Posted on 04/07/2010 5:26:04 AM PDT by listenhillary
I used to be a Kennedy-style "liberal." Then I wised up. Now I'm a libertarian.
But what does that mean?
When I asked people on the street, half had no clue.
We know that conservatives want government to conserve traditional values. They say they're for limited government, but they're pro-drug war, pro-immigration restriction and anti-abortion, and they often support "nation-building."
And so-called liberals? They tend to be anti-gun and pro-choice on abortion. They favor big, powerful government -- they say -- to make life kinder for people.
By contrast, libertarians want government to leave people alone -- in both the economic and personal spheres. Leave us free to pursue our hopes and dreams, as long as we don't hurt anybody else.
Ironically, that used to be called "liberal," which has the same root as "liberty." Several hundred years ago, liberalism was a reaction against the stifling rules imposed by aristocracy and established religion.
I wish I could call myself "liberal" now. But the word has been turned on its head. It now means health police, high taxes, speech codes and so forth.
So I can't call myself a "liberal." I'm stuck with "libertarian." If you have a better word, please let me know.
When I first explained libertarianism to my wife, she said: "That's cruel! What about the poor and the weak? Let them starve?"
I recently asked some prominent libertarians that question, including Jeffrey Miron, who teaches economics at Harvard.
"It might in some cases be a little cruel," Miron said. "But it means you're not taking from people who've worked hard to earn their income (in order) to give it to people who have not worked hard."
But isn't it wrong for people to suffer in a rich country?
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
I don’t refer to myself as a Libertarian but a mongrel of Regan conservative and libertarian philosophies.
The bigger the government, the smaller the individual.
They say they’re for limited government, but they’re pro-drug war, pro-immigration restriction
So libertarians are for open borders?
Good article. I do wonder if we are past the tipping point with the number of people who consider themselves entitled to the earnings of the so-called rich?
“But isn’t it wrong for people to suffer in a rich country?
“The number of people who will suffer is likely to be very small. Private charity ... will provide support for the vast majority who would be poor in the absence of some kind of support. When government does it, it creates an air of entitlement that leads to more demand for redistribution, till everyone becomes a ward of the state.”
Yeah, that sentence struck me the same way.
Yes, we are. The election of 0bama is a glaring indication. Time will only tell if the trend can be reversed.
Likewise, since when is anti-abortion a bigger government thing? Seems to me a recently-passed govt health insurance bill is quite BIG, and pro-abortion (EO's notwithstanding).
If their are no government handouts and the people want to work and produce wealth, it’s a good thing.
Before you throw me under the bus, I realize the security issue. I would love to see 90% of every person I see carrying a handgun. You can have freedom or you can have security. We must choose.
I realize that we can and have been overwhelmed with illegal immigrants and they contributed to our housing boom and bust. With government looking the other way while it happened.
Final answer? I’m firmly on the fence. ;)
I would consider myself a conservative with libertarian leanings.....the word “Constitutionalist” comes to mind...
John’s article articulates almost exactly my position on this, right down to the specifics, but does a better job of explaining it.
It is also why I went from Republican to libertarian several years ago.
The drug thing is what convinced me I am libertarian. I haven’t touched marijuana since 1977. I think it should be legal in the same way that alcohol is legal. The government’s position on it insults my dignity.
You should be asking advocates of that system, ‘Why don’t you care about the poor?’”
When I was in college, I was wavering between libertarian and republican. I went to both meetings. The libertarians couldn’t even get it together enough to pool their funds and buy refreshments (although they all wanted them, they objected to putting someone in charge to make it happen.) Then they fell to griping about laws against pot and driving without seatbelts or helmets. That was pretty much it. I went with the republicans, although they do indeed support way too much government interference. I wish there was a viable party somewhere between these two.
We aren't a rich nation. We can't make the interest payment. We're bankrupt.
I view these united states as a brick wall. Before the civil war it was a wall of brick with a thin layer of mortar to hold the bricks together. But it has become a wall of mortar with 50 bricks embedded in it somewhere, but you must chip off a thick layer of mortar to find them.
I want the mortar chipped off the whole wall so we can see the one our fathers built.
This brick wall needs a serious restoration. And a power wash to get rid of all that mildew wouldn’t hurt either.
There are libertarians and there are Libertarians. Notice the capitlization. It is the difference between someone with political principles and an ideologue.
The open border thing tends to be more of a Libertarian party thing, and the Libertarian party tends to take very extreme positions on what would otherwise be good principles. (Such as essentially desolving borders, not caring if your neighbor is building a nuke in his basement.)
Having libertarian principles is a very good thing, being a member of the Libertarian party means you aren't to be taken seriously.
The only thing government should be involved with is the maintenance of public order which includes the protection of the rights of the individual which, of course, includes the right to life.
By contrast, libertarians want government to leave people alone -- in both the economic and personal spheres. Leave us free to pursue our hopes and dreams, as long as we don't hurt anybody else.
Hey John, NEWSFLASH! Abortion kills a person.
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