Topics From a Libertarian Point of View

Topics From a Libertarian Point of View Posted on 05/23/2010

Politicians focus on the major issues of the day--passage and implementation of President Obama's health care bill in late March of 2010 and the repercussions of it's restrictions, the Iraq war, the economy, and the national debt. Many fail to focus on how individual liberties are affected by bad policies that satisfy only a few constituents (those in need of aid) and corporate lobbyists.

I hope to discuss these issues, quoting and attributing quotes appropriately from respected news sources, and providing my own insights.

Additionally, I've developed categories of other personal interests, shown in the menu across the top of this page. I will gradually be writing essays in these categories, developing each topic from a Libertarian viewpoint.

I don’t have much experience in the technical side of constructing and formatting online Internet sites, so I hope you’ll focus on the content of my message rather than the presentation.

Libertarians have a "live and let live" attitude and aren't big on moral judgment of others. As long as one's personal choices don’t infringe others' rights to enjoy their own lives and pursue their livelihoods, no one should have the right to legally restrict or penalize another's pursuits.

Libertarians are not lawless, anarchic, or rabidly foaming with discontent. We simply want smaller government intrusion into our personal lives. The trend, however, is toward more intrusion. Accomplishing less means changing laws that restrict personal choice and mandate limits to personal freedoms that were once a given when the Constitution was observed objectively.

My First Exposure to a Libertarian Party Position Paper

Posted on 05/23/2010

The first article I read at the Libertarian Party website was about government intervention in health care. The author, Mary Ruwart, without citing sources, claimed that government safety and testing regulations on private pharmaceutical companies that force years of validating research is the cause [sic] of millions of deaths in the duration. Specifically, "these regulations cause millions of premature deaths by adding 10 years to the drug development time of life-saving drugs and favoring new, expensive drugs over nutrients and older pharmaceuticals with good safety records."

Having taught cause and effect paragraph and essay development in college composition courses, I had a knee-jerk reaction to the "cause" of premature deaths.

Deaths are not caused by lack of treatment, but by disease, stoppage of the heart muscle and irreparable damage to other primary biological systems, severe brain damage, loss of blood, poison, physician misdiagnosis and mistreatment, using the wrong high or low amount of prescribed medication, using the wrong medication, the contraction of hospital-borne, highly drug-resistant bacteria and viruses.
Before any pharm firm even thought of making a profit in developing a treatment for a specific disease, the disease has been killing people, and these deaths cannot be said to be caused by government regulation but by the absence of a viable market in developing the treatment, despite the anticipated government testing regulations.
Authors cannot posit a hypothetical case and then project the impact of that hypothetical with any credible validity:
a. The pharm may not work after testing
b. Alternate treatments may work in the interim
c. Patients can die of other diseases
All statistical projections are false because of the variable conditions outlined in item 3.
The deception in florid rhetorical statements intended to persuade is obvious, I would hope, to voters of even the lowest intellect.

Right away, I was skeptical of the sensationalism and arguable statements I'd read, though I'm aware that all political parties make such attention-grabbing statements. One appeal of joining a small political party is that your voice is heard and acknowledged. Ms. Ruwart answered my e-mail.

Posted on 05/23/2010

Political parties are organizations whose activities have costs. So, budgets must be set and forecasts must be made regarding what recruitment and election events can be undertaken that provide the greatest impact (party presence) in the public's consciousness. The Libertarian Party's 2009 Annual Report reviews the dollar figures and party membership numbers, reiterates platform positions, and urges continued diligence in promoting party positions to increase membership and the volunteer base.

Some Numbers

Nationally, as of December 2009, the Libertarian Party had 14,663 members, with a growing trend through February 2010 (the publication date of the 2009 Annual Report from which these figures are taken). "Our new members came chiefly from people seeking us out online," the author, Executive Director Wes Benedict, states.

Revenue numbers declined from 2008, topping out at $1,076,049, which is said to be a typical downturn after a presidential election year. Balance sheets, revenue and expense summaries, program expenses, and monetary pledge amounts are also enumerated in the report.

Posted on 05/23/2010

William Redpath, twice-elected Chairman of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) since 2006, announced that he will not be seeking re-election at the Memorial Day Weekend 2010 convention in St. Louis. Having a long and distinguished association with the LP since 1984, serving as the Virginia Libertarian Party chairman and a treasurer, Bill Redpath is working on his 2010 Libertarian candidacy for Congress in Virginia's Tenth District.

Prospective 2010 LNC candidates include Ernest Hancock, Mark Hinkle, John Jay Myers, George Phillies, and Wayne Root.

In Ohio, the LPO had over 50 candidates on the Ohio ballot on May 4, 2010. The LPO's summer focus, led by Michael Johnston's team in the Political Division, is training and supporting candidates, and Matthew Cantrell of the Finance Division is leading efforts to raise funds.

A sampling from the back page of two recent "LP News" publications includes the following story titles that you can read at LP.org :

Stop Subsidizing Health Care!
Free "Operation Politically Homeless" Kits for Libertarian Student Groups
Bob Barr Defends Constitution; Clashes with Bill O'Reilly
Poll: What Should Congress do About the Deficit?
Wes Benedict Appears on FOX's Freedom Watch.
Libertarians Question Republication participation in Tea Parties.
Ohio primary voters can vote Libertarian for the first time.
Wayne Root on Larry King Live discussing Tea Parties.
News coverage of Libertarian position on census.

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