It's official. The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in all 50 states, plus D.C. This is the first time in 20 years a "third party" has been able to jump this hurdle in 20 years. The last time it was done was in 1996 by -- the Libertarian Party.

"Thanks to the commitment of Libertarian Party members, donors, and volunteers, we've overcome the ballot access hurdles put in place by the two old parties," said Nicholas Sarwark, Chair of the Libertarian National Committee.

"It took thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars, but we did it to give every American a Libertarian on their ballot so they don't have to waste their vote on either of the two bullies the old parties nominated for president."

Read more.

Steven Seay is the new Libertarian candidate for state House 36 in Wake County. The Wake County Libertarian Party named him to replace Brian Irving, who resigned his candidacy late last month for personal reasons. 

“I am tired of cronyism and those who think they know what's best for the people who are below middle class, the people who live paycheck-to-paycheck” said Seay. “I live, work, and play on the ground level. I know what the people who are marginalized by the actions and policies of the two established parties need and want.”

“Steve Seay has been an advocate for freedom for many years and has graciously agreed to take up the arduous work of being the candidate,” said Bruce Basson, Wake vice chair.

“As a small business owner, musician, and father of four, Steven always has his hands full and now will be working even harder to make a difference in North Carolina. With no lack of talent and work ethic, he was an obvious choice to represent district 36.”

Irving's name will still appear on the ballot. According to election officials, any votes he received will be counted for Seay.

For more information about the WakeLP, visit: http://www.wakelp.org/

Critics of the pharmaceutical companies will use the Epi-Pen price hike as another example of corporate greed -- and so it is. Competition keeps corporate greed in check better than any form of legislative price control. But as Dr. Mary Ruwart points at in this article, the real culprit here is the FDA, which has delayed or killed Mylan's competition. 

By Dr. Mary Ruwart

Last October, Sanofi withdrew Epi-Pen’s last true competitor, Auvi-Q,  from the market after some suspected device malfunctions.  Without competition, Mylan, which acquired the Epi-Pen in 2007, when it was selling for around $57, raised their prices to $600 for a 2-pack.  I was actually quoted $800 at my pharmacy.

Teva had submitted an application for a generic version of the Epi-Pen to the FDA.  However, the agency felt “certain major deficiencies” needed to be addressed. Marketing of Epi-Pen’s new competitor will be delayed until at least 2017.

Adamis wants to market a syringe prefilled with epinephrine, the active drug in the Epi-Pen. Some diabetics must inject themselves with insulin, so use of a syringe, rather than an Epi-Pen-like device, is not unprecedented.  The FDA wouldn’t approve it without more studies on patient usability and product stress testing. Mylan is protected from still another competitor by regulatory delays.

Read the full article here.

The Libertarian Party of North Carolina passed another milestone in August. For the first time, the party nominated a full slate of Presidential Electors, 15 electors, 15 first alternates and 15 Second alternates. "If we are successful and carry the day Nov. 8, they will meet in Raleigh Dec. 15 to cast their votes for Gary Johnson for President of the United States and Bill Weld for Vice President of the United States," said LPNC Chair Brian Irving. "Thanks to Brad Hessel and Ralph Lake for recruiting all these nominees."

And at their August meeting, the LPNC Executive Committee continued breaking new ground by appointing Clement Erhard of Greensboro as General Counsel. Clement will work pro bono. Clement has worked for the Consumer Products Safety Division and currently is general counsel for Markets America (Shop.com) headquartered in Greensboro. Check out his LinkedIn profile.

The EC also elected Matthew Clements, co-chair of the Durham-Orange LP, to fill a vacant at-large position.