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| A LOOK AT LIBERTARIANISM | |
 July 5, 2000 
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Libertarianism is rooted in the rights that people naturally possess before governments exist. The article below explains the positions the party takes on various issues. |
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Libertarians generally believe that government intervention in the lives of private citizens has a corrosive effect on personal liberties and freedom, and should therefore be contained. This laissez-faire attitude extends to all spheres of governmental policy: the economy, civil liberty, trade and foreign policy. The state, they believe, should be limited in duty to protecting rights -- and any action beyond that has the opposite effect. Only a limited government can unleash the freedom and creativity naturally granted to individuals, they say. "Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property -- rights that people possess naturally, before governments are created," writes David Boaz, author of Libertarianism: A Primer. "Governments should exist to protect rights, to protect us from others who might use force against us. When governments use force against people who have not violated the rights of others, then governments themselves become the violators. Thus libertarians condemn such government actions as censorship, the draft, price controls, confiscation of property, and regulation of our personal and economic lives." Libertarians also oppose, for example, excessive taxation, social welfare programs, Social Security, and gun control laws for law-abiding citizens. Similarly, they support school choice, free trade, and health care deregulation. In each case, libertarians argue, the individual should have the right to choose how his or her life is managed, as long as the rights of others are not affected. The party opposes the "confiscation of property" in the form of tax dollars redistributed as welfare benefits, a program they say has failed. "It is time to recognize that welfare cannot be reformed: it should be ended," says the party's Web site. "We should eliminate the entire social welfare system. This includes eliminating AFDC, food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap." Dollar-for-dollar tax credits, the party argues, will help private charities obtain the funds they need to assist poor Americans. Plus, less money in government coffers -- and therefore more in the hands of creative, free citizens -- will stimulate private entrepreneurship. The result is a growing economy, more jobs and increased freedom and choice, members argue. |
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| Privatizing Social Security | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Social Security has been an important issue in the 2000 Presidential campaign. Libertarians -- similar to Republican George W. Bush, and more recently Vice President Al Gore -- support private investment to save for retirement, rather than a continuation of the government-run savings program. Libertarians, however, would prefer the option to exempt out of Social Security, or end it altogether. "Financial analyst William G. Shipman calculates that a worker born in 1970 who earns the maximum income covered by the Social Security tax all his life is promised $1,908 a month (in 1995 dollars) by Social Security," writes the Cato Institute's Boaz. "If he invested his Social Security taxes in the stock market, he could expect a monthly income of $11,729. A low-wage worker, making the equivalent of $12,600 all his life, is promised $769 a month by Social Security. A private retirement plan invested in stocks would pay him $2,419 a month." Libertarians also call for an end to the "War on Drugs," claiming that "drug prohibition" fosters a climate of black markets and increased crime as the government stamps out supply. They also say that casual drug use does not infringe on the rights of others, and should be legalized. "Libertarians would like all Americans to be healthy and free of drug dependence. But drug laws don't help, they make things worse," says the party's Web site. "The criminal gangs love the situation, making millions. They kill other drug dealers, along with innocent people caught in the crossfire, to protect their territory. They corrupt police and courts. Pushers sell adulterated dope and experimental drugs, causing injury and death. And because drugs are illegal, their victims have no recourse." Fiscally, Libertarians are closer to Republicans than Democrats, but call for more drastic cut-backs, elimination or privatization of government programs. They also agree more with Republicans on firearms. "Gun ownership, by itself, harms no other person and cannot morally justify criminal penalties," explains the party's Web site. But unlike many in the GOP, libertarians call for a wide open policy of immigration and less military expenditure. Each position, libertarians say, tries to maximize the individual by removing governmental impediments to achievement and freedom. Likewise, they say individuals should keep as much as possible of what they produce. "Libertarian thought is so widespread today, and the American government has become so bloated and ludicrous, that the two funniest writers in America are both libertarians. P.J. O'Rourke summed up his political philosophy this way: 'Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys,'" Boaz satirized. "(Columnist) Dave Barry understands government about as clearly as Tom Paine did: 'The best way to understand this whole issue is to look at what the government does: it takes money from some people, keeps a bunch of it, and gives the rest to other people.'" |
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