There is a war of ideas going on right now. The GOP is working to reinvent itself into the hero of smaller government and appeal to the TEA PARTY movement for less government. Many leaders and important figures of the Republican Party have downplayed the important message of Libertarians. Those who try to smear the message of a Libertarian always have the role of government to a Libertarian all wrong. Let’s address this today.
Do Libertarians want zero government?
This is the biggest misconception people who have not educated themselves on Libertarian values label the party with, however it is completely false. Those people have confused Anarchist with Libertarian; however this is why they have separate names. Libertarians do not believe in Anarchy or no government, we believe in limited government. Limited means government’s role should be, protecting individual’s property. In the eyes of a Libertarian, that property extends much further than just my home. My property is my body, my labor, my car, anything I have ownership of is my property. When I put in 60 hours a week to better my life, that paycheck is my property.
Libertarians are not foolish enough to think bad guys do not exist. I believe they do, and that is why we have a strong judicial system where those who commit a crime are to be punished. This is exactly what government is intended for. If a country wishes to invade us, clearly we would need a strong national defense to repel them. This translates to all levels down to the local level. Local government is best for protecting its local citizens from local threats like thieves, rapist, and murderers.
When a contract is created, we believe that contract represents both parties claim to property rights. If a contract is not being honored, government should enforce that contract in order to keep both parties accountable, again a very reasonable expectation of government.
We believe in smaller government for most other things. Almost any other function of government should be considered for privatization. I recently heard of the Yellow Page test. If there are three or more companies offering a service, government should not be in that business. I will post more on how I privatization of services should be embraced, but that is for another day. Until then, if you are a true Republican, then you are a Libertarian.
Matt
http://talkofliberty.com
