Top 10 Signs You Might Not Be A Libertarian

by Elsewhere 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  Elsewhere

  I have known many republicans who claim to be Libs all the time, thinking that Republicans are somehow closer to libertarians then Democrats are. I tell them, no, on social issues, Dems are a lot closer. Personally, that is the important part.

  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/30/773243/-Top-10-Signs-You-Might-Not-Be-A-Libertarian

  Top 10 Signs You Might Not Be A Libertarian

  by DarkSyde

  Sun Aug 30, 2009 at 06:00:45 AM PDT

  Notice a propensity of newly minted Libertarians showing up lately? Perhaps it's just coincidence their ranks swelled in inverse proportion to George Bush's approval rating, ditto that so many are mouthing traditional conservative talking points. But what about the everyday gun toting townhall screamers and taxcutters and deficit hawks we see on cable news: are they really libertarian as so many claim, or just conservatives in glibertarian clothes? Here's a few warning signs.

  10. If you think Ron Paul isn't conservative enough and Fox News is fair and balanced, you might not be a Libertarian.

  9. If you believe you have an inalienable right to attend Presidential townhalls brandishing a loaded assault rifle, but that arresting participants inside for wearing a pink shirt is an important public safety precaution, there's a chance you're dangerously unbalanced, but no chance you're a Libertarian.

  8. If you think the government should stay the hell out of Medicare, well, you have way, way bigger problems than figuring out if you're really a Libertarian.

  7. If you rank Anthonin Scalia and Roy Moore among the greatest Justices of all time, you may be bug fuck crazy, but you're probably not a Libertarian.

  6. You might not be a Libertarian if you think recreational drug use, prostitution, and gambling should be illegal because that's what Jesus wants.

  5. If you think the separation between church and state applies equally to all faiths except socially conservative Christian fundamentalism, you're probably not a Libertarian.

  4. You're probably not a Libertarian if you believe the federal government should remove safety standards and clinical barriers for prescription and OTC medications while banning all embryonic stem cell research, somatic nuclear transfer, RU 486, HPV and cervical cancer vaccination, work on human/non human DNA combos, or Plan B emergency contraception.

  3. If you think state execution of mentally retarded convicts is good policy but prosecuting Scott Roeder or disconnecting Terri Schiavo was an unforgivable sin, odds are you're not really a Libertarian.

  2. If you argue that cash for clunkers or any form of government healthcare is unconstitutional, but forced prayer or teaching old testament creationism in public schools is fine, you're not even consistent, much less a Libertarian, and you may be Michele Bachmann.

  1. And the number one sign: if you think government should stay the hell out of people's private business -- except when kidnapping citizens and rendering them to secret overseas torture prisons, snooping around the bedrooms of consenting adults, policing a woman's uterus, or conducting warrantless wire taps, you are no Libertarian.
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  daniel-p

  And the number one sign: if you think government should stay the hell out of people's private business -- except when kidnapping citizens and rendering them to secret overseas torture prisons, snooping around the bedrooms of consenting adults, policing a woman's uterus, or conducting warrantless wire taps, you are no Libertarian.

  Right on. Shows the shallow hypocrisy among a lot of mainstream conservatives. When they call for "less government," what they're really calling for is less government for themselves and more government for everyone else.
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  JeffT

  Yup, I'm a libertarian.

  Why does it surprise so many democrats that people want to leave the republcan party but don't want to become democrats?
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  daniel-p

  THe problem I have with the Democratic party is the same problem I have witht he Republican Party: they just can't help themselves when it comes to telling other people how to run their lives. Republicans like to tell what women can do with their bodies, and Democrats tell families how to raise and educate their kids.
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  Farkel

  elsewhere,

  :thinking that Republicans are somehow closer to libertarians then Democrats are. I tell them, no, on social issues, Dems are a lot closer. Personally, that is the important part.

  That is absolutely true.

  Republicans want the government to stay out of business, but yet regulate strictly moral issues.

  Democrats want the government to stay out of moral issues and regulate business.

  True blue Libertarians want the government to stay out of everything except foreign affairs, wars and national emergencies.

  If only life was that black and white.

  I am a Libertarian by philosophy but would never endorse the true blue Libertarian political platform.

  That being said, I do like Ron Paul when compared with say, John Kerry or Mortimer Snerd. Sorry for being redundant there.

  Farkel
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  Big Tex

  Fiscal Policy: Very right-libertarian. The Libertarian Party opposes taxation in pretty much all forms, and deals with the revenue loss by opposing entitlement programs in pretty much all forms. This means that people keep more of what they earn, but it also means that there is no social safety net. And ambitious new proposals--such as universal pre-kindergarten and universal health care--are obviously not compatible with this objective.
  
  Corporations: Eliminate all federal subsidies to private corporations, as well as all antitrust laws.
  
  Public Services: Eliminate the Postal Service. Transfer all government services, from public schools to landfills, to private ownership.
  
  Property Rights: Would restrict public domain to immediate public use, and sell or give away most public property to private owners.
  
  Criminal Justice: Would eliminate all antidrug laws and legalize prostitution. Would end random police roadblocks.
  
  Free Speech: Would abolish the FCC and allow private ownership of broadcast frequencies. Opposes all restriction of free speech, including free speech restricted in the name of national security.
  
  Church and State: Calls for reduced IRS regulation and monitoring of tax-exempt churches.
  
  Second Amendment: Strongly opposes all gun control, as well as regulation of alternative weapon technologies (mace, Tasers, and so forth).
  
  The Draft: Calls for the abolition of the Selective Service System and amnesty for any citizen who has ever resisted the draft.
  
  Reproductive Rights: Pro-choice, but opposes all federal funding of abortion and most federal entitlements for women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term, including the child tax credit. Opposes involuntary or fraudulent sterilization.
  
  LGBT Rights: Opposes "don't ask, don't tell." Believes that marriage is a private contract, and should yield no government benefits regardless of the gender of the partners.
  
  Immigrants' Rights: Argues that borders should be open but surveilled--everyone who does not pose a threat to public health or national security should be allowed to enter the country legally. Would eliminate all federal benefits to undocumented immigrants.

  http://civilliberty.about.com/od/libertarianpolitics/qt/libert_platform.htm

  http://www.lp.org/
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  avishai

  By that list, I AM a libertarian. Religious loonies that want to put their agenda as "libertarian" are fascists, not libertarians.
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  RubaDub

  You're not a Libertarian if you get sexually aroused when you hear Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter or Laura Ingram talk.

  Rub a Dub
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  jeeprube

  It's funny to see an article pulling back the current of fake Libs, then see all the fake Libs on the board pound their chests about how Libertarian they really are.
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  JeffT

  Not nearly as funny as watching the democrats bombard us with information about how bad the republicans are, and then act surprised when we find some place else to call home.