(Washington, DC) By the close of the 2006 Libertarian National Convention that took place in Portland, Ore. on July 1 and 2, it was clear that history had been made. While delegates conducted their standard business of electing new Libertarian National Party leadership and modifying the party bylaws, a significant statement was made by the delegates when it came to changing the Libertarian Party platform. There are now 15 planks to the new Libertarian Party platform, as compared to the 61 planks it used to have.

The Libertarian Party Statement of Principles is the guiding philosophy behind the platform. While the platform has been trimmed, the guiding principles behind it remain unmodified. What hasn't changed is that the Libertarian Party still favors smaller government, fewer taxes and more freedom.

"To understand this move by the delegates, you have to have a clear understanding of what the platform is and what impact it has on our candidates, elected officials and the party as a whole," said Shane Cory, the Libertarian Party's executive director. "What has changed is the level of detail we provide in our policy statements as described within the body of the platform."

To some degree, platform changes were a matter of housekeeping. For three decades, platform planks had been piling on top of one another, making it difficult for the casual observer to navigate though the various policy positions of the Libertarian Party. Some of these planks were eliminated while others were consolidated. Additionally, modifications were made to update the language used in certain planks.

"Consider it a move that we would love the federal government to make. We've reduced our own party bureaucracy to allow our candidates to express their own viewpoints while holding true to our statement of principles," said Cory. "Our candidates will no longer be governed by a slate of restrictions and guidelines jumbled together over a few decades. They will be given the freedom to address each issue on its own merit without restriction by some supposed higher authority.

"The delegates of the 2006 Libertarian National Convention freed candidates for office to address issues with reason and in real time. For that, they should be applauded. Now we can get down to the business of 'moving public policy in a libertarian direction by building a political party that elects Libertarians to public office.'

"If there was any mandate from this convention, it's that an overwhelming majority of the delegates wished to engage in the activities which help us conduct and win elections. Our theme of 'Uniting Voters' was persistent throughout the convention."

The new platform of the Libertarian Party may be found at http://www.lp.org/issues/platform_all.shtml.