Posted on 11/08/2007 9:27:47 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
It seems that calling yourself a libertarian is the chic thing to do in college these days. If students are frustrated with both parties, they often say, "Oh, I'm a libertarian."
On the surface, modern libertarianism does seem enticing -- it's either "the stay out of my bedroom and don't pass laws against what I want to smoke" or the whole "capitalism is god" thing that seems to grab students' attention.
It's understandable. What's more enticing than sexual freedom, reefer madness and lots of money? Hey, throw in unlimited nap time and I'm on board.
I'm not trying to marginalize libertarians, though. They did that to themselves a while ago. But those pesky, politically inept creatures seem to be making a comeback.
Take, for example, the Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. Paul is an outright libertarian, having run on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1988.
He has generated a bit of buzz on the Internet and managed to pull in $4.2 million in fundraising Monday with his "This November 5th" campaign. It was the largest fundraising record of all the Republicans in the race for one day.
Don't let that fool you, though. Paul is lagging far behind in the polls, and his record speaks more about the poor field of candidates than anything. Paul even had some supporters holding signs Monday out on the corner of Valley Mills and Waco drives. That still doesn't change the fact that Paul is a nutcase, however.
For starters, Paul has gone on record as advocating an end to the federal income tax. Sounds great on paper, but stop and think about all the basic government services you would lose.
No worries for Paul, though, because he is also for abolishing the Department of Education, the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Interstate Commerce Commission. Basically, if you hate the government, then Paul is your man.
Paul also opposes the Federal Reserve and advocates a return to hard money (gold standard) or authorizing gold and silver as legal tender to compete with our current fiat currency. He also advocates withdrawal from the United Nations and NATO and for workers to opt out of Social Security.
He votes against most spending bills and pretty much anything else not expressly mentioned in the Constitution. This attitude is unproductive at best and downright destructive at worst.
The point is, libertarians are unrealistic people.
They come in all shapes and sizes. Technically, they can lean right or left, but the true libertarian falls within no specific party at all.
But really they are unreasonable people and are usually just lazy closet liberals or conservatives. But I'm just talking about the diehards here -- they can be really annoying.
After all, if you believe in democracy, you have a little libertarian inside of you, too -- we all do.
Modern libertarians are descended from classical liberalism. In the classical definition of the word, most of us are "liberals" -- we believe in limited government, free markets and individual rights among other things.
Both parties today simply put more of an emphasis on either the individual or the economic side of things. But libertarians try to have it both ways, and it doesn't always work. They are just extremist pessimists and should be considered a menace.
You might think I'm picking on Paul. That's because I am.
People like him have no concept of community. They say the "invisible hand" can solve everything, but deep down inside, I think they're just selfish.
If you consider yourself a libertarian or know a libertarian, you should seek immediate professional help.
That hasn’t stopped Congress.
You may have your quotations mixed up, I never posted that, said Padre to Satan...lol!
Seriously, Govt Services are not very servicable,I have a great disdain for all of the money that is wasted on them.
“PUBLIC behaviors may rightly be regulated.”
“MAY” but once you open the door you can’t stop it.
I know, I was just trying to help affirm your post.
Name one candidate that seriously intends to abolish the DOE, IRS, UN membership, and Social Security lock-in.
(And I mean seriously, has a viable plan to, and won’t just reshuffle letters and bureaucrats.)
It’s gonna take someone as nuts as RP to do it.
Originally, US citizens weren’t taxed. Import tarrifs were enough. Heck, it took a Constitutional amendment to allow taxing citizens.
Nothing. That's what the 2nd Amendment is for. If security needs protecting, citizens are called up to do the job - and when that job is done, they go back to work.
either way someone has to collect the money. And I’m in favor of zero tariffs, sales tax and capital gains tax as they get in the way of trade
Ron Paul is right on so many domestic issues, and is the only Republican candidate who takes the 10th Amendment seriously. What’s sad is that the man seems to be showing signs of age-related mental deterioration, and is bringing discredit on good ideas by bundling them with a loony foreign policy virtually identical to that of the “antiwar” Left.
Then tax the states. Takes a lot less bureaucrats and FAR less legislation to collect 50 checks once a year than 100,000,000. Let the states figure out how they want to raise money, and let the people choose which state they want to live in according to (among other things, obviously) taxation.
citizens are called up to do the job
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by whom? what are they supposed to do? shoot down missiles with their rifles?
Great read. I could not have said it better. Liberalism/Libertarianism, same thing. Both will bring this country down.
Only nuts are advocating policies that will truly restore America to its Constitutional values.
Another Kommie Kool-Aid Quaffer.
“Services Services Services”
In the words of Barry Goldwater..”Who is going to pay for this”?
As for me and my house we are paying too much already, and we are below the 70,000 Democrat “doing well” thresh hold.
For all of the moaning about Gas prices, the Taxes on Gasoline are Confiscatory...especially in CA and NY..
No mas, Nunca mas impuestas!
Then tax the states.
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that’s actually the most interesting idea I’ve heard so far. I’d have to think about that. But how would that work? We need 500 billion dollars -each of you gives us 10 billion? Some states have more people and land than others.
The Navy and Marine Corp are both Constitutional Ari, the Army was meant to have a small professional Officer Corps and then Militia to be called up and led by those Professionals as the need arose.
Ummm... hmmm... nothing.
I don't live with mom and dad any more, so I guess I can't imagine being dependent on the government.
This Paul attack is so poorly executed that it counter-productively becomes one of the most succinct Pro-Paul pieces Ive read.
By the way, if you have a dietary deficiency and take vitamins you may become more healthy, and only a nutcase kook would want to be healthy...
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