Third Party & Independents: Archives

I’ve always thought of Libertarians as hard core conservatives who don’t care to join an organized religio… political party. I think they’re mostly the pissed off anti-tax and private property crowd. Which isn’t too much different that what the current crop of “republicans” claim. Without their anti-tax, private property and deregulation bent, what do they actually believe in?

I respect Libertarians for their willingness to speak their mind openly and honestly. But I really think they lack the where-with-all to corral enough of their supporters in one place to do what they have in mind. Are there that many or is this a media ploy to make us believe Libertarianism is actually a political force to be reckoned with?

Well, the libertarians that I know also don’t think the government should dictate social issues, such as abortion, drug and cigarette use, etc. Typically it would be the Republicans who want to regulate the social habits of Americans. So aren’t libertarians essentially a hybrid of social liberals and economic conservatives?

I would tend to agree with Scott’s description of libertarians. I know quite a few libertarians and I think they essentially have an overly optimistic view of human nature. If the government just leaves everyone alone, people will treat each other well. While I wish the world were like that, I don’t think it is. In a perfect world, I’d be a libertarian. It’s not, I’m not.

“take control of a U.S. state’s government and then do away with most of it”

I thought the federal government was already on course to do this? Hasn’t there been a centralization of power in the past few decades as it is? The problem with the Libertarian Party is that they show the obvious flaws in the current social welfare system (Social Security, welfare, public services), but don’t specify how to fix them, or they propose to move them to private firms instead of abolishing them or making them optional. We should learn from our mistakes on deregulation of such once government-operated or sanctioned monopolies as the energy industry in California and adjust our future plans accordingly.

There seems to be a certain amount of confusion about what “libertarian” means. I.E., that it’s a form of conservatism. For a short and straightforward intro to libertariansim, check out http://libertarian.org/. For a more comprehensive introduction to modern libertarian thought I recommend “Libertarianism: A Primer” by David Boaz, and for a solid, step-by-step explanation of the “whys” of libertarianism I recommend Hayek’s classic “The Road to Serfdom”.

rev_matt has essentially the right idea, however: libertarians, while having no illusions about man’s capability for harm, have a basically optimistic view of mankind’s potential. In general, they believe in having just enough govenment to enforce the rule of law and thus prevent people from infringing on other’s liberty in the pursuit of their own interests; beyond that, they see the state as useless at best and a threat to liberty at worst.

In a nutshell, libertarianism sees individual liberty, and the preservation therof, as the sole legitimate project of the state.

Let me first say that I am completely ignorant when it comes to all things politics. I am, however, working on educating myself.

I’ve long been a reserved person who does not get involved in issues that would involve expressing my personal views. For the longest time I really don’t think I could tell you exactly what my views were on many things or what made me me. These past few years I’ve been looking within and slowly coming out of my shell.

Now that I know more about myself, and my feelings on government I want to be able to make an educated decision in the 2004 elections. I want to throughly research all the candidates, but I don’t know where to begin.

I realized how confused I was on exactly how voting works after reading this article. For instance, why would this Libertarian party need to move all it’s members to the same state in order to win the election. Having each member vote in their own states would not have the same effect? If any one cares to educate me or better yet, point me in the right direction I’d appreciate their feedback. Thanks.

RE Cronn
>I’ve always thought of Libertarians as hard core conservatives who don’t care to join an organized religio… political party.

http://www.lp.org — America’s third largest political party…larger than the Green Party.

>I think they’re mostly the pissed off anti-tax and private property crowd. Which isn’t too much different that what the current crop of “republicans” claim. Without their anti-tax, private property and deregulation bent, what do they actually believe in?

From the website, try learning also about their equally vigilant SUPPORT for: open-door immigration, absolute preservation of civil liberties, and their OPPOSITION to: drug prohibition, morality laws, capital punishment, militarism, police-state behavior (i.e. “Patriot” Act 1&2), and Internet regulation.

Furthermore, if you are looking for a “hard-core conservative” party, examine the Natural Law Party at http://www.natural-law.org/

Stace
>Having each member vote in their own states would not have the same effect?

Not quite. This group is attempting to concentrate Libertarian-voting individuals into one state, so that electing Libertarians into state congress is possible. Remaining disparate as you suggest would preclude this possibility, as apparently Libertarians are not currently concentrated enough.

Moreover, if you are interested in learning about a hard-core Libertarian ideology, visit http://www.harrybrowne.org