Pubdate: Sun, 02 Apr 2000
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AR)
Copyright: 2000 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.
Contact:  121 East Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201
Website: http://www.ardemgaz.com/
Forum: http://www.ardemgaz.com/info/voices.html
Author: Bob Betzold
Note: See http://www.lp.org for more info about Libertarians

WHAT THE LIBERTARIANS REPRESENT

We know the Democrats and Republicans and a few third parties. But we hear
little about the Libertarians, the only party offering to actually improve
people's lives.

So who are the Libertarians? Libertarians want a society based on
individual freedom and personal responsibility. They oppose the initiation
of force to achieve any political or social goal. They believe the
government should be defined by, empowered by and constrained by the
Constitution. And they believe a free market economy is the best way to
achieve efficiency and equity in the marketplace.

The Republicans and Democrats try to solve every social and economic
problem through legislation and taxation. It doesn't work. They measure
their power by how much money and how many lives they control. And their
power grows every day. How far will we let them go?

The Libertarians want to give you back your life and your money. Harry
Browne, the likely Libertarian presidential candidate, promises to end the
income tax, abolish the IRS and reduce the size of the federal government
to that prescribed by the Constitution. He wants to end the failing Social
Security program after providing for those who depend on it.

And he vows to end the "war on drugs" that has brought crime into our
schools and neighborhoods; filled our jails with so many non-violent drug
offenders that we are releasing violent criminals early to make room for
them; created an international epidemic of crime funded by drug profits;
and which threatens to drag American troops into civil wars in places like
Colombia.

Bob Betzold, Cabot
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