About Us

What does the Libertarian Party stand for?

The Libertarian Party stands for small government, less taxes, individual rights and free market solutions to our nation's problems. Liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, want to use government power to impose their social and economic agendas. Consequently our property rights and personal freedom are taken away by an ever-growing government, which increasingly dictates every aspect of our personal lives.

Why don't you guys unite with other third parties to unseat the Democrats and Republicans?

We're not simply anti-Democrat or anti-Republican. We stand for things such as the right to keep and bear arms and the relegalization of drugs. As such, we oppose the left-wing program of the Green Party and the right-wing proposals of the various Conservative parties as much as we do those of the Republicans and Democrats. Most third parties are simply groups that have splintered from the old parties because they feel the Democrats and Republicans are too moderate on one or more issues. The Libertarian Party is the only independent opposition party in the United States.

Wouldn't it be more effective to work within one of the major parties, such as the GOP?

Experience says no. Most of the time your candidate will lose the party primary and you'll be without a decent candidate in November. If he or she does win then the party deserts the candidate in November. The Democrats and Republicans confidently ask "Where else can they go?" and so take your support for granted while they run the usual high-tax, big-government politicians.

Realistically, you can't win. So wouldn't I be wasting my vote?

Actually we do win; the 600 or so Libertarians in public office nationwide are evidence of that. But if you vote for politicians who'll raise taxes and pass repressive laws, well, you'll lose, and that's the important thing. In the long run you'll win by helping to build a new party that truly represents the hardworking taxpayers of America. In addition, the swing vote forces the dominant parties to listen to, and conform to, our beliefs. It's a way of voicing your opinion that you're entirely fed up with both Democrats and Republicans.
Sometimes the Republican candidate is slightly better than the Democrat, sometimes vice versa.

Isn't it better to vote for the lesser of two evils?

The overwhelming majority of the time there is no fundamental difference between the Republican and Democrat. On the rare occasion when there is a slight difference -- perhaps on an issue or two -- once in office the winner governs no differently than his or her opponent would have. In any case, by failing to vote for what you truly want you're telling the politicians that you endorse their high-tax, big-government agenda -- after all, you helped elect them.

But what if the Libertarian Party vote total is large enough to cause the worse of the two candidates to get elected?

Since their agendas are virtually identical, and they all govern pretty much the same way once in office, there is no real danger in such a scenario. And something very good will come of it. When politicians realize there are votes -- enough for victory -- to be had by supporting small government and true tax relief they'll finally start changing their tune.

Why don't you guys run for local office or nonpartisan offices like school boards?

We do. And sometimes we win. But it's important to challenge the Democrats and Republicans at all levels regardless of the outcome. It not only gives voters a real choice, high profile races such as those for the US Senate or Governor provide a forum for reaching voters. Odds are you've heard of one of our presidential candidates rather than an elected Libertarian city council member.

I'm fed-up with politics and politicians. Wouldn't it be better to stop participating and thus withdraw our support from the system?

Sorry, that wouldn't work. There will always be those who'll use the ballot box to implement their personal moral agenda or enact their favorite "entitlement" program. And they'll be politicians who'll be happy to accommodate them. Staying apart from the fray will just make their task easier.

What's the difference between joining the Libertarian Party and registering Libertarian?

By becoming a dues-paying member of the Libertarian Party you can vote for party officers and help shape the LP program and its activities. When you register Libertarian with the county election board you withdraw your support from the old parties and their failed programs. Your registration is a brick in the edifice of a new political party.

Why should I join the San Diego Libertarian Party?

Membership dues are the main source of funds for the San Diego Libertarian Party. Your $25 per year membership is providing sorely needed dollars to build the party right here in San Diego. For the small annual price of $25.00 you will recieve the local, state and national monthly newsletters. You will also have the right to vote at the local, state and national conventions on the future direction of our party. If you want to be a part of something big then Join the SDLP!

1. Each individual has the right to his or her own life, and this right is the source of all other rights.
2. Chief among those rights is that of liberty -- the individual's right to peacefully pursue his or her own goals without being subject to force or fraud initiated by others. The right to liberty includes: freedom of thought, of conscience, of expression, of property, of movement and of association.
3. In order to protect the life, liberty and property of all, human society requires government, an institution charged with the task of barring force and fraud from social relations. This is the fundamental role of government and the basis of its legitimacy.
4. The proper functions of government therefore are:
   1. providing a framework of objective laws within which individuals may be certain of their rights and may settle their disputes;
   2. providing protection from criminals; and
   3. providing protection from foreign invaders.
5. In order to ensure that government does not exceed its protective function and become tyrannous, its powers must be strictly limited by the constitutionally entrenched rule of law.
6. As a consequence of all the above, every individual -- as long as he or she respects the life, liberty and property of others -- has the right to live as he or she sees fit.

The Choice: Freedom or Big Government

Years of uncontrolled government growth have damaged our economy and diminished the liberties we inherited. The politicians still hold to the socialist dream of a state-directed society. The Libertarian Party takes the opposite approach.

The Libertarian Credo

WE believe in limited government and the rule of law.
WE believe in individual freedom and personal responsibility.
WE believe in the free-market economy.
WE believe that the government which governs LEAST governs BEST

During business hours,
please contact the Party via the SDLP hotline
(858) 530-1776.
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Good question. Below are various definitions of the word Libertarian. For Libertarian solutions to today's issues see http://www.libertarianism.com/issues.htm

According to Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary

lib-er-tar-i-an, n. 1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.... advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.

According to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

NOUN: 1. One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.

The Challenge of Democracy (6th edition), by Kenneth Janda, Jeffrey Berry, and Jerry Goldman

Liberals favor government action to promote equality, whereas conservatives favor government action to promote order. Libertarians favor freedom and oppose government action to promote either equality or order.

According to Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000 © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation

Libertarianism, political philosophy emphasizing the rights of the individual. The doctrine of libertarianism stresses the right to self-ownership and, by extension, the right to private ownership of material resources and property. Advocates oppose any form of taxation and favor a laissez-faire economic system.

According to Libertarian.org

While libertarians are a diverse group of people with many philosophical starting points, they share a defining belief: that everyone should be free to do as they choose, so long as they don't infringe upon the equal freedom of others.

According to David Boaz, Libertarianism: A Primer, Free Press, 1997

Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others. Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property-rights that people have naturally, before governments are created. In the libertarian view, all human relationships should be voluntary; the only actions that should be forbidden by law are those that involve the initiation of force against those who have not themselves used force- actions like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud.

According to Charles Murray, What It Means to Be a Libertarian, Broadway Books, 1997

The American Founders created a society based on the belief that human happiness is intimately connected with personal freedom and responsibility. The twin pillars of the system they created were limits on the power of the central government and protection of individual rights. . . . A few people, of whom I am one, think that the Founders' insights are as true today as they were two centuries ago. We believe that human happiness requires freedom and that freedom requires limited government. The correct word for my view of the world is liberal. "Liberal" is the simplest anglicization of the Latin liber, and freedom is what classical liberalism is all about. The writers of the nineteenth century who expounded on this view were called liberals. In Continental Europe they still are. . . . But words mean what people think they mean, and in the United States the unmodified term liberal now refers to the politics of an expansive government and the welfare state. The contemporary alternative is libertarian. . . . Libertarianism is a vision of how people should be able to live their lives-as individuals, striving to realize the best they have within them; together, cooperating for the common good without compulsion. It is a vision of how people may endow their lives with meaning-living according to their deepest beliefs and taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions.