By Aakash Jain ’14
THE ROUNDUP
With 15 Arizona political positions up for election, including governor and several state legislative positions, voters will have more than a few options when they hit the polls Nov. 4.
The vast number of candidates and the diversity of their platforms demonstrate the advancement of U.S. politics through the years.
The emergence of many new political parties in the last half a century has placed more power in voters’ hands than ever before. As the dynamic of politics continues to change, voters are no longer limited to the traditional two-party system.
One such political organization, the Libertarian Party, has found great success at the polls in the last few decades and currently has 157 members appointed to public office in the United States- six of them being in Arizona. Founded in 1971, Libertarianism is now the third-largest party in the nation, behind only the Republicans and Democrats, and is the fastest growing according to its official website.
Self-described as the “Party of Principle,” the Libertarian party believes in laissez-faire markets, non-interventionism in foreign policy and places emphasis on individual liberty.
In the 30 states where voters can register by party, there are over 225,000 voters registered with the organization. However, though growing at a rapid rate, the Libertarian Party is a relatively young organization, and its ideas remain unknown to most.
Striving to overcome these shortcomings are 29 Libertarian candidates running for office in Arizona. One candidate in particular hopes to make a lasting impact on Arizona politics. .
Petitioning to be an Arizona senator, David Nolan is the principal founder of the Libertarian Party and inventor of the Nolan Chart. He will face incumbent Republican John McCain and Democrat Rodney Glassman, as well as Jerry Joslyn from the Green Party, this November.
“I think, as certainly close to a majority of Americans realize now,” said Nolan in an interview with the Sedona Times, “that we have serious economic problems. Most of which stem from a government that spends way more money than they take in … The large government, working with large banks, involve themselves in every facet of our lives.”
Frequently using the term “fiscal insanity,” Nolan wants to see currency backed with either metals, like gold and silver, or some other tangible asset so it can’t be continuously inflated.
Nolan is against SB1070, claiming it is a solution that does not address the real problem. He suggests a guest worker plan be implemented, similar to a program supported by President Reagan in the 1980’s, but places greater importance on creating and enforcing adequate safeguards to deter terrorists and other criminals from entering the United States.
Nolan also calls for the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and wants troops brought home as soon as possible.
“You can’t cut spending, without cutting back on all of our overseas involvement,” he said. “We spent a trillion dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan, for no good outcome. Rome collapsed when it became an empire, Britain collapsed when it became an empire, and we are an empire. We need to get back to a constitutional republic … We cannot be the world’s policeman and maintain our economic system.”
Voters dissatisfied with Republicans and Democrats may look to the Libertarian Party when the polls open this November, but only time will tell how Arizona responds to the many decisions that lie ahead.
