Time for strong third party
Cal Thomas was correct in his column recently that our politicians are
failing us, and we need a revolution. The revolution needs to happen
at the voting box, it needs to happen with the emergence of a strong
third party, it needs to start in 2006, and it needs to start with us
Vermonters.
Vermont had the first constitution banning slavery, and in 1856
Vermont was one of the first states to replace the Whig Party with the
infant Republican Party.
One hundred and fifty years later, it is time for another change. The
Gallup Poll’s annual survey on government found that 20 percent of the
population is libertarian. Many libertarians can be found in the
Democratic and Republican parties trying unsuccessfully to change
these behemoths. Trying to hold the Republicans to their
small-government rhetoric, and the Democrats to their promises of
social tolerance and opposition to the war.
Libertarians make up the sensible center. We are socially tolerant and
fiscally frugal. Libertarians are building a third party to put
freedom of choice and responsibility back into your hands.
Contact the Libertarian Party (www.vtlp.org), and let’s correct the
wayward course of our nation.
HARDY MACHIA
Grand Isle
The writer is chairman of the Vermont Libertarian Party.
