Libertarian



Libertarianism in the United States is a movement promoting individual liberty and minimized government.  The Libertarian Party, the third largest political party in the United States as of 2008  with 235,500 registered voters,[citation needed] asserts the following to be core beliefs of libertarianism: Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.  The U.S. Libertarian Party promotes individual sovereignty and seeks an end to coercion, advocating a government that is limited to protecting individuals from the initiation of force. In the United States, people commonly associate the term libertarian with those who have "economically conservative" and "socially liberal" political views (using the common meanings of "conservative" and "liberal" in the United States).