Post by shoreman on Sept 30, 2005 22:29:55 GMT -5
VALUES, POLITICS AND ACTION
Friday, September 30, 2005
www.freemarketnews.com/Analysis/94/2480/2005-09-30.asp?nid=2480&wid=94
Sometimes it seems that what libertarians do best is to criticize the political establishment. I know I certainly do. But are libertarians capable of translating their fervor into action by winning political office in any meaningful way?
As one of the many disenfranchised Republicans who have turned away from the neo-conservatives now running and ruining the Republican Party, the Libertarian Party seemed a logical choice, as does the Constitution Party, which may actually be a better choice for me personally. As a Reagan Republican, I lean toward the more conservative side of politics. Still a declared Republican, I am looking for a better alternative to the spend-and-war Neocons.
An economic conservative, I believe that there should be no federal debt, we should never engage in deficit spending, and that budget should be balanced even if that requires an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Further, taxes should be almost non-existent. There should be no IRS, no federal income tax, and no coercive taxation whatsoever.
Concomitantly, I believe in miniscule-sized government. And that federal government is very clearly defined in the U.S. Constitution. No additions or expansions should ever be made without an amendment to the Constitution, something that is not done routinely because of the extensive approval process by the states.
As far as defense is concerned there should be no standing armies or navies. Instead, these fighting forces and the logistics tails required to support them would be put into the reserves. The only active duty components would involve training new recruits and officers, command and control functions, an extremely small rapid response combined arms fighting force, and intelligence collection activities. Although these skeleton active duty forces would be important, they would also be small. Devoid of large numbers of active fighting forces, the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of Defense would have more difficulty committing them to war or police action without the express consent of Congress and the people that voted them into office. Pulling citizen-soldiers from their civilian jobs, homes, and families would be a more serious action requiring a nation to support the action and not just the administration that happened to be in power at that time.
As part of a massive downsizing effort, federal loans, corporate, farm, and personal welfare programs, loan subsidies, subsidies of every kind and grants would disappear entirely. Also, there would no longer be a need for an Education Department or Health and Human Service Department. All welfare programs, of which there are about 22, would disappear. The Labor Department would disappear. The Education Department would also disappear. It would be up to the states to continue their own versions of these programs but they would have to pay for them in their entirety.
Not one dime would come from the federal government, i.e. the American Tax Payer, to the states for any purpose. Austerity would be the word of the day. All people would actually have to work to support themselves. This, of course, would include former welfare mothers as well. Anyone having children would have to support them, period.
As for liberations translating talk into action, according to the Libertarian Party website 600 libertarian candidates have been elected to political office so far. This includes candidates at the local, state, and national levels. So, libertarians can do more than just talk; they are capable of translating that into effective political action. And libertarians can come from every walk of life and political persuasion.
Noel Gibeson
FMNN Constitution, Freedom and Liberty Preservationist
President and CEO, MOUNT VERNON INSTITUTE
Print and Radio Commentator
Friday, September 30, 2005
www.freemarketnews.com/Analysis/94/2480/2005-09-30.asp?nid=2480&wid=94
Sometimes it seems that what libertarians do best is to criticize the political establishment. I know I certainly do. But are libertarians capable of translating their fervor into action by winning political office in any meaningful way?
As one of the many disenfranchised Republicans who have turned away from the neo-conservatives now running and ruining the Republican Party, the Libertarian Party seemed a logical choice, as does the Constitution Party, which may actually be a better choice for me personally. As a Reagan Republican, I lean toward the more conservative side of politics. Still a declared Republican, I am looking for a better alternative to the spend-and-war Neocons.
An economic conservative, I believe that there should be no federal debt, we should never engage in deficit spending, and that budget should be balanced even if that requires an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Further, taxes should be almost non-existent. There should be no IRS, no federal income tax, and no coercive taxation whatsoever.
Concomitantly, I believe in miniscule-sized government. And that federal government is very clearly defined in the U.S. Constitution. No additions or expansions should ever be made without an amendment to the Constitution, something that is not done routinely because of the extensive approval process by the states.
As far as defense is concerned there should be no standing armies or navies. Instead, these fighting forces and the logistics tails required to support them would be put into the reserves. The only active duty components would involve training new recruits and officers, command and control functions, an extremely small rapid response combined arms fighting force, and intelligence collection activities. Although these skeleton active duty forces would be important, they would also be small. Devoid of large numbers of active fighting forces, the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of Defense would have more difficulty committing them to war or police action without the express consent of Congress and the people that voted them into office. Pulling citizen-soldiers from their civilian jobs, homes, and families would be a more serious action requiring a nation to support the action and not just the administration that happened to be in power at that time.
As part of a massive downsizing effort, federal loans, corporate, farm, and personal welfare programs, loan subsidies, subsidies of every kind and grants would disappear entirely. Also, there would no longer be a need for an Education Department or Health and Human Service Department. All welfare programs, of which there are about 22, would disappear. The Labor Department would disappear. The Education Department would also disappear. It would be up to the states to continue their own versions of these programs but they would have to pay for them in their entirety.
Not one dime would come from the federal government, i.e. the American Tax Payer, to the states for any purpose. Austerity would be the word of the day. All people would actually have to work to support themselves. This, of course, would include former welfare mothers as well. Anyone having children would have to support them, period.
As for liberations translating talk into action, according to the Libertarian Party website 600 libertarian candidates have been elected to political office so far. This includes candidates at the local, state, and national levels. So, libertarians can do more than just talk; they are capable of translating that into effective political action. And libertarians can come from every walk of life and political persuasion.
Noel Gibeson
FMNN Constitution, Freedom and Liberty Preservationist
President and CEO, MOUNT VERNON INSTITUTE
Print and Radio Commentator