"What is a Libertarian?"

We Believe...

We believe that every person has a natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and property.

We believe that individuals cannot gain additional rights by banding together into a gang, even when they call their gang "government".

We believe that the only legitimate purpose of government is the protection of rights and property of peaceful individuals.

We believe that the initiation of force or fraud for political or social reasons is always immoral.

The basis of libertarianism...

is very simple: You own yourself. And, you own the fruits of your labor. If you believe this is true, then it follows that you have a right to do whatever you want with your life and property, as long as you respect the same right of others. These are the principles that Americans have strived for throughout most of our nation's history.

Some will tell you that if you have compassion for those less fortunate, then you will submit to high taxes, so that "government compassion" can redistribute your income. What they are really saying is that you must let them define your morality for you, then let them distribute your property to others in a manner that reflects that morality, while their bureaucracy takes a huge cut for itself. Guilt is often the lever they use to pursuade you to go along with this. Libertarians believe that individuals have a right to define their own morality, and to give as much or as little to charitable causes as they see fit. Charity is much more beneficial, for both giver and receiver, when it's done willingly and privately. Government charity breeds dependence; not surprising since few government bureaucrats would want to work themselves out of a job.

Others will tell you that government must control what you may eat, drink, or smoke, and that government must regulate sexual behavior. They will tell you that you are not capable of making these decisions for yourself, and that decadence will run wild and destroy society if the government does not forcibly restrain our ungodly impulses. Libertarians believe that, although individuals sometimes suffer from abuse of these things, a truly free people have a right to make these decisions for themselves. History has shown that the primary effects of prohibition have been massive profit opportunities for organized crime.

The answer to these big-government advocates (whether they call themselves "conservatives" or "liberals") who claim ownership over your life is that you own yourself - you are not a slave to their guilt trips. Libertarians oppose all forms of authoritarianism, whether it comes from the "left" or the "right".

Are you a libertarian?

Frequently Asked Questions

It sounds to me like libertarians want a society based on selfishness and greed, which will result in "everyone for themselves". Isn't that true?

Libertarians don't want that any more than you do. We want a society held together by human relationships; where people willingly help each other because they want to, not because the government makes them do it using threats and police action. Societies that are held together by government force are far weaker than societies held together by human relationships between free individuals.

If you really believe in liberty and small government, why don't you vote Republican? Republicans want these things, too.

Republicans often talk about the virtues of smaller, less intrusive government. The rhetoric of Republican politicians and Democratic politicians may sound quite different, supposedly coming from different points on the political spectrum. But whether Republicans or Democrats are in office, the power of government continues to grow, and our civil rights continue to shrink. The Republicans act like the right-wing-big-government party, while the Democrats act like the left-wing-big-government party. When freedom-loving people get tired of trying to pick the lessor of two evils, we hope they will join the Libertarian Party.

You guys sound like a bunch of wackos for taking a literal interpretation of the Constitution. Don't you realize that it's a living document, and needs to be reinterpreted to meet the challenges of modern times?

We sometimes hear modern politicians call the Constitution a "living document". What they mean by this is that the Constitution should mean whatever our country's current ruling class wants it to mean. This defeats the purpose of having a constitution. Our founders created our Constitution specifically to limit the power of government over our lives, so it's no wonder that those who want to rule us are trying to get rid of it by reinterpreting it out of existence.

Most third-world dictators have a constitution. And on any given day, it means whatever they want it to mean, because it's a "living document".

I heard you guys hate government. Don't you realize that we are the government?

The idea that "we are the government" is a misunderstanding. Governments are concentrations of power; in this case, political power. All concentrations of power have two problems.

Problem 1: Power attracts people who have a hunger for power, and these are the last people that we want running our government.

Problem 2: Even if you start with good people holding the reins of power, over time their world view will be altered by their relationship to the power they wield. Eventually they see things from a different perspective. They see themselves as members of elite society; as part of the ruling class.

Libertarians don't hate government. But we do recognize it for what it is - a monopoly on political power within some geographical borders. Our nation's founders recognized this, which is why they created a constitution to severely limit the power of government.

Aren't you guys just a bunch of potheads? Isn't that why you want to legalize drugs? So you can get stoned without worrying about the cops?

There are two kinds of illegal drug users. Those whose lives are messed up by their drug use, and those who manage to live a normal life while using drugs. The first group has a serious health problem - throwing them in prison serves no rational purpose, and is downright cruel to them and their families. The second group harms no one, not even themselves, so why should they be prosecuted?

Libertarians believe that the only people benefiting from the "war on drugs" are the drug dealers, smugglers, and producers. Drug prohibition doesn't keep drugs away from kids - instead it creates huge profit incentives for dealers to sell to kids, and gives us the gang culture that is romanticized among young people. (It's no coincidence that the rise of the gang culture parallels the rise of the drug war.) It doesn't make our streets safer - instead we have drug-rich gangs fighting a shooting war over their turf. It doesn't help those whose lives are in ruin due to drug abuse - instead it throws them in prison.

Libertarians are not pro-drugs. We are anti-drug war.

I like your ideas, in theory. But they just aren't practical. What makes you think they would work in the real world?

There is a very strong correlation between the degree of individual freedom offered by a society, and the material and non-material well being of its people. Freedom unleashes creativity, and creativity leads to artistic expression, scientific innovation, and material wealth. It may be difficult to imagine how some of our problems could be solved without government intervention, but history has taught us that we shouldn't make assumptions about the future based on the limited thinking of today.

And last but not least, the freest societies tend to be the most generous in helping those in need.