[Nelson Hultberg]

Our media pundits ritualistically condemn alternative / independent political parties to the American people, but fail to see that it is not independent parties that “will never work.” It is independent parties that marginalize themselves that will never work.

[GraceG]

I have known too may “Libertarians” that were “sexual libertarians” but who wanted this and that government program that benefited them...

Also the Open borders and Free trade morons that don;t understand that free trade and open borders work well enough with Canada and the UK, but really stink on ice when used with countries that are a far ways behind us (think Mexico and South America) or have social policies that are draconian, ie,. China.....

[GraceG]

[ 1) Enact a simplified 15% flat tax, explaining that it is the only tax compatible with our founding principle – “equal rights under the law.” By ending progressive tax rates, we will stop the redistribution of wealth that allows government to grow so relentlessly. ]

I would rather have a lower flat tax with a flat Tariff to make up the difference so the total adds up to 15%, but ideally 10% total between the two.

Tariffs also make it within the federal government interests to SECURE THE DAMN BORDER because stopping smuggling of goods that are not taxed across borders is incentive to stop humans moving across those same borders as well.

[bigbob]

Since you are the author of this blog, don’t you think it better belongs in that forum than in News?

[mountainlion]

By the writers words the democrat/republican parties have failed because of “ideal visions”. Obama must fail because of his “ideal visions”. Islam will fail by its “ideal visions”.

[Paulie]

Works for me.

These concepts not only need to be articulated correctly to the masses, but an effective plan must be in place to counter the inevitable demogogery in the 24/7 media.

[GraceG]

[ 4) End our militaristic, police-the-world foreign policy that is bankrupting us both financially and morally. The dangers to America do not lie in foreign lands; they lie here at home in Washington. ]

A big chunk of saving money would be to stop sending any aid to countries that hate us...

It would do more to support countries like Israel for us to take away for every 1 dollar we give to Israel to also take away 1 dollar foreign aid we give to every country that surrounds Israel. (and it would save US a LOT of money too).

We still need bases in Europe and Asia, but we should see about giving some of those resources back via rent/lease agreement to the governments we support. For instance Japan, we could have an agreement that they start paying some of the upkeep on bases there and that both we and their SDF can use it jointly for the next 50 years.

[DManA]

I don’t support you jack asses either.

[sphinx]

This mistake is made because these two parties both have “ideal visions” of the way they feel society should be politically organized, and they attempt to implement their visions all at once through the political process. They ignore the fact that politics is a game of incrementalism, that it is not an arena in which an “ideal society” can suddenly be voted into place. Because they try to do this, they are perceived by the public as not living in the real world.

This is correct, with the addendum that libertarianism is reductionist. The world is complicated. We have many goals, which must be balanced. Many of them, pursued in isolation, can subvert the others. We also have many principles and moral values, any of which, pressed to an extreme, may become destructive of the others. Again, there must be a balance. The core of moral reasoning involves the understanding that virtues, carried to an extreme, become vices, and therefore must be understood in the context of the whole.

A consistent libertarian is every bit as monomaniacal as a dogmatic socialist. The difference is that the libertarian has a better founding principle, which counts for a lot. Under our present circumstances, libertarians and small government conservatives can be allies of convenience most of the time, which is usually enough for a happy marriage. The libertarian, unlike the socialist, is happy to let others march to a different drummer, and that is important. But it's easy enough to pick quarrels. It is the looming threat of the leviathan that tends to keep both libertarians and conservatives concentrated on the main enemy.

[Responsibility2nd]

Nice essay.

But no mention of their pro-drug agenda and cops shooting dogs?

You can’t seriously discuss libertarianism without at least mentioning the (so called) WOD and no-knock SWAT Teams.

After all - these are the key components of today’s social liberal.

[discostu]

Not enough addiction to power. Political parties succeed when their primary ideology is winning and everything else in window dressing. Also the modern age of voter, on both “sides”, really want to hear your active government solution, and libertarianism is built under the assumption that governments don’t really solve much and the best government solution is getting out of the way, that really doesn’t sell to the masses.

[MeatshieldActual]

“when asked what tax policy they advocate for the country, libertarians reply that the income tax should be abolished and government should be stripped down to a minimal state that can exist upon excise taxes and tariffs. This would be the limited government that the Founders advocated, which, of course, would be wonderful to have. But it is not a credible political platform to be gained through a political campaign today. It is rather an “ideal” that we can approach over the next 50-100 years. The members of the Constitution Party respond in the same way. Both of these parties wish to instantly implement their visions of the ideal. There is no acceptance of the need for incrementalism upon which all of politics is based.”

I must respectfully disagree with this assertion. America cant afford fifty to a hundred years to end big government, entitlements, and progressivism. It needed to be ended a century ago! Part of the problem is that too many Americans still believe in political parties. They believe that they can just vote for the Man/Woman with an R or D next to their name, and carry on without thinking twice. In order to effect change, perhaps a focus on electing independent candidates would help? An independent isn't beholden to the whims, desires, and money of Republican and Democratic leadership. By supporting parties, we are continuing to support corrupt institutions. Instead of voting by party, why not vote by ideology? Let us not forget that America's Founding Fathers were radicals, they were radicals in the cause of liberty, and they effected significant change in less than twenty years!

To paraphrase Barry Goldwater “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue”

[Svartalfiar]

1) Enact a simplified 15% flat tax,

Way too simple to actually work. You need to combine this with a complete overhaul of how the tax code works. ALL subsidies/item-specific taxes would need to be removed (oil, farms, gas, tobacco, electric cars, etc), as well as corporations defined as a taxable person (or else everyone will form individual corps and just not pay taxes), although possibly a tax deduction for wages paid. Eliminate any/all other deductions/credits/etc. Allow every individual a single $5-10000 deduction, with additional $2-5000 deduction per dependent claimed (who cannot then claim their own). (Random numbers here, may go higher/lower.)
Combine this with a taxes-paid requirement to be allowed to vote (implicitly, voter-ID required), with an option on your tax form to pay $10 or whatever if you're under the deductible amount, if you want to be allowed to vote.
Bam. Easy taxtime, all your form has is incomes gained, deduction/dependents, and check boxes for donating a minimum of $10, and a checkbox if you want withholding the following year. Great to get rid of withholdings for those that would rather pay at the end of the year, or just not have withholding on the first deduction's worth of income. Think of the saved dollars that people would otherwise waste on tax accountants and IRS fines for simple mistakes. Think of the savings from eliminating 90%+ of the IRS staff.

4) End our militaristic, police-the-world foreign policy that is bankrupting us both financially and morally.

Yea, except we are part of the world and we interact with it. A lack of US policemen will leave a gap filled by China or Russia. Yes, we need to be more careful about getting bogged down in wars with no real goals, Commander's intent being left blank. We can stop giving free aid to anyone, Pakistan, Africa, or Israel. The government is not a soup kitchen. We need to be financially smart about what we do and where we go, but we do have a moral obligation to deliver freedom around the world. Two quotes really point this out, by Edmund Burke and Bishop Tutu, respectively:
- "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
- "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.."