Nathan Forest
nforest@uwyo.edu
With the upcoming elections, it seems that members of both major parties are incredibly unhappy with who their apparent nominee will be. People feel trapped between a rock and a hard place with whom to vote for because this time, more than ever, no one really represents what they believe.
At this crucial junction in American political history, I recommend all people to look into and research third parties. One of the biggest third parties in the country is the Libertarian Party.
This party is likely to appeal to younger people who are more progressive on social issues, but want limited government scope and spending.
One of the Libertarian Party’s core tenants is the idea of the Non-Aggression Principle or NAP. This means that no one, be they governments or individuals, has the right to enact force on another entity except in self-defense. For those out there who aren’t fans of the U.S. interventionist wars, this should appeal to you.
The Libertarian Party is also dedicated to the preservation of everyone’s life, liberty and property. They believe that people are entitled to their life, as well as the ability to defend their lives. They believe that people should be free to succeed and fail, make their own decisions and do as they please as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s rights. They believe that you own your property and the fruits of your labor and that no one should be able to forcibly take them away.
Libertarians are also in favor of serious crime reform where victimless crimes stop being crimes. One of the biggest effects of this would be to end the war on drugs and to legalize drugs. Simply partaking in drugs shouldn’t be a crime and should be treated like alcohol. It is legal to do it, until you put other people in danger.
The idea of voting for the lesser of two evils is one that has permeated the American political system to the detriment of the American people. Voting third party is not throwing your vote away. It is a much more telling use of your vote to vote for whoever you agree with the most, instead of who you think can or will win.
So for those who are sick and tired of the two-party system that doesn’t represent their interests, this election is the time to look to third parties (especially the libertarian party) and to break the two party monopoly.
