Joanne Greco-Akerman
I've been a registered Libertarian for almost five years. There's a perception that Libertarians are either anarchists or only want drugs to be legal. While there are Libertarians that believe in anarchy and most of us would like to see some drugs legal, we're a lot more than that.
The Libertarian Party continues to speak out today against the attempts by Democrats and Republicans to find loop-holes in the First Amendment, so they can turn the Internet into a government-controlled medium.
In the last few decades, the federal government has exploded in size. No area of your life or business is free from the meddling of politicians -- especially your wallet.
It doesn't have to be that way. With less government and lower taxes, you could keep more of what you earn. It would be easier to start new businesses, build new homes, and fuel stronger economic growth.
The libertarian view of government stems directly from a more general principle, the principle of liberty. Liberty is the right to live your life in the way you choose, so long as you do not initiate force upon any other individual. This is called by many of us the non-aggression principle. All other rights are derived from this right of self-ownership and self-determination. Along with liberty comes the personal responsibility to face the consequences of your actions. This respect for individual choices optimizes the incentive for people to succeed and make correct choices, and opens the door to a diversity that only freedom brings.
So we believe that government’s only legitimate role is to protect individual rights to life, liberty and property, and not abrogate these rights. It is right to have laws against murder, assault, rape and theft, but actions that do not intrude on the rights of others should not be restricted.
I’d like to share with you just a little of what Libertarians are about. The 10 word summary: fiscal responsibility, personal freedom; let people make their own choices, as long as they don’t hurt anyone else and they take responsibility for those choices. Oops, 25 words. I’ve always talked too much.
Last weekend, America’s Future Foundation (AFF) – a national organization that educates young professionals on free market economics, politics, and current events – had a table at the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago. The event is billed as the largest outdoor literary festival in the Midwest, drawing over 125,000 people over two days. The... Read more »
