The Libertarian Party

Words: 951
Pages: 4
Open Document
Life, Libertarianism, and the Pursuit of Happiness
The Libertarian Party is a relatively new movement in the United States government. Founded in 1971 by a small group of activists in Colorado, the Libertarian Party believes in a government based on the concept of self-ownership, “Each individual has the right to control his or her own body, action, speech, and property. Government's only role is to help individuals defend themselves from force and fraud.” (www.lp.org) The Libertarian Party believes that everyone has the right to live and believe however they please. This belief is shown largely in the prominent leaders of the Libertarian Party because they don’t push their beliefs on other people, no matter if they agree or disagree with their …show more content…
Ron Paul. Dr. Paul Sr. has been a leader of the Libertarian Party for a majority of the party’s life. In 1988, he ran for presidency on the Libertarian Party ticket. Even though he knew that there was virtually no chance of him getting elected, he still ran a strong campaign. Much of his campaign was centered on influencing younger generations and growing the Libertarian Party for the future. After a rally at a Texas high school, Dr. Paul Sr. was quoted saying “We're building the Libertarian Party and we're just as interested in the future generation as this election, these kids will vote eventually, and maybe, just maybe, they'll go home and talk to their parents.” (Rosenthal) Ron Paul has ran for presidency a total of three times, including as recently as 2012. Now, with the influence of Ron Paul, his son Dr. Rand Paul is rising in the ranks of the Libertarian Party and the United States Government as a whole. Dr. Paul Jr. was elected into the U.S. Senate in 2010 for the state of Kentucky, since being elected into office Dr. Paul Jr. has successfully cosponsored four bills that are now in legislation, as well as two bills that were vetoed by the president. He is also the single sponsor of several bills that have yet to be voted on. His libertarian influence may not be quite as strong as that of his father, but he very well could be one of the first libertarian politicians to be elected into …show more content…
programs created in the wake of September 11, 2001. Edward Snowden was working for a government contractor in Hawaii when he gained access to several documents that revealed a large effort by the National Security Administration to track cell phone interactions, emails, and Internet traffic of all Americans. These documents were defended by the U.S. government as an effort to protect American citizens from terrorist attacks. Before he unveiled these documents, Snowden fled the country to stay in a hotel in Hong Kong, China. He has since sought asylum in Russia, who took him in with open arms. Because of this asylum taken in Russia, many people see his revelation as an act of treason in order to give crucial information to Russia and China. Many Libertarians, however, see Snowden’s acts as those of a hero. Snowden himself views his acts as those of a vague martyr. In his interview with The Guardian, Snowden stated “I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building.” Edward Snowden recently helped kick-off an International Students for Liberty conference in Washington, D.C. Snowden’s telecast was broadcast over a large screen in front of hundreds of young, strongly supportive,
Show More

Related Documents: The Libertarian Party

Libertarian Party Thesis

One of the most prominent third parties in American politics is the Libertarian party. They offer a platform to those who want to see more free-market economy, and free-market education, optional taxes, justice reforms, civil liberties, introduced into American politics and policies. Their goals for more individual responsibility are exemplified in their "About" page when they say: "Libertarians strongly oppose any government interference into their personal, family, and business decisions. Essentially…

Words 217 - Pages 1

Libertarian Advantages

The Libertarian Party has always been an underdog in the political realm of the United States, but that has never stopped it from making strides to promote its political agenda. Whether it is working to gain ballot access in all fifty states or pushing to be represented in televised debates, the party continues to work, gaining more and more legitimacy in the political world. The Libertarian Party has faced setbacks from the two party system and even from the federal government itself. Though the…

Words 2426 - Pages 10

American Freedom Party Research Paper

The American Freedom Party calls itself a Nationalist party that shares the beliefs of European American people ("Platform"). They have an interest in boarder protection, and preserving the English language. They believe that power should be with the states, and the federal government should only have those powers granted by the constitution. They believe that the spying of the federal government on its citizens should end, and a fence should be built around the US boarders to secure it from illegal…

Words 1890 - Pages 8

Pros And Cons Of Libertarianism

are unsure or uninformed on what makes a Libertarian. The mainstream believes that libertarians are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. This is a fair assumption by a largely uninformed population. Libertarians have five main principles that govern their politics and decision making: individualism, peace, tolerance, free markets and limited government. It is those principles that define Libertarianism and separate themselves from a flawed two-party system. When looked at together, there isn’t…

Words 684 - Pages 3

Republican Party Vs Libertarianism

The short answer is that the Democratic Party is generally left of center on political issues while the Republican Party is generally right of center. By "left" vs "right," I am denoting the degree to which one favors increasing the power of government as a tool for promoting societal progress, often in overcoming a perceived cabal that controls "the system" (the left) versus a preference for evolved norms and private ordering as the driver of social organization and change, generally viewing the…

Words 1415 - Pages 6

Essay on LIbertarianism and Drinking

Lowering the Drinking Age to 18 and the Libertarian Principle Lowering the legal drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen would lead to many health and safety benefits to the youth of our society; additionally, it is the logical thing to do considering that adulthood in the United States is eighteen. At eighteen, we are finally allowed a greater degree of freedom. At this age, individuals are able to attend college, able to sign ourselves up for the military, buy cigarettes, marry and adopt,…

Words 1294 - Pages 6

Presidential Speech Outline Research Paper

vote for, you get higher taxes, bigger deficits, and broken promises. There is Hope for Your Family There is a political party that believes the family budget is more important than the Federal budget. A political party that is working to restore the hopes and dreams of every hard-working American family Subpoint 3 It is the Libertarian Party. More than two-hundred Libertarians are currently holding public office. Each of them is working today to keep the government from taking any more of your money…

Words 1279 - Pages 6

WhyAmericanPoliticalPartiesCan TGetBeyondtheLeft RightDivide Essay

Why American Political Parties Can’t Get Beyond the Left-Right Divide Edward G. Carmines Indiana University Michael J. Ensley Kent State University Michael W. Wagner University of Wisconsin Presented at the State of the Parties Conference: 2012 and Beyond The University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, November 7-8, 2013 In October of 2010, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman predicted that, “there is going to be a serious third party candidate in 2012, with a serious…

Words 8056 - Pages 33

Political Opinion And Political Parties

Political Opinion and Political Parties "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.” -Winston Churchill Expected Outcomes To understand the philosophical differences between conservative, liberal, populist and libertarian cultures; to comprehend the impact of race and gender on political opinion; and to evaluate the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. Overview Opinion is the driving…

Words 3374 - Pages 14

Two Party Pickle Essay

The Two Party Pickle As Americans we are expected to pick a team when it comes to electing officials to represent us in government: the Republicans or the Democrats. I was born in New Jersey to a Republican family who began to instil conservative values in me at a very young age. Growing up, my father would often times talk about “the good old days” when Ronald Reagan was president, Reaganomics, and how if you want to be successful you need to take the initiative to make something of yourself. I…

Words 806 - Pages 4