Party Spotlight: America First Party

History: The America First Party was created when some members broke away from the Reform Party in 2002.

Chairman: Jonathan M. Hill

Platform: To preserve and protect America's people and America's sovereignty, to promote economic growth and independence, to encourage the traditional values of faith, family, and responsibility, to ensure equality before the law in protecting those rights granted by the Creator and to clean up our corrupted political system.

Associated Political Ideologies: Conservatism, Economic Nationalism, Non-Interventionism

Economic Issues (50% Government Involvement Grade):

• Limit taxes on goods made in the U.S.A and dissolve property taxes
  
• Reduce income tax until it is non-existent
• Generally opposes Social Security except for congressional pensions
• End corporate welfare
• Withdraw completely from WTO, NAFTA, and the like
• Supports a trade policy built strictly around advancing the American economy
• Subtract the power of corporations

Foreign/Immigration Issues (60% Isolation Grade)

• Use the military to only protect the United States from invasion or attack
• Do not involve the troops under foreign leadership
• Adopt a very strict policy that ensures securing the borders and not offering amnesty
• Require proof of citizenship and residency for a number of things
• Temporarily ban legal immigration

Social Issues (85% Restriction of Freedom)

• Follow policy as governed by the Bill of Rights (for the President too)
• End affirmative action
• Support wholeheartedly the 2nd Amendment
• Denounce mind-altering drugs
• Overturn Roe V. Wade and illegalize abortion
• Against homosexual practices
• Limit the death penalty to crimes after "due process" has been done and the crime is determined as "beyond reasonable doubt"

Total Score: 195

2008 Election Candidate: Unknown, but general Constitution Party support

Party Spotlight: Green Party

History: The first Green Party formed in 1972. In 1984 the Green Committees of Correspondence began organizing. The Green Party of the United States was officially started in 1991.

Chairpersons: Jill Bussiere, Budd Dickinson, Sanda Everette, Phil Huckelberry, Jason Nabewaniec, Cliff Thornton, and Craig Thorsen.

Platform: To involve citizens directly in public decision making, to allow for equal oppurtunity and diversity, and to sustain a non-centralized government aimed at protecting the environment and the workers.

Associated Political Idealogies: Green politics, Progressivism, Social Ecologism

Economic Issues (85% Government Involvement Grade):

• Supports progressive income tax as well as wealth and inheritances taxes
• Supports funding Social Security via taxes
• Eliminate corporate welfare
• Endorses a fair trade system and an end to NAFTA and other trade agreements
• Eliminate corporations particularly in the agrictulture business
  
• Allow for workers to have more freedom in the workplace
• Subsidize farmers

Foreign/Immigration Issues (0% Isolation Grade):

• Cut military budget in order to ensure a defense-only position
• Support peacekeeping to end aggression
• Cut off aid to other countries
• Cut secret military operation programs
• Support the rights of immigrants

Social Issues (5% Restriction of Freedom):

• Supports the Bill of Rights
• Stengthen affirmative action
• Make stricter gun control policies
• End the war on drugs
• Allow for complete reproductive freedom
• Recognize and legalize same-sex marriage everywhere
• Abolsih the death penalty
  

Total Score: 90

2008 Election Candidate: Cynthia McKinney

Party Spotlight: Libertarian Party

History: The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971.

Chairman: M. Carling

Platform: Eliminate government involvement in many aspects of life including, but not limited to: economics and business, social dealings, and foreign affairs.

Associated Political Ideologies: Libertarianism, Laissez-Faire Economics, Non Interventionism

Economic Issues (5% Government Involvement Grade):

• Reduce taxation
• Privatize Social Security and Welfare
• Eliminate corporate welfare
• Reduce regulation of business and foreign trade
• Protect property rights
  

Foreign/Immigration Issues (5% Isolation Grade) :

• Favors non-interventionist military policy
• Abandon being the policeman of the world
• Reduce regulation on open immigration
• Allow for free travel

Social Issues (20% Restriction of Freedoms):

• Supports protection of free speech, privacy, association, and sexual interaction
• Stop affirmative action in the private sector
• Supports the right to bear arms per Second Amendment and self-defense
• Abolish laws against the victimless crimes of prostitution, drug use, and fraternization
• Reduce federal involvement in abortion matters
• Limit or abolish the death penalty
• Keep government out of the health care business

Total Score: 30

2008 Election Candidate: Bob Barr

Party Spotlight: Constitution Party

History: The Constitution Party was originally founded as the U.S Taxpayers Party in 1992. The changeover to the current name came in 1999.

Chairman: Jim Clymer

Platform: Defending the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Associated Political Ideologies: Conservatism, Paleoconservatism

Economic Issues (10% Government Involvement Grade):

• Reduce government regulation in economic affairs
• Abolish taxation including, but not limited to: income tax
• Reduce or dissolve government programs and agencies such as the Department of Education
• Stop participating in international lending institutions
  

Foreign/Immigration Issues (50% Isolation Grade):

• Eventually stop participation in the United Nations
• Continue protectionist policies by levying a tariff on imports
• Favors a non-interventionist military policy
  
• Restrict immigration
• Reject amnesty to illegals

Social Issues (80% Restriction of Freedoms Grade):

• Supports pro-life policies: anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia
• Favors the death penalty for capital crimes
• Opposes same sex marriages
• Opposes pornography
• Rejects government funded gambling
• Opposes government's anti-drug laws
• Supports the right to bear arms per Second Amendment

Total Score: 140

2008 Election Candidate: Chuck Baldwin

About Beyond Two

Beyond Two, as its title indicates, looks beyond the Two Party system that currently dominates American politics. Beyond Two provides American citizens with an alternative political voice -- one that doesn't exist in the mainstream mass media.

In addition to providing extensive third party coverage, BT acts as an outlet of independent thought on political and philosophical issues.

Party Spotlights: Information is gathered from a variety of sources, namely official Party websites and On The Issues. The grade rubric is as follows:

• Economic Government Involvement Grade: The lowest score of 0% represents an almost completely laissez faire capitalist system in which the government has no or little regulation over economics. The highest score of 100% represents a communist system in which the government has total involvement over economics. A score of 50% represents a middle of the road, third way or mixed, economy.
• Foreign/Immigration Issues Isolation Grade: It should be noted that isolation does not necessarily mean protectionism or non-interventionism in this context. The lowest score of 0% indicates that the nation does not get at all involved in international (other countries) military or political matters. Also, a score of 0% indicates a general openness to immigration. The highest score of 100% indicates that the nation willingly gets involved in international military and political matters. Also, a score of 100% indicates a general opposition to immigration. This is by far the toughest category to grade.
• Social Issues Restriction of Freedoms Grade: The lowest score of 0% represents no or little government involvement in personal freedoms. The highest score of 100% represents complete or near-complete government involvement in personal actions.

Sample Ideology Scores*

1. Anarchism - 0
2. Libertarianism - 25-75
3. Liberalism/Progressivsm - 80-130
4. Democratic Socialism - 160-180
   
5. Conservatism - 185-205
   
6. Communism - 240
7. Fascism - 300

*Please note that the scores do not reflect (and essentially transcend) the traditional left-right political compass. Instead, the scores reflect the total amount of government involvement in every sphere of society. A score of 0 indicates a society with no government. A score of 300 indicates a society featuring characteristics of statism: militarism, nationalism, and authoritarianism.