[rhombus]

Nice analysis of the hard choices that have to be made by any party and every individual. I expect the current Libertarian party like any other party has diversity of opinion on many of the issues you bring up. What they have lacked is some specific national issues upon which they can demonstrate some pragmatic approaches that spark enough interest on the part of the other two parties. Like any party, then need to first get their hands dirty by winning elections. And if elected, you know they'll have to really get their hands dirty by administering the very gorvernment they seek to restrain.

[Lucky Dog]

What they have lacked is some specific national issues upon which they can demonstrate some pragmatic approaches that spark enough interest on the part of the other two parties.

I think if you check, you will find that the Libertarian Party has taken some positions on some specific national issues and those positions have been less than practical.

For example, the Libertarian Party has advocated legalization of currently illicit drugs. This position is essentially “encouraging” certain members of society to become, and remain, “non-productive.” To be sure, there are some rationales for their position based upon the requirements for practical enforcement, the corruption inevitably bred in some law enforcement circles by the lure of huge illegal sums, etc. However, such a position ignores the impact on society of “encouraging” non-productivity of citizens.

In the past the Libertarian Party has taken stands against nuclear weapons as a national defensive measure. Of course, such a position is attractive if one ignores that there are other nations in the world willing and able to attack and destroy the very society that the Libertarian Party depends on for its survival. The possibility of such attacks increase dramatically if these potential enemy nations have no reason to fear massive, nuclear retaliation. International relations have never been successfully built on positions of military weakness… regardless of how one might wish it to be so.

Until and unless, the Libertarian Party articulates a core philosophy that recognizes the practical requirements of maintaining a “healthy” society capable of surviving and prospering in the “real world,” they will remain a marginal political entity.