The Libertarian Party

I have given a lot of thought to poliical involvement, and my position has "evolved" which is a political euphemism for flip-flopping. Basically, what is a libertarian to do?

The Libertarian Party is the nation's largest third party. Yet, it has no real chance of ever winning an election beyond dog catcher. It claims to be the party of principle, but the result is that LPers spend a lot of time arguing amongst themselves concerning their platform. Recently, the LP simplified its platform which resulted in a lot of claims of selling out. Seriously, who needs this shit?

The LP is a joke. The irony is that if these folks were to abandon this party and join with others in one of the major parties their impact would be dramatic. The reality is that the Libertarian Party has actually served to advance statism by marginalizing the opponents of tyranny. You can call this "principle" and "integrity," but I call it shitheadedness. I'm not satisfied with a fantasy of libertopia. I want to realize it in my lifetime.

Much of my change of mind has come about because of the recent death of Milton Friedman and the tributes to him. I did not agree with all of Friedman's positions, but I have to admit that he was very influential in advancing liberty. The reason he was so influential is because he did not marginalize himself by being an LPer. He was a philosophical libertarian but a registered Republican. I intend to do the same.

Rep. Ron Paul also gives me a lot to hope for as he has retained his principles while still being a Republican. His presidential campaign is a good thing. I don't know how far he will get, but I am hoping he can spur debate on issues that matter to me.

The Republican Party is the lesser of two evils, and that is because no matter what they believe in tax cuts which are always good. I can never be a Democrat. Democrats are fundamentally opposed to cutting taxes and will never warrant the vote of a libertarian. NEVER.

My goal is to retain my principles while becoming as involved in the process as I possibly can. Critics will say that this can't be done, but I beg to differ. Ron Paul shows that you can do both.

The LP is a party of isolation. It was a tactical mistake by the lovers of liberty. As such, libertarians now hold less influence than homosexuals, fundamentalists, and tree huggers. Yet, we are considered the "fringe."

I think the best way to go for me and other libertarians is to become members of the Republican Liberty Caucus, support candidates that represent freedom, and vote in primaries and general elections. In addition, I think libertarians can form alliances with other groups such as the ACLU or the NRA on areas of common interest. I think if all libertarians, objectivists, etc. did this, then you would see far less government.

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