Liberals like to say they don't know what a small government libertarian is. I believe it's pretty clear. No, we are not all the same, but I think when I talk to small government libertarians these are generally agreed upon. Please comment those of you who consider yourself small government libertarian on what you agree and disagree on.
Definition: Note I said "small government" libertarian. I realize many anarchists call themselves "libertarian." I'm not knocking them and of course they are free to participate, I am just not speaking about anarchy here, I am speaking about those of us who want government minimized, not eliminated.
So, here is my definition. I believe these should be the primary functions of government:
1) Military - protecting the country entire country.
2) Police - Enforcing the laws.
3) Civil courts - To resolve contractual and other disputes between citizens.
4) Criminal courts & prisons - to dispense justice for fraud and other criminal acts
5) Roads - To acquire and manage the massive land requirements to move freely about the country
6) Management of limited resources - Access to and distribution of things like water
7) Recognition of property rights - Land, possessions and so forth.
Having these expand my liberty and they only work when there is general recognition of how they are managed. For example, having to sit in a tower all day with a gun to protect my land and my family, courts ruling's not being accepted except voluntarily, people putting toll booths on roads going through their own property, people hoarding water and extorting their neighbors and an inability to sell my home because there is no generally accepted recognition of my borders would reduce and not expand my liberty.
Issues I see the most disagreement on:
1) Abortion. I am like most libertarians I know pro-choice. However, I do see a lot of libertarians who are pro-life. While I do understand their view the baby is a life, I do not understand their view government can force the mother to provide her body to it. However, I understand they do believe it's murder and therefore the job of the criminal justice system.
2) Military. Most libertarians I know think the military should be used only for defense. Almost all libertarians think we use our military far to excessively. However, I do see disagreement with how far we should go in being proactive. I personally think our proactive policies frequently cause that which they were meant to avoid, but it is an area I see disagreement.
3) Taxes. All libertarians I know think our current system is preposterous. Libertarians generally would eliminate the income tax. I support the fair tax, that is not universally accepted by libertarians, which I don't understand because it is the most logical, economically efficient tax. All taxes are taxes on the economy. Therefore, it is logical to have one flat tax on the economy rather than a myriad of indirect taxes. But for whatever reason many libertarians don't grasp that. Libertarians who do support income tax in my experience always support a flat tax.
We are not Republicans because:
1) Social - we are against government morality laws, with the exception of some pro-lifers discussed above.
2) Military - we want smaller, less used military
3) Fiscal - we are fiscal conservatives, we don't just talk about fiscal conservatism.
Liberals are authoritarian leftists, we have nothing in common with them. They believe government force is the solution to every problem.
My view. Please comment.
Definition: Note I said "small government" libertarian. I realize many anarchists call themselves "libertarian." I'm not knocking them and of course they are free to participate, I am just not speaking about anarchy here, I am speaking about those of us who want government minimized, not eliminated.
So, here is my definition. I believe these should be the primary functions of government:
1) Military - protecting the country entire country.
2) Police - Enforcing the laws.
3) Civil courts - To resolve contractual and other disputes between citizens.
4) Criminal courts & prisons - to dispense justice for fraud and other criminal acts
5) Roads - To acquire and manage the massive land requirements to move freely about the country
6) Management of limited resources - Access to and distribution of things like water
7) Recognition of property rights - Land, possessions and so forth.
Having these expand my liberty and they only work when there is general recognition of how they are managed. For example, having to sit in a tower all day with a gun to protect my land and my family, courts ruling's not being accepted except voluntarily, people putting toll booths on roads going through their own property, people hoarding water and extorting their neighbors and an inability to sell my home because there is no generally accepted recognition of my borders would reduce and not expand my liberty.
Issues I see the most disagreement on:
1) Abortion. I am like most libertarians I know pro-choice. However, I do see a lot of libertarians who are pro-life. While I do understand their view the baby is a life, I do not understand their view government can force the mother to provide her body to it. However, I understand they do believe it's murder and therefore the job of the criminal justice system.
2) Military. Most libertarians I know think the military should be used only for defense. Almost all libertarians think we use our military far to excessively. However, I do see disagreement with how far we should go in being proactive. I personally think our proactive policies frequently cause that which they were meant to avoid, but it is an area I see disagreement.
3) Taxes. All libertarians I know think our current system is preposterous. Libertarians generally would eliminate the income tax. I support the fair tax, that is not universally accepted by libertarians, which I don't understand because it is the most logical, economically efficient tax. All taxes are taxes on the economy. Therefore, it is logical to have one flat tax on the economy rather than a myriad of indirect taxes. But for whatever reason many libertarians don't grasp that. Libertarians who do support income tax in my experience always support a flat tax.
We are not Republicans because:
1) Social - we are against government morality laws, with the exception of some pro-lifers discussed above.
2) Military - we want smaller, less used military
3) Fiscal - we are fiscal conservatives, we don't just talk about fiscal conservatism.
Liberals are authoritarian leftists, we have nothing in common with them. They believe government force is the solution to every problem.
My view. Please comment.
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