We at the Blue Heron Blast, welcome all political points and persuasions into our overstuffed tent. And in that spirit, I am interested in what the super idealistic Libertarians think about the issues of the day. These are the folks that basically think that the Federal Government should be abolished and that its only function should be to provide a common defense.
I cruised over to their website, which I imagine is ground zero for this group and tried to take their temperature. Orally of course.
The banner says "smaller government, lower taxes, more freedom." Sounds well and good. As is often the case, the devil lies in the details.
I started looking at their platform. In regards to Finance Reform, I quote:
"The Libertarian Party opposes the legislation currently in Congress. Instead of removing harmful regulations that reduce competition, create winners and losers, and stifle the choices of consumers and financial firms, this legislation merely adds to that heap of regulations.
The ghost of Jack Kemp must be smiling down at this one. Give the banks and finance industry the freedom to create more worthless credit derivative schemes? To redline, to peddle trashy paper? To leverage to the hilt and not have adequate cash reserves? H-m-m-m.
On the environment they advocate selling off all public property to private citizens, who we know will make smart decisions, being possessed of an altruistic and enlightened self interest.
Obviously, owners make better environmental guardians than renters. If the government sold its acreage to private ranchers, the new owners would make sure that they grazed the land sustainably to maximize profit and yield.
Government, both federal and local, is the greatest single polluter in the U.S. This polluter literally gets away with murder because of sovereign immunity. Libertarians would make government as responsible for its actions as everyone else is expected to be. Libertarians would protect the environment by first abolishing sovereign immunity. By turning to government for environmental protection, we've placed the fox in charge of the hen house -- and a very large hen house it is!
...technology and ecology can co-exist peacefully and profitably.
All over the world, governments are busy selling airlines, power plants, housing, and factories to private owners. Where inefficient government bureaucrats lost money and squandered tax dollars, hard-working private owners now make profits and create new jobs. Why can't we do the same thing in America?
Well, we have had a pretty good illustration of what happens when private industry relies on voluntary compliance in regards to the environment and worker safety, in both the gulf spill and the mining disaster. What's the casualty toll now - 11 + 29? Not to mention the tremendous damage to wildlife and the fishing industry. Tourism will be affected for years. Libertarians might want to rethink some of this self regulation stuff.
And privatize America? Enter Yellowstone National Park, brought to you by the Disney Company. I think not...
Health Care - Deregulate Health Care. We should replace harmful government agencies like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) with more agile, free-market alternatives. The mission of the FDA is to protect us from unsafe medicines. In fact, the FDA has driven up healthcare costs and deprived millions of Americans of much-needed treatments.We should repeal all government policies that increase health costs and decrease the availability of medical services. For example, every state has laws that mandate coverage of specific disabilities and diseases. These laws reduce consumer choice and increase the cost of health insurance.
Agile free market alternatives to the FDA? Right, that will work. Can you spell E.Coli or maybe thalidomide?
"Libertarians believe the answer to America's political problems is the same commitment to freedom that earned America its greatness: a free-market economy and the abundance and prosperity it brings; a dedication to civil liberties and personal freedom that marks this country above all others; and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade as prescribed by America's founders."
Yeah, yeah, sounds well and good, who wrote your charter, Ayn Rand? The reality is that as bad as the federal government can be at times, I think that I will take my chances with them over Dole, Monsanto, Halliburton and Pfizer running the show and supposedly policing themselves. If you have some small L libertarian ideas, I applaud your philosophic independence, if you are a large L libertarian, you might want to commit yourself to a mental institution.
5 comments:
This is one of your best yet! Right on!
Yes, let's rely on the free the market to privatize the Coast Guard and clean up the mess. That should work.
mc
Here, here!!
I have several friends that believe all of this... totally free markets, much smaller government, etc. Several are on Medicare, SS, VA medical, government pensions, etc. They fail to recognize that there benefits would go "poof" if they did away with the government or substantially reduced it.
Just what is it that causes them to think of all of this rubbish?? Is it in the water??
Our government is far from perfect but so are the individual companies. I think we , more or less, have an appropriate balance between the private and public sectors.
libertarianism is an ideology or belief system therefore is at odds with reality i would say...
"Libertarian", like conservative and liberal, is a word which has been hijacked, transmogrified, and covered with cheap make-up to sell someone's agenda independant of true libertarian ideals. I will argue, though they all had there differences like todays lawmakers, a majority of our "framers" would classify themselves as libertarians in today's climate -- by the meaning of the word. Though they would have nothing to do with the official party -- Madison in particular.
There are few true libertarians in that party, as there are few true conservatives in theirs.
There is one party in DC; the party of keeping their seat. These people all have so much in common it sickens me.
Ooops, did I stray from topic....?
I do agree with everything you state in your post, but again -- lipstick on a Libertarian pig.
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