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Libertarian Issues

Which Libertarian Issues Do You Agree With


  • Total voters
    42
Looks like most libertarians around here love their drugs.

Anyway, I supported all of them except amnesty. Illegal immigrants in this country should be screened and criminals deported. Unless you're a criminal, you should be recorded and pay taxes like the rest of us. And if you're a prospective immigrant you should be allowed in as long as you're not a criminal.
 
Looks like most libertarians around here love their drugs.

The crazy thing is that I hate drugs.
I dislike alcohol to some degree as well.
I quite using over 9 years ago, I think. :thinking

I find the people that use them while their at work, driving and/or around their kids to be the most deplorable individuals.

On the other hand, it's not my business to choose for them.
 
I know, I was kind of messing around about libertarians loving drugs. I've never tried drugs, but I have no problem with other people using them as long as it doesn't affect me.
 
amnesty for illegals can only be allowed after all other points are satisfied

in other words once there is no welfare, no public health care, no public education, no social security and no taxes - then you can have amnesty for illegals

but until a citizen is taxed to take his money and to give it to an illegal alien ( by allowing him to enjoy the benefits of living in this nation which is funded by tax dollars ) is not something libertarians would support.

so in an ideal world i would support amnesty for illegals but not in this world.
 
I am not sure I would make a good libertarian.

I like these ones:
Laissez-faire capitalism
End foreign aid
End gun bans
Deregulate healthcare
End welfare
Allow opting out of Social Security

I don't like this one:
Semi-amnesty for illegal aliens(work for amnesty)

And I am nervous about the possible ramifications of these:
End drug prohibition
Avoid interventionism in foreign policy
 
I'd support Allow opting out of Social Security and deregulating healthcare right off the bat.

The rest, as stated, are too vague or far for me to accept. Tone them down and clarify and I'd likely accept all of them.

For instance, free market capitalism cannot exist in the absence of regulation required to maintain the free market.

Some drugs probably should remain illegal, such as cocaine. But some like weed should be decriminalized. But the better notion is not to ban things, but to educate to destroy the demand. Why legislate when the market has tanked?

Was the intervention option a mistake? Last I checked, liberterians aren't for nation building

Some foreign aid needs to die. Now. But some, such as for development is worthy. Not to mention military aid.

Gun bans. What kind of gun bans? Bans that prevent mentally ill people with illusions and voices telling them to kill everyone? Yeah, I'd prefer that to stay on the books.

Amensty. I need details.

As for welfare, some aspects like the EITC are good for the country.
 
I'd support Allow opting out of Social Security and deregulating healthcare right off the bat.

The rest, as stated, are too vague or far for me to accept. Tone them down and clarify and I'd likely accept all of them.

Link in OP for where these came from, each is explained in more detail there.
 
By Issue

Laissez-faire capitalism

All for it

End foreign aid

Yes, countries need to learn how to produce and stand on their own two feet

End gun bans

No question

Deregulate healthcare

Let the free market ride like its supposed to

End welfare

This would have to be a slow phase out, welfare has to have alot of restrictions. However the Federal Government has no legal right to run the welfare system, it should be up to the states

Allow opting out of Social Security

Most definitely, let me control my money.



Semi-amnesty for illegal aliens(work for amnesty)

No, absolutly not, if we want to create a guest worker program for legal immigrants fine.


End drug prohibition

Yes, people should be responsible for their own bodies

Avoid interventionism in foreign policy

Yes, its time for Europe and all other countries that we have bases in to stand up and defend themselves. Enough of this babysitting
 
End drug prohibition
avoid interventionism in foreign policy
End foreign aid
End gun bans
Allow opting out of Social Security
 
Checked all except "avid interventionism in foreign policy" - WTF? Sure, there would be some amount of defensive militarism when foreign dictators like Hugo Chavez try to steal American property, but I'm sure corporations don't need Mommy Government to protect their own.

Free trade, freedom of information (i.e. no patents), and voluntary charity are the best form of foreign aid.

Gun bans and drug progibitions are property rights issues: a homeowners' association or another voluntary group can ban anything they like.
 
Checked all except "avid interventionism in foreign policy" - WTF? Sure, there would be some amount of defensive militarism when foreign dictators like Hugo Chavez try to steal American property, but I'm sure corporations don't need Mommy Government to protect their own.

As stated in a post on the first page, that was supposed to say "avoid" not "avid".
 
I think it would be best to move beyond general discussion of specific topics and instead into discussion of specifically libertarian justifications for or against certain policy proposals. For example, instead of discussing the purely economic facets of firearm prohibition, someone could say that it conflicts with civil libertarian notions, and someone else could say that unrestricted firearm exchange can generate negative externalities that are authoritarian in nature, for example.

Redress doesn't care what socialist "libertarians" think. He's interested in American libertarianism.
 
Redress doesn't care what socialist "libertarians" think. He's interested in American libertarianism.

Correct, thank you. I am trying to understand what Libertarians who want elected officials believe, in part so I can get a better grasp as to where they can pick up votes.
 
By the way, did I do ok at getting the capital "L" Libertarian parties platform covered with the basics? Is there other issues that capital "L" types consider more important, or how about little "l" types?

Yea, you got the jist of it. I think the reason most libertarians are reticent to associate with Libertarians not because of their policy views but because of their extreme rhetoric. They aren't pragmatic or realistic. They seem like a childish political party to me. Not to mention the fact that most libertarians deny the concept of party loyalty.
 
Yea, you got the jist of it. I think the reason most libertarians are reticent to associate with Libertarians not because of their policy views but because of their extreme rhetoric. They aren't pragmatic or realistic. They seem like a childish political party to me. Not to mention the fact that most libertarians deny the concept of party loyalty.

That's probably true; most formal LP party groups tend to go overboard emphasizing the wrong things -- drug legalization, open borders -- things that most mainstream people can't/don't get behind.

If they spent most of their time in the areas where people in general CAN relate, they'd have much more traction.
 
Yea, you got the jist of it. I think the reason most libertarians are reticent to associate with Libertarians not because of their policy views but because of their extreme rhetoric. They aren't pragmatic or realistic. They seem like a childish political party to me. Not to mention the fact that most libertarians deny the concept of party loyalty.

Could I get you when you have time to expand on this please.
 
That's probably true; most formal LP party groups tend to go overboard emphasizing the wrong things -- drug legalization, open borders -- things that most mainstream people can't/don't get behind.

If they spent most of their time in the areas where people in general CAN relate, they'd have much more traction.

I'd take that a step further. They emphasize dramatic changes that would be their version of utopia, and it turns away people who agree with a more moderated approach. For example ...

Many people support medical marijuana, very few support legalizing heroin, cocaine, and meth.

Many people support deregulation and free market solutions, very few support striking down anti-trust laws, safety standards and inspections, anti-child labor laws, and such.

The LP focuses on their ultimate goal, which is way outside of where the current debates are centered. They should be focused on winning current debates by proposing realistic libertarian based solutions and changing things in digestable incremental steps. I just shake my heads when I see libertarians say things like they'd half the federal government if they are elected. That's too big of a change for the average voter to even comprehend, let alone support. Libertarians would get a lot more traction on that sort of issue if they said they'd cut government waste, pork spending, and reform entitlements to make them more cost effective and eliminate people from abusing the system.
 
You shouldn't make the automatic leap from (small-l) libertarianism, which is a very broad philosophy, to the (big-L) Libertarian Party. More libertarians vote for "the lesser of two evils", whatever that may be, and the vast majority of libertarians don't vote at all.
 
I'd take that a step further. They emphasize dramatic changes that would be their version of utopia, and it turns away people who agree with a more moderated approach. For example ...

Many people support medical marijuana, very few support legalizing heroin, cocaine, and meth.

Many people support deregulation and free market solutions, very few support striking down anti-trust laws, safety standards and inspections, anti-child labor laws, and such.

The LP focuses on their ultimate goal, which is way outside of where the current debates are centered. They should be focused on winning current debates by proposing realistic libertarian based solutions and changing things in digestable incremental steps. I just shake my heads when I see libertarians say things like they'd half the federal government if they are elected. That's too big of a change for the average voter to even comprehend, let alone support. Libertarians would get a lot more traction on that sort of issue if they said they'd cut government waste, pork spending, and reform entitlements to make them more cost effective and eliminate people from abusing the system.


I've heard it said that the Libertarian Party was originally founded without the intent of being a serious "in it to win it" political party, but rather as a vehicle to get libertarian ideas out into the mainstream of political thought.

They've been somewhat successful with the latter...
 
A reminder: please do not vote in this poll if you are not a libertarian...Joe, I am looking at you right now...

Oh, and third poll option, the first word should be "avoid", not "avid"...
Well crap, I voted first. Sorry. I'm more of a Monarchist than a Libertarian.
 
I pulled a list of issues that the Libertarian party calls for on it's website(Issues | Libertarian Party). I here alot about big "L" vs little "l" Libertarians, so which of these issues do the libertarians here believe in.

If you are not a Libertarian, can you please not answer this poll. let's leave it to the Libertarians please.

Edit: Poll added

Well I call myself a libertarian even if I'm not the American style kind. Of those the only I unambiguously for is ending gun bans and non-interventionism.

I'm for a relatively state-free, decentralised economy but laissez faire capitalism is a vague term and I'm very much anti-corporate-capitalism and pro-distributism(as in Catholic social teaching and not redistribution.). I'm also for a much less harsh way of handling drugs but not for ending all prohibition and I'm for lowering welfare but ending corporate welfare is most important to me and I'd lower welfare as part of a revival of local community, family and other intermediate associations.
 
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Redress doesn't care what socialist "libertarians" think. He's interested in American libertarianism.

Socialist doctrines were integral to the development of American propertarianism, as hijacking of those legitimately libertarian principles granted propertarians some measure of ethical legitimacy. Run along to Wikipedia and read the "Benjamin Tucker" article. :2wave:
 
As a libertarian, I believe in all except two, one is ambiguous in nature, the interventionist one, as I am not an interventionist unless needed. I believe recently was needed.

I am against open borders.
 
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