Features
Third- Party Politics
February 1, 2005
Sarah Dickey
Staff Writer
There are a variety of political parties to choose from, ranging from extreme right-wing to radical left-wing and everywhere in between. For every cause under the sun, there is a suitable party.
On the conservative end of the spectrum, there is the Concerns of People (Prohibition) Party. As indicated by their name, they are concerned about alcohol use in this country. They propose to “establish taxes on alcohol equal to the social costs of repairing the damage done by alcohol.” Other issues close to the Prohibition Party are the deportation of immigrants, abolishment of state lotteries (and other forms of legalized gambling), and the termination of the Federal Reserve System. The chance the Prohibition nominee will win is slight- the same man has run for the past seven elections (since 1976). He received only 208 votes in the 2000 election. (http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html)
If the Prohibition Party has a polar opposite, it is the Peace and Freedom Party. This party has based its platform on socialism because it feels that capitalism only serves to make the rich wealthier. Their platform is to create multiple social programs to aid the working class. These programs include massive development of free transportation, free abortion and birth control on demand, and tuition-free higher education for all. In order to fund these new programs, they intend to raise income taxes of the wealthy and enforce double taxation on luxury vehicles. The Peace and Freedom Party also supports abolishing the death penalty, legalizing marijuana, and opening U.S. borders. California is the only state that carries this party on its ballot. The 2004 nominee was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and is ineligible to run in any other state. (http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/Platform.htm)
For those who lean neither to the right nor the left, there is the Personal Choice Party. This party as a whole does not hold a consistent stance on most issues. Any of its candidates is free to have his or her own individual platform, and the viewpoints vary drastically from candidate to candidate. For instance, one speaker for the party does not believe in abortion “for medical, emotional, and spiritual reasons,” but does not feel that he can force his party and this nation to share his moral beliefs. Yet another speaker for the party, a proclaimed feminist, is adamant about a woman’s right to choose. Nearly all of the Personal Choice Party’s issues are split the same way. It seems to be a catchall party for people who can’t side with any particular mainstream candidate. That may be why the party feels it needs a clever marketing strategy to draw in supporters- the 2004 nominee for president chose an adult film star as his running mate in order to “close the publicity gap.” (http://www.politics1.com/personalchoice04.htm)
There are a dozen more parties to choose from, but most of them are only on a single state’s ballot. The incredible variety of choice that is available shows the amazing freedom that exists in the United States. Almost anyone can create a party and nominate him or herself for president if he or she so desires.
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