The Libertarian Party platform is silent on this issue. The best governments can make mistakes, so I want to be able to walk over and open a cell door, and tell a victim of our system, “Sorry about that!” Killing people removes this capability; it is worth the risk of being hurt by the guilty to save one innocent—especially because that one innocent could be me!
The “Commission on Presidential Debates” is the “Old Parties United (OPU) Commission”—yes they do stink! They are especially united against any Libertarian candidate who is gaining support. The last third party included in their debates got about twenty million votes—they won’t let that happen again. Forming a competing debating “Commission” seems to be the only alternative. Inviting all those (including the Republicans and Democrats) who could mathematically win in November should attract some interest.
The old parties extort trillions of tax dollars, and use them to buy votes—including the support of most media because of advertisement. Asking Libertarians to spend a lot of their earned money is easy to say, but please don’t let our fears bankrupt us.
Our nation does need intelligent Libertarian politicians applying for jobs—that pay well! Federal offices should be our first focus because fundamental change starts there. Once we get a slate of 269 candidates with a clear message, voters will have a choice for real improvement. We can’t make people think, but the pain that the old parties are increasingly inflicting on our neighbors should cause more and more to start. We should be ready!
Many people self-medicate to deal with real threats to their well-being—like having the money they have earned extorted by the old parties. And individuals can NOT defend themselves against government because it has all kinds of weapons. People need their money to live—take their money, they die.
The old parties create the stress, and then add to it by imprisoning those who try to alleviate the pain with drugs. I wish the majority of voters would elect Libertarians and witness just how few people want to take medication when they are free to enjoy their lives without coercion!
As a girl, my mother-in-law had to play inside when gun-fire was heard on the streets of Chicago during prohibition. Fortunately, we only had to warn our son to get out of the street if any beer trucks came by. Sadly, in many cities, parents are keeping their kids inside again. Please, let’s repeal prohibition for anything people put in their bodies because isn’t this what freedom is about? Of course we would still be free to help anyone with a drug problem.
If a person never advocates the initiation of force and the old parties provide some goods or services, it is moral for that person to use them. It’s OK to call the police if you are being robbed; it’s OK to go to court to right a wrong; it’s OK to fill out forms to get some money back from their withholding scheme; it’s OK to drive on freeways; etc.
The old parties collect TRILLIONS of tax dollars and use them to buy votes. We Libs didn’t extort the money—because of our principle. Now if the old parties (because of guilt or fear or whatever) want to give some of our money back (that they took from us by their wrong moral principle of anything-goes-once-elected), it is rational to use that money to get and keep more of us in power—so we can govern without hurting anyone.
God was our ancestor, and taught us how to think. As a party, we are interested in one principle: Don’t force anyone to do anything! Fortunately, most interpret other people’s philosophies as incorporating this idea, e.g., Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Hinduism, Objectivism, libertarianism, etc. Those who don’t are regularly criticized by Libertarians. While people should be free to follow someone else’s philosophy (religion), intellectual maturity consists of continuing one’s own from childhood.
One choice we have is whether to spend billions of dollars only to discover that government can NOT prevent people from moving around the earth—we are just too smart! The Berlin Wall (pretty impressive experiment) leaked like a sieve. Thousands traversed that CITY border. All borders are OPEN—some just deny it. . . . Or we can focus some money on capturing the few who want to physically hurt others.
Sadly, many communities don’t even report crimes, knowing our government will only send the criminal back to his country of origin, and in a couple of weeks, he will be right back, robbing and abusing them. If a person wants to come here to hurt others, we should make room in our prisons for him to stay with us for many years. This will greatly reduce crime and when the word gets out, it should reduce to a trickle those who are up to no good.
If I was alone in our country, my life expectancy would be very low. My 300 million neighbors have given me a standard of living only dreamt of by kings of old. The conclusion is that the more people, the less effort to survive. Growing up in Alaska (one-fifth the size of the lower forty-eight) maybe gives me an unusual perspective. There were so few people and so many airplanes, it was calculated that everyone could be in the air at the same time. We have a lot of room in our great country!
The old parties are to blame for extorting trillions of dollars, and using them to buy votes with programs like “welfare,” both for the poor and the rich—and this sure does NOT “promote the general Welfare,” as it promises in the preamble of our constitution. Elect Libertarians and stop taxation; voluntarily fund government by charging for the use of our valuable court system—what could be fairer than people paying for what they receive? Blame those who tax people, not the ones who get a little back.
One real problem is illustrated by the fact that my wife and I have one child—the wealthier the people, the fewer the offspring. Parents around the world who love, house, feed and clothe their children until adulthood should be thanked if some travel here because they are immediately capable of all types of work, and can learn to do the rest. The unique knowledge these “foreigners” have can help us limit our politicians further.
I’m so glad that Ayn Rand snuck in before the old parties started shooting those crossing our borders. People who love living want improvements, and the freedom to work for them; those who fear dying just want to conserve what they have. I love the comment by one governor, “Well, if we build a twelve-foot fence, there will be a lot of thirteen-foot ladders sold!”
The old parties disagree with our platform because people should NOT have any of their property taken away, NOR women forced to have kids, NOR people stopped from putting anything into their bodies, NOR anyone shot crossing our borders, NOR our military stationed outside our borders, NOR a couple prohibited from calling their relationship anything they choose.
We Libs (liber=free; Libertarian Party Liberals for Liberty, symbolized by the Statue of Liberty) are enjoying life without forcing anyone to do anything (YES, sign me up as a member of the Libertarian Party. To validate my membership, I certify that I oppose the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals.) It is sad that you feel compelled to rob (tax) and bully (regulate) people in order to survive—please reconsider! We all live better by trading with, not hurting, others.
The Grand Old Party (GOP-Republican) was the last third party to gain a majority in Congress by not compromising on the abolition of slavery in all states. The Whigs wanted slavery to be prohibited only in the new states that were being formed, while the Democrats supported slavery. I doubt the Republicans would have succeeded if “DRAMATICALLY REDUCE SLAVES!” had been their rallying cry.
The first amendment has allowed me to spend my life criticizing the old parties and proposing alternatives. Before the thirteenth, I’m sure plantation owners didn’t know how to harvest their crops without slaves. I bet that if the next amendment abolished taxation, almost all people would again adjust. Take care; I completely accept voting as a way to resolve our differences . . . unfortunately, a growing number of those being robbed don’t!
Most “roads” are Right-Of-Ways (ROWs). Property owners own to the middle of the road bordering their land, but must keep it open to traffic so others can access their property. Without this agreement, everyone’s property would have little value. Also business people should continue to have the right to use the ROWs to delivery their products (e.g., water, electricity, etc.). If they bury things (e.g., pipes, wires, etc.), they should repair everything—without delay.
Roads like freeways or bridges can be owned by government, or anyone, because people don’t need them to get around—they’re just faster to travel between ROWs. Commuters could be charged (e.g., transponders that can be turned off), or advertising space sold, or whatever the owners and customers agree upon. Although ROWs look like and are called roads, understanding the difference can solve the problems many have on this subject.
What we are talking about with ROWs is just access to property. Now if people want graded roads or curbs and lights, well that sounds like a very good voluntary community project, where people can get to know their neighbors. (I was thinking maybe the owners of emergency vehicles would be willing to pay for the power to regulate traffic lights in their favor, so as to give better service to their customers.) I’m sure we can work it out—and we really should never bully (regulate) our neighbors, nor take their money (tax), but especially never for the sake of a little asphalt in front of our homes!
