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
Wouldn't we spend more enforcing who can use the highway?
I cannot imagine a system of government working that way. How would you even begin to keep track of who voted for what? I think State and Local peoples have more flexibility than that, even if it means someone is "force" to pay a tax. There are many ways to ensure balance. We just need to get Government back to the people.
I could school you in pretty much any discussion you want to have.
If you want to take me up on that, be my guest. Untill you have the stones, friend, mind your own business. I'm not here to make enemies, unlike you.
Oh well looking at Benson's profile, I am surmising that he spends most of his time at the tattoo parlor.
Of course, I will be called anti-tattooist and shouldn't be "forcing" my opinion on this thread, but all opinions are a form of force, IMO.
A point that seems to miss Libertarians and Hillary Liberals alike.
I guess the confusion is that Libertarian is both the name of an ideology and the name of a party. I'm trying to make the distinction in my arguements, but I keep getting replies dealing with politics, not ideology.
I am a Conservative before I claim to be a Republican. There is a big difference.
Well, gee, Dane, this is a public discussion forum. Perhaps if you started marking your posts "for your eyes only", so we'd know you were only trolling for a response from the recipient, your claim of "force or fraud" would be (minutely) less laughable.
It's "tenet".
I said I didn't have any kind of beef with you, why would you care to have any with me? I'm here to learn and discuss constitutional and political issues. It seems you and your pal VA Advogado are here to detract from those discussions and make emenies. That's too bad.
mind your own business from now on, I really have nothing to say to either of you if you can't maintain a civil discourse. I'll ignore my posts, and I'll ignore yours. It's too bad it had to come to that. As I said, I'm not here to make enemies.
Yes, I tried having a conversation with you regarding this and how the online poll suggested that I too leaned that way, but you had to be an a$$ about it.
Did you eat nails for breakfast?
yikes, it's Friday for sure.
Verbal force? Are you that sensitive?
More libertarian than the GOP - Not Afraid of taking Moral stances though.
I left the GOP last year, knowing that I needed a party serious about change (or just serous about the Constitution). My major issue with the Libertarian Party is it's non-stance on Abortion - Again I know many Libertarians are Pro-Life -
Just because some people in the LP don't explicitly come out as pro-life doesn't mean that libertarian conservatives can't be pro-life. I would honestly say that pro-choice libertarian conservatives are in the extreme minority, based as I said on the initiation of force and the Rights to Life, Liberty, and Persuit of Happiness. I hope you will accept my apology.
Huh, do you force yourself into converstaions that you overhear in a public place(i.e street or park)
Anyway I am not the one who espouses a "no force, no fraud" political philosophy.
JMO, if you really lived by your tennant(no force, no fraud) you would not force yourself into converstions in which you were not asked.
Terms like "conservative" and "liberal" are politically relative. Terms like "libertarian" and "socialist" are absolutes. Twisting the Commerce Clause to permit a federal prohibition on drugs was the brainchild of FDR. It is a socialist idea and was considered liberal in it's day. A lot of people who call themselves convervatives today think it's just a wonderful notion, and epitome of conservativism.
No one forced you with a gun to your head to post your pictures of your tattoos. You did that with your free will. Why are you so sensitive to when someone has an opinion about your choices?
By posting your tattos aren't you "forcing" them on people and shouldn't people be able to base an opinion on your choices?
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