LIBERTARIANS BOOSTED BY THIRD-PARTY SURGE.Byline: Forth Worth Star-Telegram Sometimes, they sound like hard-core conservative Republicans, sometimes like ultra-liberal Democrats. And that, say Libertarians, is the idea. Twenty-five years after its founding, the Libertarian Party The Libertarian party was founded in Colorado in 1971 and held its first convention in Denver in 1972. In 1972 it fielded John Hospers for president and Theodora Nathan for vice president in the U.S. general election. is holding its presidential convention at a time when third-party movements are regaining legitimacy. ``This party is about to enter a period of incredible growth,'' said David Nolan There have been a number of notable individuals called David Nolan including;
So, the party that wants to eliminate government and taxes, while legalizing drugs and prostitution Drugs and prostitution are related in that some drug addicts, most commonly heroin or crack cocaine users, obtain their drugs primarily through prostitution. They may receive money (which is used to pay for drugs), or they may receive the drug in trade for sex. , is getting a second look. ``There's an excitement here that I have not seen before,''' said Jacob Hornberger, a former Dallas attorney who heads a Libertarian foundation in Virginia. ``We're no longer a fringe group in terms of being taken seriously.'' A lot of hope is riding on the party's presumed nominee, Harry Browne Harry Browne (17 June 1933 – 1 March 2006) was an American libertarian writer, politician, and free-market investment analyst. He was a U.S. Presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party in 1996 and 2000. , an investment adviser and author who was expected to win the nomination easily today during the spirited three-day convention. Browne, 63, from Franklin, Tenn., is one of several candidates running for the Libertarian Party nomination. Other candidates include former talk show host Rick Tompkins, 55, from Phoenix; and author Irwin Schiff Irwin A. Schiff (b. 1928) is a prominent member of the United States group which refers to itself as the tax honesty movement, and which has been referred to by the Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies as the tax protester movement. , 68, of Las Vegas. ``We don't need seven-year plans to reform government. We need: huge tax cuts now. Huge spending cuts now. A balanced budget Balanced budget A budget in which the income equals expenditure. See: budget. balanced budget A budget in which the expenditures incurred during a given period are matched by revenues. now,'' said Browne, sounding a lot like a Republican. Asked what makes his party different from the GOP, Browne said in an interview, ``The difference is they won't do anything about it. I'm going to repeal the tax code and replace it with nothing.'' The Republicans have suggested alternatives to the income tax, such as a flat tax or a national sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. . There are also some other big differences, such as Browne's pledge ``to end this insane war on drugs.'' The Libertarians want to legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le drugs, arguing that removing the profit motive would rid society of the ills of drug trafficking. ``There will still be people who abuse drugs, but there will be far fewer of them,'' Browne said. Browne credits interest in the Libertarians to the success of Ross Perot, the Dallas billionaire who won 19 percent of the vote as an independent candidate in the 1992 presidential race. ``It helped pave the way for me, I think,'' Browne said. He noted that Americans historically have been reluctant to vote for minority parties for fear of wasting their votes. As for Perot's current efforts to create a third party, Nolan dismissed the Reform Party as ``an ego party for one man.'' ``They're not a real party,'' said the Libertarian Party founder. Libertarians point to their 14,000 dues-paying members, including almost 800 in Texas, and an ability to attract nearly 2 million voters for Libertarian candidates for local and federal offices in the 1994 elections. In addition, Nolan said, the party is now attracting ``disillusioned dis·il·lu·sion tr.v. dis·il·lu·sioned, dis·il·lu·sion·ing, dis·il·lu·sions To free or deprive of illusion. n. 1. The act of disenchanting. 2. The condition or fact of being disenchanted. liberals'' along with conservative Republicans. |
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