The only difference between a libertarian and a conservative is Libertarians are very strict about the separation of church and state and want pot legalized. Otherwise they are the same thing. That is what needs to be discussed within the party. I know it's hard for some conservatives to want to detach religion from government ,but that is the only compromise that needs to to be made in order to grow the base. When it comes to gay marriage most educated Libertarians believe the government should have no involvement in marriage and should be determined by just the religious institutions. Over the past 5 years I feel conservatives and libertarians have come so close that they could almost outnumber the GOP supporters in the general population. Conservatives finally agree our youth shouldn't be thrown in jail with rapists, murders, cocaine dealers, meth heads, gangsters, and other monsters for smoking some pot.
All these ideas that Libertarians are whack jobs is strictly something cooked up by the GOP,Liberals, and of course the mainstream media in the United States alone.
The way Libertarians are viewed outside the US is pretty much the way Libertarians view themselves:
Americans are gradually switching to international news sources to get the news as most American News have lost their credibility over the lies spread over the past year. I feel a streak of Libertarianism is what the world needs.
This is your very first post ever at freerepublic-213Cesspool Since Jun 18, 2013
IMHO, I think there are GREAT chasms of separation of the two.
A lot, most, of the Conservatives I know wouldn’t even THINK of getting rid of SS/Medicare/Dept of Educ/NSA/etc., let alone minding our own business in the World and securing our own borders.
Some see the WoD as ‘no big thing’, championed the ‘Patriot’ Act vs. Terrorism and have no problems w/ ‘common sense gun control’.
To me, the ONLY difference I have with the (L) party platform is abortion. In all the years there have been a (R) in power, I have YET to see ANY reduction in the size/scope of gov’t and its interference in our lives/livelihood.
Baloney. Most libertarians are godless atheists. Had they been at the last Democratic Convention they would have joined with the majority voting God out. They are for the most part Godless hippies of the right. I can never make common cause with such types.
Thank you for that sensible post-I’ve espoused libertarian ideals in a libertarian leaning family since I was about 14. I do not know any libertarian who is not strongly pro-life, or who does not believe the USA should kick anyone’s ass who attempts to attack us. My husband, a libertarian was a career military officer-and not the only one with those leanings.
I think it is like stepping off a cliff for some to accept leaving issues like a civil contract being “marriage”, drugs-alcohol, etc to States and communities, and that is simply because the government has controlled it for several lifetimes. Everyone howls when regulating food, weight, child-rearing, etc is mentioned, but it is really logical for liberals to try it-after all, they control damn near everything else and no one raised a fuss about THAT.
I’m just to the right of Attila the Hun on fiscal issues and crime, but I am not comfortable with government legislating morals-we see what a slippery slope it has become, no matter whose ox is getting gored-now in this PC madness, we have homosexuals demanding we say they are normal, and little kids “choosing” genders-and the law saying we must allow it-which is insanity...
It is difficult to cowboy up and say that no one is your mommy, after living so long where the government claims that it is. By our silence and complicity, we have created our own padded cages.
Personally, I don’t do drugs, and I don’t believe I’m married unless it happens with a guy in front of a priest and God-but I absolutely do not believe in interfering in anyone’s personal habits-that is what the dreaded personal responsibility that liberals hate is for.
And someone’s faith-or the lack of it, is none of my business, so long as they are not being coercive, abusive or violent-that pretty much leaves out most muslims and some atheists, doesn’t it?
At the risk of being mean and intolerant, I wish more people would get over wanting someone to make life (their idea) of perfect, and instead pray to God, and take responsibility for their own actions. No person of faith and good moral character is going to be harmed by stepping out into responsibility and liberty.
another issue that is very big for libertarians is Strong national defense and stopping the adventuring our country has been doing in other country back yards.