Posted on 01/11/2002 8:57:38 AM PST by vannrox
(The party & philosophy)
Out of the many political philosophies that exist, one of the most misunderstood is libertarianism. It is frequently labeled part of the “extreme right”, or it is merely associated with drug legalization. Truthfully, there may be several definitions of the term, but in general, libertarianism encompasses all or most of the following: strong support of individual civil liberties, social tolerance, and private property; belief in the positive powers of the free market; and an espousal of constitutionally limited and greatly reduced government. To put it succinctly, the libertarian believes in the freedom of individuals to pursue their lives as they see fit, as long as they cause no harm to others, with minimal governmental interference.
Libertarian thought is rooted historically in the ideas of many of the Enlightenment thinkers, including John Locke, Voltaire, and Adam Smith, as well as many of the founding fathers of America, including Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine. Many libertarians prefer to call themselves “classical liberals”. Their philosophy has also been influenced by writer Ayn Rand’s “Objectivism”, and various free-market economists, including Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises.
To more clearly illustrate libertarian thoughts and beliefs, it is helpful to see how these ideas would affect certain issues being debated at this time. Specifically, Freedom of Speech,
(Keep in mind that libertarians, like most people, don’t agree on everything. In fact, their emphasis on individualism gives rise to a great deal of disagreement.)
The international scene (including military defense),
Taxation,
and, of course, Drug Prohibition.
Libertarians are strongly supportive of the civil liberties detailed in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution. They maintain that the Constitution does not grant us these rights, but instead recognizes those rights we naturally possess by virtue of our humanity. Included in these rights is the freedom of speech. Unlike many other supporters of free speech, the libertarian sees it as having a connection with property rights. For example, many would claim that to deny the publication of a certain person’s ideas or works would be censorship. The libertarian would say that you can publish anything you would like on a printing press you personally own, but to force someone else to print it would be coercion.
Another area in which libertarians have a unique philosophy is that concerning international affairs, military defense, and police functions. Many in the libertarian movement believe that the only legitimate functions of government are to provide military protection and law enforcement. They would oppose those “entangling alliances” that Jefferson mentioned which lead to treaties like NATO and organizations like the United Nations. They believe these can lead to unnecessary entanglements with other nations, and may ultimately usurp the sovereignty of the individual.
When it comes to the issue of taxes, it is helpful to reflect on the libertarian’s view of property rights. The libertarian view is generally that an individual should have the right to do with his property what he will, as long as it is not causing harm to someone else. In this case, the property being considered is the money an individual has earned. If the result of your labor is money, then it belongs to you, not the government. If another individual came along and took your money from you without your consent, it would be considered theft by our legal system. The libertarian views it as no less a crime when the government takes your money without your consent via taxation. (In those cases where taxation is “necessary”, libertarians prefer the taxes to be low and only minimally intrusive.)
The aspect most often associated with its philosophy by people only marginally familiar with libertarianism concerns the subject of drug legalization. What should be remembered is that the libertarian advocates personal freedom, which they believe includes the right to make decisions concerning your own body. They would argue that today’s drug prohibition is very similar to the alcohol prohibition of the 1920’s, which helped spawn a great deal of criminal activity, profiteering for criminal gangs, and turned otherwise peaceful, law-abiding citizens into criminals. (Of course, if the use of drugs by an individual causes them to harm another, that person must take responsibility for their actions, and must make restitution or receive appropriate punishment.) They also believe that the “drug war” has largely been a failure in its goals, and has diverted law enforcement away from other, more serious crimes.
Libertarian philosophy can be applied to most any issue being debated in our time. By looking at the four areas of freedom of speech, international affairs, taxation, and drug policy, it is easy to see that libertarian thought at its most basic level agrees with Jefferson’s statement, “That government is best which governs least.”
Written by Deanna Corbeil
Speaking of looking silly.....
Ortho writes.....
"IF a libertarian believes that the unborn child is human, his most fundamental ethical principle requires him to be pro-life. Or didn't you know that?"
What is this IF business? Do you mean that a Libertarian may or may not believe this? So Libertarians are not in agreement with THE most defining issue facing America's morality decay? I'm shocked!
So a Libertarian can play loose with Libertarianism and still claim to be Libertarian right?
Not capable of thinking in threads huh? OK, bring it on!
Agreed!
I would be happy to discuss marijuana with you another time if you would like.
of course Daschle has been in charge of the Senate, however that was only in June, leaving plenty of time prior to that to get the wheels in motion. Oops, I forgot, the GOP is only pro-life when they ask me for money and again when they ask me to vote for their otherwise pro-abortion candidates.
Uh once people read the comments on that thread they will find out that the article of that thread is bogus.
BTW, why are you "forcing" yourself into a question I asked Benson Carter? Aren't you violating the no force no fraud Libertarian tenant that you live by?
Yep and those "wheels in motion" were stopped in there tracks by Jumping Jim Jeffords.
With Tommy Dashcle in charge of the Senate, there is no way a PBA ban will ever be considered.
I am happy for you also.
BTW aren't you violating your own tennant(no force no fraud) by sticking your nose into business in which you were not asked?
Not if only 80% of the voters actually use the highway, and if the highway can be funded by using the taxes from only 80% of the voters. A libertarian who votes against the highway and doesn't pay the tax on it and then uses it after it's constructed is acting immorally because he's using something he didn't pay for. That would seem to be fraud or theft in my book.
Gee, as it happens, Republicans are not in agreement on THE most defining issue facing America's morality decay. I'm Shocked!!
Some Republicans believe that the unborn child is a human being. They're right.
Other Republicans believe that the unborn child is not a human being. They're wrong... but they're Republicans nonetheless.
Bottom line is, for determining a person's political view on the subject, OF COURSE you have to ask an "if-then" question. (What, that didn't occur to you?? How silly....). IF a voter (Libertarian or Republican) believes that the unborn child is a human being, they will usually be pro-life. IF they do not believe that the unborn child is a human being, they often will be pro-abortion.
And as we all know, plenty of Republicans play fast and loose on this subject, so don't be surprised that libertarians disagree as well. At least the libertarian candidate in 2000 declared his specific intention to see Roe v. Wade revoked. Bush hinted at it strongly (to his credit), but never really had the gumption to take the clear and absolute anti-Roe stand that the Libertarian did.
Funny, that.
If you are so concerned about debating, reasoning and discourse, then why are you wasting precious bandwidth with this crap?
Say something substantive in your reply. If you don't like my comment on "online polls" than ignore it and come back with more of your "wisdom".
Allow me to lead by example....
I am still very angry at GW, Trent Lott and Denny Hastert like you. They should have done something when they had power. We agree on that right?
However, this was a political decision, not an ideological decision and that is very unfortunate. To be a Conservative, you must be conservative fiscally, and culturally. However, it must be nice being a Libertarian, because you can claim to be on either side of the Abortion issue and still claim to be a Libertarian.
Hell, I can claim to be Chinese, but that doesn't make it so.
all I'm saying is that I'm a libertarian conservative, I'm pro-life because a fetus is a human and abortion violates that human's rights with the initiation of force by abortion, and that I vote for CONSERVATIVE Republican candidates because I don't vote for liberals. PERIOD.
It's sad that my choice of actual conservatives gets less and less with every election. I just want to be able to vote for conservatives, but I see a trend that the more left the Democrats go, the more left the GOP goes just to keep up. Time to grow a pair, take a stand, and do the right thing.
1. If it is a private conversation then do it privately.
2. I didn't force you to read anything.
Aren't you "forcing" yourself into a conversation that you were not asked to participate in?
Don't blame me, I didn't come up with the "no force, no fraud" tennant.
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