Given the impressions of Libertarians in the media, it’s no wonder that many people are left confused as to what we actually stand for.
Libertarians are generally aligned towards the center of the political spectrum, and thus irritate the vocal leaders of the bipolar political majority in the United States. We’ll work together with Democrats to cut the outrageous military spending, and rally with Republicans to protect the rights of gun owners and the Second Amendment.
But we don’t even agree with each other most of the time. The only core beliefs and principles that bind Libertarians together are the preservation of personal freedoms and the recognition that government solutions to society’s woes are rarely efficient (if at all effective). The stance of not expanding government to a size where politicians and corporations can abuse their power has left us with very few allies in the media and political arenas.
The video above illustrates how there is a wide variety of opinions on the various “stalemate” culture issues. As you’ll note, the main thing these people have in common is that they interpret personal freedoms first and foremost. Furthermore, another trend you will find in Libertarians, perfectly illustrated in the video, is that we are well-spoken, clear on what we’re trying to say, yet remain polite to opposing views. So if we can disagree on so many different issues, and have no official party stances on those issues, what exactly makes a Libertarian a Libertarian?
“We seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others,” says the official Libertarian Party website.
We agree that the original framing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is where we should return to, rather than whittle away. It’s within the Bill of Rights that the hot Libertarian beliefs are contained: freedom of expression (and press), freedom of self defense (gun owners’ rights), and that it’s the responsibilities of states to handle issues that weren’t specifically delegated to the federal government (even in the time of the colonies, it was recognized that there were no one-size-fits-all solutions).
A Libertarian will almost always oppose the Federal Reserve, government-run monopolies, welfare systems, and the exponentially expanding federal debt, as well as government intervention in economic markets. We (safely) assume that both power and money corrupt, so in order to prevent corruption at the highest levels, we must limit both as much as possible. Have I mentioned why mainstream politicians hate us?
While I may have given the impression that Libertarians are only portrayed negatively in the media, there are actually a number of positive icons to be found. In fact, you probably have watched (and enjoyed) many a Libertarian artist. One could say that humor and biting satire is yet another common thread of Libertarianism, such as Trey Parker’s Emmy-winning joke on how the Federal Reserve helps our economy or Penn & Teller’s cultural docu-series, Bullshit!
Youth disenchantment with the government is growing. Millennials came out in droves in the last presidential election, but have since reverted to their old habits – such as not voting. Many blame a inability to connect with either in the two-party system. Well, take heart, because the Libertarian party is the third largest in this country and a recent Pew research survey said that young people have a generally positive association with the word “libertarian,” though many are uncertain about what exactly the word means.
It’s next to impossible to concisely convey the beliefs of a party that holds the principals of economics and the Bill of Rights above other considerations. With the rise of social media, many Libertarian organizations, news sites, and other groups are growing (it also helps that mainstream politicians have been providing failure after failure to assist in recruitment).
We may lack the support of high-profile politicians, the companies that own them, or the media; yet according to George Will, a Libertarian’s greatest ally is “arithmetic.” The numbers on the balance sheets don’t lie, and our government is spending our generation specifically into a hole that is nearly impossible to get out of. All these social programs that are going to rely on our generation’s money will ultimately fail before we even get to use any of them.
The party is ending, Gen Y, and we’re being left with the tab. Educate yourself and get involved!
Cartoon by Andy Singer
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Man, I cannot tell you how glad I am to see this post. I am SO tired of people singing Obama's praises when I don't think they understand the consequences of his actions. I am not George Shrub booster, I hate the Repubs' tendency to moralize and I am sick and tired of the Dems offering up the same answer to everything (a new entitlement). I've also got my disagreements with the LIbertarians, but they offer a constructive and compelling departure from the status quo and for that I applaud them.
Yay Libertarians! I like the fact that the party has many different viewpoints – there isn't a Party Line on every issue, but guiding principles like individual freedom and personal responsibility. Now if only Libertarian candidates can stop courting those nutty Tea Partiers….
Yay Libertarians! I like the fact that the party has many different viewpoints – there isn't a Party Line on every issue, but guiding principles like individual freedom and personal responsibility. Now if only Libertarian candidates can stop courting those nutty Tea Partiers….
I've agreed with a lot of this stuff since I began being interested in politics, but never really knew the right label for them. I stuck with “I'm a moderate.” But I can't say I agree wholly with the Libertarian view either since after all, under the original Constitution I'm only 3/5 of a person. But I do agree that they got the governing framework right and we're slowly ruining it. Maybe I'll be a Liberta…
If “you” count yourself as 3/5 a person, then YOU are your own problem. Slavery has been abolished, therefor the whole 3/5 vote thing no longer exist.
Another attractive aspect of Libertarianism for me was the encouragement of open debate and to try and understand the other party's position and belief structure.
You raise an excellent point over a thorn that stays in America's side (All men were created equal pardon a startling amount of exceptions along the way). But I would argue that modern Libertarians are stronger advocates for minorities than either mainstream party. My personal brand includes opening up borders/easing immigration, eliminating laws which disproportionately get enforced against non-whites (decommercializing the prison industry), opening up the education market from a government monopoly (which is already in practice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC5wj9N0sVk ). While we're called monsters for wanting to do away with certain practices, bylaws, quotas, etc.. It isn't because we're racists or insensitive, but there is compelling evidence that these programs and regulations may make it worse for both owners and thus employees. Without getting too preachy, I ask you to look at the disproportionate allocations of the unemployment rate over race, The current system doesn't work! Putting more faith in society overcoming racism will yield better results than making minorities and the disabled a red tape process for businesses.
Regardless of your upbringing and background, the core belief of modern Libertarianism is personal freedom to achieve your goals unhindered regardless of sexual preferences or race or anything else the Government has no business meddling with.
If nothing else it is good for them to encourage the Tea Party, and I am a supporter of them despite teh fact I don't agree with them on a few issues (they are much more rebranded conservatives than Classical Centerists). And while people mock the name as an over dramatic exaggeration of the current state of D.C., I think most of us recognize that it's better to have the majority of people to at least agree that the Government has over grown. The issues in the video with the 4 different flavors of Libertarian will never ever be agreed upon, and are the major areas we differ from the Tea Party beliefs. But give me a party of conservatives much closer to the classical definition than what we saw during the Bush years. There is no question the status quo has to end.
Thank you for posting the Libertarian Party's official platform page. There is also an official Libertarian Party Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/libertarian…
The Libertarian Party has been an official political party since 1971.
Word, that vid is legit. It's great to see success spawning for ideas that make sense. Thanks for sharing!