by Debbie Robus

Created on: June 07, 2009

The Libertarian Party is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971, as an alternative to the two main political parties, according to a press release on their website,"The Party of Principle" (www.lp.org). The Libertarian Party Preamble states that Libertarians "seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power."

Furthermore, the Libertarian Statement of Principles says "We... deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life - accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action - accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property - accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation."

The principles addressed include:

* Personal Liberty
* Expression and Communication
* Personal Privacy
* Personal Relationships
* Abortion
* Crime and Justice
* Self-Defense
* Economic Liberty
* Property and Contract
* Environment
* Energy and Resources
* Government Finance and Spending
* Money and Financial Markets
* Monopolies and Corporations
* Labor Markets
* Education
* Health Care
* Retirement and Income Security
* Securing Liberty
* National Defense
* Internal Security and Individual Rights
* International Affairs
* Free trade and Migration
* Rights and Discrimination
* Representative Government
* Self-Determination

If you visit the website and read the expanded comments for each of these topics, you will get a quick picture

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