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June 01, 2004

Libertarian Party and Reality

Having run for the State Assembly as a Libertarian (CA 47th, 1994), I'm fairly much in agreement with Libertarian ideals. But in the last decade, I've seen the LP move further and further towards impossibly "pure" positions -- to the point where I've stopped financial support and probably won't renew my membership. The party's oppostion to the War on purely philosophical grounds was the last straw. Would that there was a practical party based on economic and personal liberty, but no.

XRLQ points out some of the sillyness of the positions the new LP Presidential candidate has taken (e.g. asserting that cheap drugs will keep them out of the hands of children), and others have said similar here and here.

Some suggestions to the LP: Concentrate on those things that are nearer the margin.

  • Drugs: Coming out for lower sin taxes and the elimination of bluenose laws and nanny-state torts regarding tobacco is far more likely to resonate with people than legalizing heroin. Since 25% of the electorate smokes, and both major parties ignore them, this seems a pretty obvious issue. Until the creeping Tobacco Prohibition is stopped, there is no hope for any of the drug agenda.


  • Income tax: Rather than call for immediate abolition, call for elimination of the AMT, investment taxes and the death tax.


  • Regulation: Rather than call for the voiding of the Federal Register, pick something really stupid that affects everyone and harp on it. Like telephone taxes that double my bill and the byzantine regulation of inter-company connections and payments that seems to be consuming the Federal courts.


  • Personal freedom: Rather than argue for utopian "personal sovereignty", support gay marriage and the destruction of the public school monopoly.


  • Privacy: Rather than calling for the elimination of federal police powers, aim at specific parts of the Patriot Act that are either stupid (library record searches) or invasive (roving wiretaps, "Know Your Customer" bank recordkeeping).


  • The War: Remember that 9/11 happened and that the World is FAR, FAR from a Libertarian ideal. The first duty of a government (and yes we need one) is to protect its citizens. Accept that.
God knows there's more. But please can't we have an alternative to left-wing control-freak vs right-wing control-freak without having to pretend we're in Oz?

Posted by Kevin Murphy at June 1, 2004 11:42 AM | TrackBack
Comments

We do have that alternative. It's the neocon/libertarian wing of the GOP.

Posted by: Xrlq at June 1, 2004 05:34 PM

Yes, but you have to make common cause with folks who think the world is flat, or are trying to get government subsidies for their desert rice farms.

Posted by: Kevin Murphy at June 1, 2004 06:39 PM

True, but that's a side effect of living in a democracy. I suppose a libertarian dictatorship might be better, but only if you could trust the dictator to remain libertarian once in power.

Posted by: Xrlq at June 1, 2004 08:12 PM

I'm bucking up and supporting Bush. I bowed out of the LP a couple of weeks ago when they decided to politicize Abu Grahib for their irrational peace-nicking.

Posted by: Phelps at June 2, 2004 03:41 PM