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Am I A Libertarian?

RetiredUSN

RetiredUSN

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Norfolk Virginia area.
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I was told by a local radio host during a private discussion recently that I am more of a Libertarian, than conservative. I have known the guy for many years and he is a self proclaimed libertarian My reply to him was the usual sarcastic ........ "your nuts" We both laughed and parted ways shortly.

After thinking about it for the past 6-7 days, I am thinking that he might be right?

My views:

Military:
Remove all non essential US troops from foreign soil.
Stop using US troops for security and nation building.
Renegotiate the policy that requires the US Navy's Mediterranean patrolling, and place the responsibility with the Euro's
No more nonsensical wars like Iraq.
No meddling in cases like Libya. egypt, etc. etc.

Immigration
Secure the borders......not necessarily a wall
Remove illegals that have committed crimes immediately.
Allow pathway to citizenship to those who have proven to be hard working, and crime free.
Inside track to citizenship for community service, or military service.
No immigration for non vetted individuals.

War On Drugs

Legalize marijuana
Assist addicts with getting cleaned up........whatever it takes.
No prison for nonviolent drug addicts/users for possession.
Assist the Mexican and Central American governments with cleaning out the cartels.

LBGT

Live your life the way you want, but I would appreciate a little modesty in public from people of any sexual preference when children are present.
I don't agree with a 4th grader having self determination on whether how he/she identifies sexually. Let them mature and see what shakes out.

Education

No bailouts for college loans, but I do agree with deferments during illness, job loss, or taking time off for assisting family members.
Work for school......exchange of community service for a certain amount of secondary education.
Bring back vocational courses in our schools.
Community vocational and remedial training for those in poverty or extended unemployment.........Detroit anyone?

2nd Amendment

No restrictions on open carry or concealed carry nationwide for non criminals.
AR15's are semi autos .....just like other semi autos........leave em alone.
Keep the automatic firearm regulations as they are.
Restore gun rights to nonviolent offenders........case by case.


Voting

Let the states decide, as long as they do not discriminate. Requiring ID cards is not discrimination in my opinion.

Police

99% of them are great people.
Some of them will make mistakes......sometimes tragic.
Police are often victims themselves of local governments who want the crime element cleaned up for political reasons. (Baltimore anyone?)

Privacy

The government has no business tracking banking or credit card transactions for non criminals.
The government has no right to snoop on citizens with no criminal background.
No cherry picking judges to serve warrants.
I do support "stop and frisk" of proven gang members and violent individuals.

So.......is my friend correct with his assumption?
 
RetiredUSN said:
I was told by a local radio host during a private discussion recently that I am more of a Libertarian, than conservative. I have known the guy for many years and he is a self proclaimed libertarian My reply to him was the usual sarcastic ........ "your nuts" We both laughed and parted ways shortly.

After thinking about it for the past 6-7 days, I am thinking that he might be right?

My views:

Military:
Remove all non essential US troops from foreign soil.
Stop using US troops for security and nation building.
Renegotiate the policy that requires the US Navy's Mediterranean patrolling, and place the responsibility with the Euro's
No more nonsensical wars like Iraq.
No meddling in cases like Libya. egypt, etc. etc.

Immigration
Secure the borders......not necessarily a wall
Remove illegals that have committed crimes immediately.
Allow pathway to citizenship to those who have proven to be hard working, and crime free.
Inside track to citizenship for community service, or military service.
No immigration for non vetted individuals.

War On Drugs

Legalize marijuana
Assist addicts with getting cleaned up........whatever it takes.
No prison for nonviolent drug addicts/users for possession.
Assist the Mexican and Central American governments with cleaning out the cartels.

LBGT

Live your life the way you want, but I would appreciate a little modesty in public from people of any sexual preference when children are present.
I don't agree with a 4th grader having self determination on whether how he/she identifies sexually. Let them mature and see what shakes out.

Education

No bailouts for college loans, but I do agree with deferments during illness, job loss, or taking time off for assisting family members.
Work for school......exchange of community service for a certain amount of secondary education.
Bring back vocational courses in our schools.
Community vocational and remedial training for those in poverty or extended unemployment.........Detroit anyone?

2nd Amendment

No restrictions on open carry or concealed carry nationwide for non criminals.
AR15's are semi autos .....just like other semi autos........leave em alone.
Keep the automatic firearm regulations as they are.
Restore gun rights to nonviolent offenders........case by case.


Voting

Let the states decide, as long as they do not discriminate. Requiring ID cards is not discrimination in my opinion.

Police

99% of them are great people.
Some of them will make mistakes......sometimes tragic.
Police are often victims themselves of local governments who want the crime element cleaned up for political reasons. (Baltimore anyone?)

Privacy

The government has no business tracking banking or credit card transactions for non criminals.
The government has no right to snoop on citizens with no criminal background.
No cherry picking judges to serve warrants.
I do support "stop and frisk" of proven gang members and violent individuals.

So.......is my friend correct with his assumption?
Click to expand...

You are closest to what "liberal" meant, before it became, what it is today. But then, the meaning was is very close to what makes a "conservative". But the ultimate question is really, whether you think the First Amendment should apply.
 
joG said:
You are closest to what "liberal" meant, before it became, what it is today. But then, the meaning was is very close to what makes a "conservative". But the ultimate question is really, whether you think the First Amendment should apply.
Click to expand...

I support the 1st to the last letter of the wording.

BUT............I do not support any member of the press, or the government using "anonymous" contact information while attacking another citizen. A citizen has the right to know...... who his or her accusers are.
 
That seems pretty damn close to my stances, and I'm a libertarian. At the very least, you definitely aren't a social conservative.
 
Not too far off from what Trump suggests. Is he a Libertarian?
 
Jesse Booth said:
That seems pretty damn close to my stances, and I'm a libertarian. At the very least, you definitely aren't a social conservative.
Click to expand...

Make sense. Libertarians tend to be on the left when it comes to social issues.
 
RetiredUSN said:
I was told by a local radio host during a private discussion recently that I am more of a Libertarian, than conservative. I have known the guy for many years and he is a self proclaimed libertarian My reply to him was the usual sarcastic ........ "your nuts" We both laughed and parted ways shortly.

After thinking about it for the past 6-7 days, I am thinking that he might be right?
Click to expand...

In general the similarities between Western 'progressives' and 'liberals' and 'libertarians' and 'conservatives' are far more numerous and more significant than the differences - and it's a pretty good habit to look first and foremost at those similarities, as that fellow seems to have done.

The labels should be used for convenience, not to define or pigeonhole people, and certainly not to divide them. Pick your favourite colour :lol:
 
RetiredUSN said:
So.......is my friend correct with his assumption?
Click to expand...

I'd say you have libertarian leanings, but you shouldn't get caught up in labels.
Both others and yourself, will try to hold to you to some ideological purity test when you take on a label.

You have to come to your beliefs based on facts, logic and your personal ethics.
That's who and what you are.
 
Sounds like you lean more libertarian than conservative. That doesn't mean you agree with them across the board, of course.
 
RetiredUSN said:
I was told by a local radio host during a private discussion recently that I am more of a Libertarian, than conservative. I have known the guy for many years and he is a self proclaimed libertarian My reply to him was the usual sarcastic ........ "your nuts" We both laughed and parted ways shortly.

After thinking about it for the past 6-7 days, I am thinking that he might be right?

My views:

Military:
Remove all non essential US troops from foreign soil.
Stop using US troops for security and nation building.
Renegotiate the policy that requires the US Navy's Mediterranean patrolling, and place the responsibility with the Euro's
No more nonsensical wars like Iraq.
No meddling in cases like Libya. egypt, etc. etc.

Immigration
Secure the borders......not necessarily a wall
Remove illegals that have committed crimes immediately.
Allow pathway to citizenship to those who have proven to be hard working, and crime free.
Inside track to citizenship for community service, or military service.
No immigration for non vetted individuals.

War On Drugs

Legalize marijuana
Assist addicts with getting cleaned up........whatever it takes.
No prison for nonviolent drug addicts/users for possession.
Assist the Mexican and Central American governments with cleaning out the cartels.

LBGT

Live your life the way you want, but I would appreciate a little modesty in public from people of any sexual preference when children are present.
I don't agree with a 4th grader having self determination on whether how he/she identifies sexually. Let them mature and see what shakes out.

Education

No bailouts for college loans, but I do agree with deferments during illness, job loss, or taking time off for assisting family members.
Work for school......exchange of community service for a certain amount of secondary education.
Bring back vocational courses in our schools.
Community vocational and remedial training for those in poverty or extended unemployment.........Detroit anyone?

2nd Amendment

No restrictions on open carry or concealed carry nationwide for non criminals.
AR15's are semi autos .....just like other semi autos........leave em alone.
Keep the automatic firearm regulations as they are.
Restore gun rights to nonviolent offenders........case by case.


Voting

Let the states decide, as long as they do not discriminate. Requiring ID cards is not discrimination in my opinion.

Police

99% of them are great people.
Some of them will make mistakes......sometimes tragic.
Police are often victims themselves of local governments who want the crime element cleaned up for political reasons. (Baltimore anyone?)

Privacy

The government has no business tracking banking or credit card transactions for non criminals.
The government has no right to snoop on citizens with no criminal background.
No cherry picking judges to serve warrants.
I do support "stop and frisk" of proven gang members and violent individuals.

So.......is my friend correct with his assumption?
Click to expand...

I'd say so...
 
if you want to know what a libertarian is read Ayn Rand. Most people that self define as such are not libertarians.
 
The answer is, who cares? What difference does it make what label you slap on your forehead? You are what you are, labels be damned. Why worry about it?
 
Do you WANT to be a Libertarian?

Anyone that walks lock-step with ANY political party is a muppet. The foundation of a Libertarian belief is a belief in rights of the citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution. Government...but only government as needed and where needed, efficiently operated. A military...but a military designed to preserve and protect our freedoms. Gary Johnson is a bit more of an isolationist than say...Bob Barr. Both would say no unnecessary wars but Bob Barrs position was that sometimes when war is to become necessary it is wiser to fight the war aggressively on their homefront than ours. Dont wait til someone brings it here.

I am a Kennedy Democrat. Both parties left me a long time ago. I am today a registered Libertarian but I think the Libertarian party AS a party is a bit of a joke. I have been told the same thing in Libertarian meetings that i was told in GOP meetings. You cant believe what you believe and be a REAL Libertarian. My response...Yeah? Sure I can...and **** you. What have the 'REAL' Libertarians managed to accomplish? Nothing. They have taken the most broad based accepted political positions...ideas that MOST citizens can support...and destroyed them in the name of extremism.

So...do you WANT to be a Libertarian?
 
RetiredUSN said:
My views:

Military:
Remove all non essential US troops from foreign soil.
Stop using US troops for security and nation building.
Renegotiate the policy that requires the US Navy's Mediterranean patrolling, and place the responsibility with the Euro's
No more nonsensical wars like Iraq.
No meddling in cases like Libya. egypt, etc. etc.
Click to expand...

This is one of the big things that moves out of what we call conservative today (neo-con) and also separates you from liberals (neo-liberals). Both of those groups are pretty hawkish. For the most part it seems that you are Libertarian which, imo, is what an actual conservative should be. To me, the modern conservative is a progressive of a different flavor than the left progressives.

And for all of you who say, "What does it matter?" or "Who cares?"...it's important to figure out your priorities and how they match up. So, in this case, his position would put him at odds with much of what the Republican Party does so why stick with them?

On a meta level, you can be both a Libertarian and a Republican. This will enable you to help effect change in the Republican Party to move more towards Libertarianism (Ron Paul) and you can still support Libertarian candidates, when it's expedient or preferable to do so (like not wanting to vote for Hillary or Trump).
 
katzgar said:
if you want to know what a libertarian is read Ayn Rand. Most people that self define as such are not libertarians.
Click to expand...

Sigh. Ayn Rand was not a libertarian. Telling someone to read Ayn Rand is telling them to read up on objectivism.
 
Tanngrisnir said:
Not completely. Libertarians want full drug legalization across the board.
Click to expand...

Ikari said:
Not true.
Click to expand...

As with any party, there are variations within it. Some Libertarians are for full legalization while others for only the less harmful drugs. I think most support decriminalization for almost all drugs.

I'm actually more confused by the new concept of Libertarian - Left as they seem to be a contradiction in terms to me.
 
katzgar said:
they are both much the same for all intents and purposes
Click to expand...

They have similarities, but they are hardly the same thing. If you want to help someone learn about libertarianism by just giving them one author a better choice would be someone like Murray Rothbard.
 
Fishking said:
This is one of the big things that moves out of what we call conservative today (neo-con) and also separates you from liberals (neo-liberals). Both of those groups are pretty hawkish. For the most part it seems that you are Libertarian which, imo, is what an actual conservative should be. To me, the modern conservative is a progressive of a different flavor than the left progressives.

And for all of you who say, "What does it matter?" or "Who cares?"...it's important to figure out your priorities and how they match up. So, in this case, his position would put him at odds with much of what the Republican Party does so why stick with them?

On a meta level, you can be both a Libertarian and a Republican. This will enable you to help effect change in the Republican Party to move more towards Libertarianism (Ron Paul) and you can still support Libertarian candidates, when it's expedient or preferable to do so (like not wanting to vote for Hillary or Trump).
Click to expand...

Pretty much in the way I think.......Thank you.
 
RetiredUSN said:
Pretty much in the way I think.......Thank you.
Click to expand...

Np shipmate. I wear green but work as an instructor at a joint force facility so I have Navy students.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
I'd say you have libertarian leanings, but you shouldn't get caught up in labels.
Both others and yourself, will try to hold to you to some ideological purity test when you take on a label.

You have to come to your beliefs based on facts, logic and your personal ethics.
That's who and what you are.
Click to expand...

You are right Harry. The conversation between my friend and I was sort of in depth, but we always keep it on the light side if you know what I mean. I don't corner myself with labels, or attach myself to any particular political group any longer. I was a democrat in my early 20's, and then switched to republican in my 30's. I left the GOP after seeing the mindless reasoning that led up to the Iraq war, and the lack of concern for our young service members.
 
Cephus said:
The answer is, who cares? What difference does it make what label you slap on your forehead? You are what you are, labels be damned. Why worry about it?
Click to expand...

Not worried Cephus.... it was just a interesting comment from a friend. We both love covering history, and current events. The man is extremely smart, and has a well known local morning radio show in the area.
 
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