After taking on Dr. Tom Stevens as his Campaign Manager, Alden Link, who was seeking the Presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, published a Revised Campaign Platform. That Platform, which was unveiled on December 3, 2006 and remained unamended through the Libertarian Party's National Convention held in Denver, Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend in 2008, was as follows:
Alden Link Stands For:
* Ending Illegal Immigration
* Defending America
* Achieving Energy Independence
* Respecting Personal Choice
* Shrinking The Size Of Government
* Exploring The Universe
* Fighting For Gay Rights
ENDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Just as private property owners have the right to decide whom they wish to invite onto their property, the government of each nation state, as a representative of the citizens living therein, has the absolute right to decide who shall be permitted to enter their country. The United States has the right to make decisions with respect to whom it wishes to admit and under what conditions. All illegal immigration into the United States must end. Enforcement efforts against all non-working undocumented aliens must be increased. Worker Visas should be offered to all undocumented aliens who are currently employed, which would entitle those workers and their families to continue to reside in the United States as long as they are never unemployed for a period of longer than one year. Immigrants with Worker Visas would need to apply for citizenship on an equal basis with individuals applying for citizenship from outside the United States. Automatic citizenship should be granted to all illegal aliens age 70 or above who have resided in this country for more than five years. The policy of granting automatic citizenship to children born to parents who are both illegal aliens should end.
DEFENDING AMERICA
Western Civilization and its traditions are under attack by radical Islamic fundamentalists who seek to spread their message through violence. The United States needs to aggressively defend its institutions and way of life against this threat. We need to develop a common front and strategic plan with moderate Islamic states that share our interest in addressing this problem. We need to increase our support for the government of Afghanistan and must seek out innovative solutions, such as dividing Iraq into three autonomous regions, in order to enable the United States to withdraw its troops from Iraq at the earliest possible date. We must take our campaign against foreign terrorists and domestic "sleeper cells" directly to their doorsteps. We must infiltrate their operations and strike at them before they have the opportunity to carry out their plans. We must defend ourselves against direct threats to our liberty whether those threats come from aboard or from our own government. Our constitutional rights are continually being eroded by our government and through rulings of the Supreme Court. What happened to the "probable cause" required for a police officer to stop your car on a public highway? What happened to your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms? The excess infringements upon your civil liberties present in the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act must be immediately repealed and the civil liberties of all Americans must be restored.
ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
The United States needs to reduce its dependence on foreign oil by developing alternative energy resources and by encouraging greater energy conservation efforts. The government needs to get out of the business of subsidizing, taxing and regulating some energy sources at the expense of others. Nuclear power plants can now be built in 3-6 years with passive safety features and more efficient solar energy cells offer great promise for the future. Ending our reliance on gasoline fueled automobiles is the single greatest step we can take to reduce pollution and greenhouse emissions, especially in the major metropolitan areas of the world. Hydrogen cell and electric cars are only two of the many alternative technologies that entrepreneurs should be encouraged to investigate.
RESPECTING PERSONAL CHOICE
People are sovereign over their own bodies and they should have the right to do with them as they please so long as they do not directly interfere with the right of others to do the same. The government should not be involved in trying to legislate morality and should not act paternalistically to protect people from making the decisions they believe are in their own best interests. People with drug addictions are not criminals. The war on drugs must be ended and all prisoners doing time for the use or possession of drugs should be released from prison and should have their criminal records expunged. Prostitution and pornography fall in the category of "victimless crimes" that do no direct harm to others. Private adult consensual behavior should not be criminalized. The words contained in the United States Constitution should be interpreted to recognize that every citizen has a constitutionally protected "zone of privacy"that must not be intruded upon by the government.
SHRINKING THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT
We must shrink the size of government by cutting back on the amount of taxes it collects and the amount of money it can borrow. All property taxes need to be eliminated so the government no longer has a permanent claim against the land and home you own. As a first step toward eliminating the income tax, a simple 10% flat tax should be instituted. The death tax and capital gains tax represent double taxation and should be repealed. The government is growing larger and more intrusive with every law it passes, and with every dollar it spends. We need to have a government of limited powers, such as the one provided for in the United States Constitution.
EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE
Space Exploration Day, celebrated on July 20th of every year, commemorates Neil Armstrong's setting foot on the moon in 1969. Very little progress has been made since then because of N.A.S.A.'s virtual monopoly of the space industry and the government's regulation of independent entrepreneurial efforts that would have flourished in a freer market atmosphere. Exploring the universe not only gives us a better understanding of who we are, but it also unites the people of the Earth by helping them to understand we are part of a human race living in a fragile biosphere, with no other habitable planets within reach. New technologies have come to light as a result of space exploration and science fiction has provided ideas for what later became science fact. The old "Star Trek" communicators have become our modern day cell phones. Who could have guessed this would one day become possible? We must encourage entrepreneurs to develop space tourism as an industry and we must come to a better understanding of how best to protect the environment and the diversity of life on our planet.
FIGHTING FOR GAY RIGHTS
Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals are entitled to full equality under the law regardless of their sexual orientations or perceived gender identity or presentation. All federal and state Defense of Marriage Acts must be repealed. The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy must be ended so our gay and lesbian service men and women can serve their country openly and proudly. All Federal Marriage Amendments and all state constitutional amendments seeking to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman should be opposed and/or repealed. All special benefits and privileges granted to individuals on the basis of their marital status should be ended. All state governments and localities should get out of the business of granting marriage licenses in order to allow people to enter into contractual relationships to order their lives as they see fit, but so long as the government continues to grant marriage licenses to heterosexual couples, gay couples are entitled to the "equal protection" of the laws and should be allowed to obtain government issued marriage licenses as well. All religious institutions should retain the right to perform marriage ceremonies in accordance with their church doctrine without governmental interference.
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