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.
“What’s more enticing than sexual freedom, reefer madness and lots of money?”
You mean this ISN’T what Libertarians are all about?
:o)
Me thinks thou dost protest too much.
Anything goes. Not a good way to run a society.
Yeah well, if the Republican party was doing even a little bit to cut the size of government and rein in the nanny state, libertarianism would lose a lot of its appeal.
And promising free health care, earned income credits, retirement money for life is also very enticing.
Oh, the HORROR!
I’m a proud libertarian Republican in college.
Note though...the lower case “l”.
‘“What’s more enticing than sexual freedom, reefer madness and lots of money?”
You mean this ISN’T what Libertarians are all about?’
lol. Well, I think if those things make some people happy, they have a Constitutional right to pursue them, do they not? None of those seem to infringe on anyone else’s rights. Just saying...
Completely inaccurate. Libertarianism and libertines are as different as night and day.
I don’t think being a libertarian is all that BAD, but there are some extreme ideas coming from within. Of course, all other political thinking has it’s extremists....
So, someone going to this great extreme has a real problem with them, oh well. Get over it.
It almost makes me want to vote for Paul.
I dont think Brad Briggs does. He's a statist nmumbnutz who wouldnt understand economics if you fed him with a spoon.
Now this:
“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.”
Is one of the few reasons to vote for Ron Paul.
Those services cost money idiot in Laredo, we are running a huge Debt and Deficit and the cost for those “services” are coming directly out of my pocket, out of my investments and out of my paycheck.
There really isn’t any such bird as a free lunch, and I am far far away from being LP member or booster, they do have a few things correct and that should be acknowledged.
This has got to be parody.
Well put! Bush has been horrific on spending, and thats why conservatives are going to get spanked big time in the next election.
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.
Ron Paul has delivered a few thousand children into this world. What more can you say? This writer is sadly probably going to go on and get a join in corporate media, his mind has been properly massaged and his polemics are rapid fire. He has a bright future indeed.
“Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.” (Robert Heinlein, science fiction writer)
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