beginning of May was the first I’ve ever attended that I felt good about when leaving. It’s the first I’ve attended that left me wanting to do more for the libertarian movement rather than just gloomily coming home feeling that nothing was going to happen in Arkansas.
Eighth, as we become more important in the state, we also need to have better representation at the national level, particularly at the national convention.
All of us need to find something that we can do to further the cause of libertarianism in Arkansas. We need to look at our talents to see how we can make this party an effective political force in the state. It won’t happen in a few weeks or maybe even a few years. But it can happen in less than a decade with our efforts to bring it about.
In less than a decade we could be a political force in Arkansas. We could be running candidates for governor and other state offices that had the potential to be elected. And, we could have members in the Arkansas House and Senate who exerted enough influence to reverse the long-standing trend toward more governmental power over the citizens of the state. We could have elected mayors and members of city councils that were making their cities and counties freer places to live.
In a decade, we could be talking about how to eliminate certain categories of taxation. And, we could be talking about how to reduce resources going into the sinkholes of public education and health care, as these aspects of people’s lives were turned back over to them.
We have taken the first steps to bring about change, but we must all work together to create an effective ARLP and a brighter future for Arkansas.
