Pubdate: Thu, 20 Oct 2005
Source: Tuscaloosa News, The (AL)
Copyright: 2005 The Tuscaloosa News
Contact:  http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1665
Author: Robert Workman

DRUGS AREN'T LIBERTARIANS' TOP ISSUE

Dear Editor: I find it very disturbing that the only knowledge many people 
ever receive of the Libertarian Party is its stance on the legalization of 
drugs. This problem is further compounded its association with candidates 
who make this issue their campaign's focal point; for example, we were 
recently informed that Ms. Loretta Nall, the 31-year-old president of the 
U.S. Marijuana Party, is seeking the Libertarian nomination for governor of 
Alabama.

While Ms. Nall is correct that current drug policy is shortsighted, the 
citizens of Alabama would be much more supportive of a candidate who 
focuses on restoring all levels of government to their Constitutional 
limitations rather than harping on drug policy.

The Libertarian Party should focus on eliminating the current system of 
forced wealth redistribution in which productive citizens are taxed to 
support nonproductive citizens; the party needs to campaign on eliminating 
the unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms for 
law abiding citizens; it needs to work on eliminating the unconstitutional 
restrictions on political speech codified in the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan 
Campaign Reform Act; it should work to ensure that citizens have true 
freedom of religion rather than the current state of two sides pushing 
equal extremes. In short, the Libertarian Party needs to offer a 
free-market alternative to the socialism and socialism-lite given as 
choices by the Democrats and Republicans (respectively), and once the 
American people see that real freedom can and does work, then we can talk 
about drug policy.

Robert Workman

Northport
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom