The goal:
•     To get 50,000 votes in the next election for Governor (2006).

The secondary goal:
•     Elect at least one non-statewide office holder at the city, town, or county level.

The approach:
LPNY wants to move toward this goal from two directions:
1. Identify and recruit a candidate for Governor with enough positive characteristics to get the support of a majority of libertarians and 50,000 voters.
2. In order to recruit such a candidate we need to expand interest in our message; reach out to groups and organizations; court the attention of  media; grow membership and funding enough to get our candidates invited by community, social, civic, and business groups.


The Goal50K project is a focusing framework for action. It is not a top-down plan of action. Goal50K offers a more focused direction and makes some suggestions on how to go about reaching official ballot status in 2006, but nobody pretends to have The Guaranteed Plan for success.  
 
To get our candidates invited to persuade voters of the value of libertarian ideas we need successes in the following objectives.  
•     More support from businesses and groups adversely affected by law&regulation (gun shops, bars, restaurants, cigarette sales)
•     More support from people with regulated behaviors (drugs, alcohol, gun owners, homosexuals)
•     More support from people and groups dissatisfied with state agencies (schools, dredging)
•     More support from people and groups dissatisfied with state law&regulations (insurance, construction, high taxes)
•     More support from people and groups dissatisfied with dysfunctional government (lots)

To reach these objectives we need action:

•     Offer voters something they want. The other parties will offer rights and privileges to buy votes. We can’t offer that. But we can offer them more of their own money to keep. We can offer them their own choices. We can offer them more choices to use their own money for they want instead of what somebody else wants. Give people examples of how their lives could improve with less government interference, fewer prohibitions and mandates. Give examples of how quality of life is reduced because  of prohibitions and mandates. 

•     Develop a marketing plan that makes people question their assumptions. The assumption that government makes things better must be shown to be false. We have to illustrate how promised government solutions have really become problems. Show that ‘the Common Good’ does not exist and if it did exist a lot of voters are not getting it. Illustrate this with examples - especially from your local area.

•     Show voters the other parties are giving them things they really don’t want. Other parties impose rules that favor choices of some at the expense of others.  Remind people that the American Dream and the Social Contract were supposed to be all about voluntary agreement, not forced obedience. Ask them to question authority and resist blind obedience.

Identify and recruit a candidate for Governor we will:
•  Identifify what is needed and what should be avoided to maximize our chance of success.
•  Assign individual responsibility for each of the identified needs.
•  Make a schedule to accomplish these responsibilities.
•  Prepare a final report with alternatives, reasons for recommendations, and names of candidates.
•  Recommend a candidate to be chosen and explain why.
 


LPNY is organizing around this project:

•     LPNY has committed to support this project.
•     A Goal50K committee, chaired by Werner Hetzner (our Treasurer) has been formed.
•     This committee will report to LPNY on a regular basis.
•     The Goal50K logo is the frog. We think it evokes feelings of hope in an acceptable whimsical way.
•     Goal50K web pages will be maintained to explain and support the project.
•     The Goal50K committee consists of only a few people. The purpose of the committee is to to set a direction for libertarians around the state to take action around. Each of you is key to reach this goal. To become active in making Goal50K a success click here.