The Democrats and Republicans will receive no time in the spotlight in FYI today. Today is all about those parties you see on the voting ballot, but will hear or see almost nothing about until stepping into the voting booth.

The four parties listed here are four that had presidential candidates on the Iowa ballot alongside the “other” two parties in the 2004 election: the Green Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Constitutional Party, and the Libertarian Party.

Green Party of Iowa

The Green Party of the United States was formed in 2001 as a replacement for the older Association of State Green Parties.

“Environmentalism is the foundation of the Green Party,” said Green Party of Iowa co-chairwoman Wendy Barth.

The Green Party also upholds nine other key values, including a decentralization of corporate control and a grassroots democracy – a government made of average citizens to better represent the public.

“We recognize that corporate power is one of the biggest problems in the nation today,” Barth said. “There has to be a change in the corporate power structure.”

She also emphasized the party’s stand against, and proposal to change, our current government’s disregard for peoples’ health and welfare.

Barth said that in today’s two-party system, both parties “bring in big money interest,” and to change that is one of the many goals of the Green Party.

In Iowa, the Green Party’s main concerns are similar. Barth said it continue to fight against factory farms that are increasingly powerful.

“We like to see people eat food that was grown nearby, instead of trucking it in from 3,000 miles away,” she said.

Alternative energy is another local focus. There is a push toward the clean, silent wind turbines and away from coal-fired plants, which often take the energy and profit out of state and leave Iowa with the pollution, Barth said.

The Green Party strongly values the future and strives to create a sustainable government, economy and community, Barth said.

For more information, visit www.greens.org/iowa.

Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States. Created in 1971, the party was formed as an alternative to the two big parties.

Party ideals include a free market economy, civil liberties, personal freedom and a foreign policy of nonintervention.

Iowa Libertarian Party Chairman Ed Wright said the Iowa Libertarian Party starts with self-ownership.

“The party is rooted in the underlying premise that no one, individually or collectively, has a higher claim to a person or their property than they do,” Wright said.

The party’s primary goal, he said, is to get Libertarians elected by reaching for the hearts and minds of Iowans. Educating the public about the party is the other goal.

Wright said Americans have been miseducated by public schools and the media, which are largely under the influence of the two-party government. It is becoming increasingly harder for third parties to get their foot in the door, he said.

“The beast is protecting and propagating itself,” Wright said.

“To gain access in the public arena, we must gain visibility to the public, and they have to be aware of the issues we face.”

“Our bottom-line purpose is to get Libertarian advocates elected,” he said.

“We endeavor, the best we can, to increase visibility and let people know alternatives exist, and increase voter fairness.”

The Libertarian Party of Iowa is currently seeking to reform voter registration, which currently provides only “Democrat,” “Republican” and “No Party” options.

For more information on the party, visit

www.lpia.org.

Socialist Workers Party

The Socialist Workers Party was founded in 1938, after several breaks from the Communist League of America and other similar organizations.

The Socialist Workers Party is a party of working people, said party member Kevin Dwire.

The party calls for a complete reform of the U.S. government, desiring a shift from a capitalist to a socialist economy.

By definition, socialism is a social structure that distributes production, land and wealth within the community as a whole.

“The Socialist Workers Party is a party that stands for the interest of the vast majority, those who produce the wealth,” Dwire said. “Capitalism must be replaced.”

The members’ overall focus is to educate the public and establish a government of workers and farmers, he added.

The party begins with a worldly outlook and strives to raise working and living conditions around the world, Dwire said.

“We need to stand up for the solidarity of each other,” he said.

The Socialist Workers Party of Iowa has no official Web site, but more information can be found at the Web site of its official publication, www.themilitant.com.

Constitution Party

A coalition of independent state parties united in 1992 to form the U.S. Taxpayer’s Party.

The party wanted to limit the federal government to its constitutional boundaries and reinstate a civil government to the principles the United States was founded on.

In 1999, the party delegates changed the name to the Constitutional Party.

The party’s central goal is recognize, honor and obey the original U.S. Constitution as, they profess, was conceived under Christian principles.

“Our approach is reducing the size of the government,” said Greg Moeller, a member of the Constitution Party of Iowa.

Moeller said the federal government has crossed boundaries specifically defined by the constitution, and the Constitution Party aims to rectify the situation.

The Constitution Party also stands for strict anti-abortion and immigration policies.

Members feel local government should be strengthened, which would make government more accountable to the citizens.

The Constitution Party of Iowa is currently fighting against farm subsidies, which Moeller described as destructive to family farmers and unconstitutional.

He said the best time to address this issue is now, while the ethanol industry is still continues to grow.

“In order to liberate agriculture, we gotta do

something to get the market back and get the subsidies out,” he said.

Besides fad issues that come and go, Moeller said the party’s objective is to present new and fresh ideas to the American public.

“What’s exceedingly important is the present status of politics today, where no major party is doing anything,” he said.

“Third parties will provide alternatives to major parties. Without alternatives as competition, you’ll never get change.”

Moeller said even if a Constitution Party candidate doesn’t get the majority vote, their alternative ideas have the power to enact change.

“We’ll take it either way,” he said.

For more information on the party, visit www.constitution-party.net.