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
The libertarians try to explain their philosophy of self reliance and self responsibility, and all I ever see is attacks along the lines of "Druggies!" and idiotic crap like "conservatives without morals".
If you see the lack of legislated morality use as leading to a lack of self responsibility, you're starting from the false premise that, through government, the rest of us have to take up the slack for those who can't function because of their choices.
Try this.
Start with the idea that no one need be responsible for anyone besides their dependents, unless they choose to.
Anyone who makes irresponsible choices and ends up in a rough spot has to deal with it themselves.
Anyone who commits a crime is punished accordingly, including being removed from society.
Anyone who chooses to be non-productive will live a poor lifestyle or be imprisoned.
In less than one generation, you'll see a society of self responsible, self reliant people, because there is no other choice.
So cold and cruel, I know, but this society needs some tough love.
Exactly the point I have made time and again. Libertarians are unrealistic dreamers who refuse to recognize that we can never go back to 1787. The best we can hope for is the reduction of government largess and not the elimination thereof. Until the "commerce clause" and the "general welfare" clauses are amended, the Supreme Court will continue to approve of legislation that was cleary contrary to the FF's intent. Even then, some modern legislation is needed to maintain civility in our increasingly complex society.
I do not approve of drug usage myself. I do however recognize that my moral choices do not extend beyond my own actions. Do you really want the Government to be the final arbiter of what is moral? Especially after the last eight years of X42 and Co.?
John McCain
I agree with you that there are also issues that need to be taken to court because though they are legal today, they are wrong.
An example is where you might rent your home to a stranger and they participate in drug addiction. Feds get them and YOUR HOUSE as well. That isn't right if YOU knew nothing about the drug activity. If YOU knew and approved, then their house should be taken.
I'd hang you hat on a better cause if I were you.
Wrong, and if he were, the LP would have booted him, unlike the RP, which lack the balls to boot him from thier party...
Anyone harming another through their action should be prosecuted under the law for that harm. On the other hand, if you not harming anyone other than your self, why should there be laws restraining you from that conduct?
When you say "pro-drug addiction," what do you mean? Do you think there are libertarians who want people to become addicted to drugs, simply because they don't believe drug use should be illegal?
Thank you for civil discourse rather than the name calling, innuendo, and slander we have come to expect from most WOD supporters.
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