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"I believe the rights of the individual need to be tempered with the overall good of society in mind."

What is the overall good of society?

Until 1929, hemp [marijuana, mary jane, pot] was legal to grow, use, and possess in this country. It was not made "illegal" to "protect us from ourselves"; it was made illegal because of the invention of the decorticator. This was the hemp equivalent of the cotton gin. (See February edition, 1926 Popular Science Magazine) It was made illegal to maintain the cotton industry and prevent competition from a large, existing cash crop. Its kept illegal to prevent competition with the lumber indusry (paper pulp), cotton, oil industry (640 sq. miles of hemp planted for seed produces the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil a day), pharmaceutical industries, and so on. (I chose this specific example due to the "libertarian - pot" start to this thread.)

But this isn't all. Freon, made "illegal" to save the ozone. Made illegal, coincidentally, after Dupont's patent was up and because some bright boy came up with the concept that, since water boils into steam at 220+ degress for electrical generation, a low boiling liquid (freon boils at 66 degrees, F) could be used for the same thing. And then had the bad taste to build a model and prove it. But no, freon (a heavier than air gas) was destroying the ozone. O3 = ozone. O2 = oxygen Don't suppose that all of those large commercial aircraft burning loads of fuel up there could have anything to do with it?

How about the dummy corporation put together by the auto industry to buy out and destroy the trolley systems in this country in the 30's and 40's to sell more cars? Systems that would cost billions to replace today.

Without full individual rights the overall good of society is trampled by those who don't give a damn.

The only drug laws needed in this country are laws to guarantee that what you buy is what is stated on the label. More people are dieing from the law enforcement than the drugs. And if an individual dies from taking ANYTHING of his/her own free will, and they aren't trying to take someone else with them, then more power to them. Let them serve as an example to the rest.

Sex, drugs, porn are religious issues. Not law enforcement issues (excluding non-adults). Are prisons should be filled with murderers, rapists and thieves. Not potheads and druggies.

Why is it that people keep asserting that libertarians are anarchists? Maybe so they can continue to enforce their moral values on everyone else?

The government that governs best governs least.

So I again ask, what constitutes the "overall good of society"? Is it whatever the media says is bad? The government? The church? Community standards?

Or is the overall good of society best served by a Constitutional Republic with ALL of its historic checks and balances in place?

Just wondering.

"So I again ask, what constitutes the "overall good of society"?"

The "overall good" would be defined as that which perpetuates (or leads to) an environment in which an orderly community of like minded individuals can live and raise children.

Yes, sex, drugs, porn are religious issues. So are murder, stealing, and assault. Our laws are based on moral behavior, there's nothing new with that. It's just that some laws weren't necessary in the past because a moral person, a person with character, wouldn't think of behaving that way -- keep in mind that our Constitution was written for a moral and religious people.

Nowadays, unfortunately, people look to the legal system to determine their behavior. If it's not illegal, then by golly they're going to do it and don't you dare criticize them or pass moral judgements on them.

If you believe that the "rights" of the individual are supreme (as long as the behavior does not harm others), then we'll never agree. The reason being that you think individuals operate in a vacuum -- that their behavior does not have an impact on the rest of society.

Of course it has the appearance of anarchy. These individuals who wish to participate in this lifestyle are selfish, self-centered, immoral hedonists who couldn't care less about the effect of their behavior on others and look at legalization as legitimacy.