I said it. The two party system is terrible and is strangling progression in this country. So many people are in the dark and think there are only two sides to issues, or that they need to just side with the left or right based on "which they're closer to."
I am a Libertarian. I might not share the precise ideas of other Libertarians, just as not all Republicans and Democrats share the exact same stances. But the one thing that can be said about all Libertarians is that we want people to have as much personal right and freedom as possible. The line gets drawn only when one infringes upon another's rights.
The Libertarian Party is the third largest party in the country behind "the big two" and with each election and passing year we grow larger.
Still, there are only about a quarter million registered Libertarians, because the word has not spread enough. The major parties have put a stranglehold on the political system, to the point of using illegal tactics to keep other ideas out of the spotlight.
In 2004 the Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik (along with Green party candidate David Cobb) was trying to take part in the presidential debates. After being denied by the Commission of Presidential Debates, he recieved a court order to allow him to appear. When he went with Mr. Cobb to present the court order the pair were arrested without ever getting the chance to see the CPD to present the legal papers. Sounds fair, huh?
Please visit the Libertraian party website and learn more about our ideas and stance on issues. (Heck, vist any other party!)
Main site:
www.lp.org
FAQ:
www.lp.org/article_85.shtml
Here, here, down with the two party system. Party discipline and integrity are impossible and every problem is only allowed two sides. We end up with a bunch of confused centrists being bullied by radicals on either side because the two parties have to encompass such huge idealogical space.
Res ipsa loquitur.
memor mori, mahalo.
Very Good!
I have often wondered to myself whether we even need a basic two party system! I mean, I know we can vote as independant... But I wonder if we should just get rid of the party system altogether. So many Democrats now are so conservative they might as well be Republican, and in contrast so many Republicans are liberal enough to be Democrats.
I will definitely be checking out that site, thank you!
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence
There is a lot to be said for the Libertarian Party. It would
have many more members except for its stand on illegal drugs, and open boarders.
I agree partly with the stance on illegal drugs. In brief, MOST of them should be legalized. Not all.
The open boarders I don't agree with one bit. I am for making the immigration and citizenship processes easier, but I think we need to strengthen border defense big time.
One of the big things that should be cleared up though, and I can't speak for all Libertarians, but a lot of my stances are "ideal" stances. There are many things that I believe are right, but I don't operate under the illusion that if implemented in the country tomorrow they would work. Or society is accustomed to things a certain way, and effective change must take place over long periods of time.
-Tim
"It costs nothing to be honest, loyal, and true." -Avett Bros.
I am a huge fan of their stance on illegal drugs, and there is a lot of heavy evidence weighing on their side. On top of the idealistic right to put whatever substances we want in our bodies the War on Drugs is not pragmatic. It is based on puritan moralizing and masquerading health issues as legal problems.
I could write a ten page paper against the War on Drugs without repeating myself.
Philospohically I support open borders too, but more importantly I like a political party with actual ideals. Libertarians have an ideal in mind and then propose pragmatic legislation to push us that way. Most third parties have that, and it is what the major parties lack. Major parties are held together with such a loose philosophical stance... A wide range of strong parties with clear ideas seems infintely preferable to two parties with muddled and divergent ideas.
Though the Libertarians may hold stances too out there for some people, the simple addition of a third party to the system is what is needed. Most people will probably find that they have just as much in common with Libertarians as they do with Democrats or Republicans. Most people don't agree with their claimed party on everything.
Res ipsa loquitur.
memor mori, mahalo.