Every election, we hear the same thing. "This is the most important election of our lifetimes!" It is repeated, ad nauseum, trumpeted by both sides who warn vociferously, but deadly serious, how life as we know it will come to an end if you don't support the person they do.

Whether it is the end of democracy, or climate disaster, infiltration by terrorists or immigrants, death by communism or death by fascism, there is always a new boogieman to rally support, trying to drum up enough votes to hoard more power through the perceived legitimacy of the ballot box. 

But what if every election really is the most important election, not for massive existential reasons, but because that is the election right in front of us, right now. What if the next election is the one where the tide turns, in some small way, and the long, gradual slide into tyranny stops. What if the next election is the one where we choose Liberty?

If we don't, I am not going to fear-monger and tell you the world will end because of it (though we should be aware of the war hawks circling around federal office and what that might entail). I will tell you that, without Liberty, we will continue the slide into muddling mediocrity, stagnation, and ruin. Without Liberty, innovation will stifle and suffocate, and will be replaced by government mandates, formed at the direction of corporate profit margins. 

This month's episode looks at these issues. We have two articles on how the government has deliberately and willfully destroyed the value of your money and made it much more difficult for you to accrue assets that hold their value or use those assets to participate in the financial system. We have another article that looks at how the politics of fear is used to take ever more of our rights, all in the name of an ultimately illusory safety. 

Instead of fear, I want to push back with hope. We have a slate of incredible candidates running for office right here in North Carolina, and this is the year, with your help, that we get them elected! We have allies, and people willing to push back against the overreach of the state. Just in the next few weeks, we have two governor candidate debates, one including three other parties. The Liberty message is spreading.

We have our annual convention right around the corner, and our keynote speaker wrote a book about how government schools have killed innovation and progress, and so he and his partners found a way to break the system. 

We have so many reasons to be hopeful, and I am optimistic. However, we can't do any of it without help. If you are reading this, reach out. Give your time or your money. We don't need hundreds of dollars or hours upon hours. Just a little here and there makes a huge difference, especially if everyone reading this got involved.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair