The Failed Libertarian Experiment in Chile
Thom Hartmann says Chileans have rejected Reaganomics by electing a socialist as President. If you liked this clip of The Thom Hartmann Program, please do us...
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Caller: I Went from Libertarian to Liberal
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Libertarianism (Latin: liber, "free")[1] is a set of related political philosophies that uphold liberty as the highest political end.[2][3] This includes emphasis on the primacy of individual liberty,[4][5]political freedom, and voluntary association. It is an antonym of authoritarianism.[6] Although libertarians share a skepticism of governmental authority, they diverge on the extent and character of their opposition. Certain schools of libertarian thought offer a range of views on how far the powers of government should be limited and others contend the state should not exist at all. While minarchists propose a state limited in scope to preventing aggression, theft, breach of contract and fraud, anarchists advocate its complete elimination as a political system.[7][8][9][10][11][12] While some libertarians accept laissez-faire capitalism and private property rights, such as in land and natural resources, others oppose capitalism and private ownership of the means of production, instead advocating their common or cooperative ownership and management (see libertarian socialism).[13][14][15]
In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, libertarianism is defined as the moral view that agents initially fully own themselves and have certain moral powers to acquire property rights in external things.[16] Libertarian philosopher Roderick Long defines libertarianism as "any political position that advocates a radical redistribution of power from the coercive state to voluntary associations of free individuals", whether "voluntary association" takes the form of the free market or of communal co-operatives.[17]In the United States, the term libertarianism is often used as a synonym for combined economic and cultural liberalism while outside that country there is a strong tendency to associate libertarianism with anarchism.
Many countries throughout the world have libertarian parties (see list of libertarian political parties).
The term libertarian was first used by late-Enlightenment free-thinkers to refer to the metaphysical belief in free will, as opposed to incompatibilist determinism.[18] The first recorded use was in 1789, when William Belsham wrote about libertarianism in opposition to "necessitarian", i.e. determinist, views.[19][20]
Libertarian as an advocate or defender of liberty, especially in the political and social spheres, was used in the London Packet on 12 February 1796: "Lately marched out of the Prison at Bristol, 450 of the French Libertarians."[21] The word was used also in a political sense in 1802, in a short piece critiquing a poem by "the author of Gebir":
The author's Latin verses, which are rather more intelligible than his English, mark him for a furious Libertarian (if we may coin such a term) and a zealous admirer of France, and her liberty, under Bonaparte; such liberty![22]
The use of the word libertarian to describe a new set of political positions has been traced to the French cognate, libertaire, coined in a scathing letter French libertarian communist Joseph Djacque wrote to mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in 1857, castigating him for his sexist political views.[23] Djacque also used the term for his anarchist publication Le Libertaire: Journal du Mouvement Social, which was printed from 9 June 1858 to 4 February 1861. In the mid-1890s, Sbastien Faure began publishing a new Le Libertaire while France's Third Republic enacted the lois sclrates ("villainous laws"), which banned anarchist publications in France. Libertarianism has frequently been used as a synonym for anarchism since this time.[24][25][26]
In 1878, Sir John Seeley characterized a libertarian as someone "who can properly be said to defend liberty", by opposing tyranny or "resist[ing] the established government".[27] In 1901, Frederic William Maitland used the term to capture a cultural attitude of support for freedom: "the picture of an editor defending his proof sheets... before an official board of critics is not to our liking... In such matters Englishmen are individualists and libertarians."[28]
With modern use of liberalism in the USA generally referring to social liberalism, some scholars claim that libertarianism has become synonymous with classical liberalism, while others dispute this interpretation.[citation needed]Libertarianism in the United States is associated with "fiscally conservative" and "socially liberal" political views (going by the common meanings of conservative and liberal in the United States),[29][30] and, often, a foreign policy of non-interventionism.[31][32]H. L. Mencken and Albert Jay Nock were the first prominent figures in the United States to call themselves libertarians. They believed Franklin D. Roosevelt had co-opted the word liberal for his New Deal policies, which they opposed, and used libertarian to signify their allegiance to individualism and limited government.[33] Mencken wrote in 1923: "My literary theory, like my politics, is based chiefly upon one idea, to wit, the idea of freedom. I am, in belief, a libertarian of the most extreme variety."[34]
Since the resurgence of neoliberalism in the 1970s, free-market libertarianism has spread beyond North America via think tanks and political parties,[35][36] with proponents contending that libertarianism is increasingly viewed worldwide as a free market position.[citation needed]
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The libertarian or "classical liberal" perspective is that individual well-being, prosperity, and social harmony are fostered by "as much liberty as possible" and "as little government as necessary."
These ideas lead to new questions: What's possible? What's necessary? What are the practical implications and the unsolved problems?
Below are a number of different takes on the libertarian political perspective from which you can deepen your understanding;also be sure to check out the videos in the sidebar.
According to The Machinery of Freedom by David Friedman, Open Court Publishing Company,1973.
The central idea of libertarianism is that people should be permitted to run their own lives as they wish.
According toLibertarianism: A Primerby David Boaz,Free Press, 1997.
Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others. Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property-rights that people have naturally, before governments are created. In the libertarian view, all human relationships should be voluntary; the only actions that should be forbidden by law are those that involve the initiation of force against those who have not themselves used force-actions like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud.
According to Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary
lib-er-tar-i-an, n. 1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.... advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.
According to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition, 2000.
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Libertarian Party Chairman Geoff Neale Founded December11, 1971; 42 years ago(1971-12-11) Headquarters 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20037 Student wing College Libertarians Membership (January 2013) >330,811 [1] Ideology Libertarianism (American) Internal factions: Anarcho-capitalism[2] Paleolibertarianism[3] Classical liberalism Minarchism Political position Economic policy: Free market, Laissez-faire[4] Social policy: Civil libertarianism, Cultural liberalism[5] Foreign policy: Non-interventionism, Free trade International affiliation Interlibertarians[6] Colors Gold, Yellow Seats in the Senate Seats in the House Governorships State Upper House Seats State Lower House Seats Other elected offices 156 (2013)[7] Website http://www.lp.org Politics of United States Political parties Elections
The Libertarian Party is an American national political party that reflects, represents and promotes the ideas and philosophies of libertarianism. The Libertarian Party was formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the home of David F. Nolan on December 11, 1971.[8] The founding of the party was prompted in part due to concerns about the Vietnam War, conscription, and the end of the gold standard.[9] Although there is not an explicitly-labeled "left" or "right" designation of the party, many members, such as 2012 presidential nominee Gary Johnson, state that they are more socially liberal than the Democrats, but more fiscally conservative than the Republicans. The party has generally promoted a classical liberal platform, in contrast to the modern liberal and progressive platform of the Democrats and the more conservative platform of the Republicans.[10]Current policy positions include lowering taxes,[11] allowing people to opt-out of Social Security,[12] abolishing welfare,[13] ending the prohibition on illegal drugs,[14] and supporting gun ownership rights.[15]
In the 30 states where voters can register by party, there is a combined total of 330,811 voters registered under the party.[1] By this count the Libertarian Party is the third-largest party by membership in the United States and it is the third-largest political party in the United States in terms of the popular vote in the country's elections and number of candidates run per election. Due to this, it has been labelled by some as the United States' third-largest political party.[16] It is also identified by many as the fastest growing political party in the United States.[17][dated info]
Hundreds of Libertarian candidates have been elected or appointed to public office, and thousands have run for office under the Libertarian banner.[18][19][20] The Libertarian Party has many firsts to its credit, such as being the party under which the first electoral vote was cast for a woman in a United States presidential election, due to a faithless elector.[21] The party has also seen electoral success in state legislative races. Three Libertarians were elected in Alaska between 1978 and 1984, with another four elected in New Hampshire in 1992.[22][23]
The first Libertarian National Convention was held in June, 1972. In 1978, Dick Randolph of Alaska became the first elected Libertarian state legislator. Following the 1980 federal elections, the Libertarian Party assumed the title of being the third-largest party for the first time after the American Independent Party and the Conservative Party of New York, which were the other largest minor parties at the time, continued to decline. In 1994, over 40 Libertarians were elected or appointed which was a record for the party at that time. 1995 saw a soaring membership and voter registration for the party. In 1996, the Libertarian Party became the first third party to earn ballot status in all 50 states two presidential elections in a row. By the end of 2009, 146 Libertarians were holding elected offices.
Tonie Nathan, running as the Libertarian Party's vice-presidential candidate in the 1972 Presidential Election with John Hospers as the presidential candidate, was the first female candidate in the United States to win an electoral vote.[8][21] The 2012 election Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, was chosen on May 4, 2012 at the 2012 Libertarian National Convention in Summerlin, Nevada.[24]
In 1972, "Libertarian Party" was chosen as the party's name, selected over "New Liberty Party."[25] The first official slogan of the Libertarian Party was "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (abbreviated "TANSTAAFL"), a phrase popularized by Robert A Heinlein in his 1966 novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, sometimes dubbed "a manifesto for a libertarian revolution". The current slogan of the party is "The Party of Principle".[26]
Also in 1972, the "Libersign"an arrow angling upward through the abbreviation "TANSTAAFL"was adopted as a party symbol.[25] Sometime after, this was replaced with the Lady Liberty, which has, ever since, served as the party's symbol or mascot.[27][28]
In the 1990s several state libertarian parties adopted the Liberty Penguin ("LP") as their official mascot.[29] Another mascot is the Libertarian porcupine, an icon designed by Kevin Breen in March 2006 that is often associated with the Free State Project.[30]
The Libertarian Party is democratically governed by its members, with state affiliate parties each holding annual or biennial conventions at which delegates are elected to attend the party's biennial national convention. National convention delegates vote on changes to the party's national platform and bylaws, and elect officers and "At-Large" representatives to the party's National Committee.
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