Why I am a Libertarian
by The Cynic [email protected]
"Who am I, why am I here?"
Admiral James Stockdale, 92 debates
Whenever I tell people that I am a Libertarian, I get two stock responses:
"You must be a druggie."
and
"Good, do you know where I can find some drugs?"
Humor aside, this is the general perception that most people have of libertarians. While the repeal of drug possession laws is the most known view of libertarians, it is not the ONLY view. For those of you unfamiliar with the works of Hayek and Rand, let me sum up libertarianism for you.
Libertarianism is the practice of self guidance. You make your decisions, you suffer the consequences of those decisions. Your government should never be in the position of protecting you from yourself. Libertarianism staunchly opposes the New Deal policies of governmental safety nets, welfare programs, Social Security and subsidies for corn, tobacco or toejam.
But now your saying, "Hey a**hole, my grandmother survives on her Social Security check. You want to take that away?"
No, I don't want to take her Social Security away (and don't call me names), I want the government to quit taking our incomes and refunding your grandmother's income from 20 years ago. This pay as you go ponzi scheme is about to go bankrupt. This is exactly what the opponents of Social Security were saying would happen way back in the 30's. If your dear, sweet grandmother wasn't depending on Social Security, she would have made other arrangements (got a room in your basement?).
Laws are made to protect people. They were never intended to be used to intimidate, socially engineer, or harass the citizenry.
Let me ask you this.
What is gained when your state passes a seat belt law? You may be thinking, the lives of millions. Couldn't the same effect be achieved by education?
Why do local police spend countless hours handing out tickets for non use of seatbelts yet real crimes continue to be committed? Simple math: Arresting criminals costs money; Writing tickets makes money. If you wander around through your meaningless existence believing that your government loves you and cares about you, you should really think about getting some Zoloft.
I do not believe that when the Founders of this great country fled Europe to create a new nation, they could ever envision a country that mirrors Europe in so many socialized aspects of life.
Freedom is the buzzword in libertarian circles. You need to be free to succeed and free to screw up. Safety nets are for beginners and losers. Americans are neither.
