I grew up in a household with 2 parents who are strong Democrats. I registered as a Democrat when I reached voting age as a result. I never gave this too much thought until college. As I sat in my economics classes, I realized that the Democratic view of economics does not match up with how the world actually works.
I drifted away from the party as this realization crystallized in my mind. Out on my own after college, I tried to gravitate to the Republicans, based on what I thought their economic policies were. I never really felt comfortable there either, although at the time I don’t know that I would have been able to tell anyone exactly why. I considered myself an independent voter, mainly because I did not know there was anywhere else to go. One man would change my viewpoint forever.
On a Friday night in 1999, I was in my Speedway apartment watching television when the debate for Mayoral candidates of Indianapolis came on. There were actually four candidates at the debate, one of whom was Andrew Horning (Libertarian). In my mind, he clearly won the debate, simply because he was giving actual answers to the questions asked instead of a pre-written party line that the Democrat and Republican would repeat over and over, no matter the question. He earned my vote that fall, but I didn’t really think about politics much after the elections.
Then tragedy struck the United States on September 11, 2001. This event caused me to think a lot about my life, this country, our place in the world, and eventually the policies that led to this disaster. Several friends and myself started discussing politics over email, and one of those friends, who is a Libertarian, pointed out that many of my viewpoints agreed with the party’s platform. At this point I recalled that debate in 1999, and my interest was piqued.
After doing some research online and realizing that the LP stood for what I believed in, limited government and personal responsibility, I joined the party in May of 2002. I have become more active in the party over time, and consider myself fortunate to have met the good people that are also involved. The United States was founded upon and prospered because of personal liberty. The Libertarian Party is the only party in this country that is promoting an agenda of a return to personal liberty (and responsibility), and I am proud to be a part of it.
(Todd Singer is currently the co-chairman of the Libertarian Party of Hendricks County, and the former state Chair of the Libertarian Party of Indiana.)