Libertarianism and Why John Stossel is Cool

[The_Q]

For a moment, just close your eyes and imagine true freedom. Imagine what it would be like if people did away with government and laws and those who choose them. Imagine what things would be like if anarchy prevailed.

Scary, isn't it? Only if you're a follower of Hobbes. I, personally, find this to be as close to a true paradise, as close to a utopia, as any society could get. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no anarchist, but I'm damn close to it. I'm a Libertarian.

First off, Libertarianism is not what it seems to be up front. In fact, it's the philosophy of liberty, of human freedom (hence LIBERTarianism). In short, Libertarians believe in three main rights, the unalienable rights that were written down by one of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment Era. These three rights, the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of (go ahead, have a guess) Property, are often referred to as "natural rights" and serve as the core values for Libertarian philosophy.

You see, everyone exists in the Future, Present and Past. Your right to your Life protects your future, your right to your Liberty protects your present and your right to your Property protects the products of your Talents and Time that you have spent in the past. To take someone's life is murder, to take someone's freedom is slavery and to take someone's property is theft. All of these things are not condoned in a normal society already, so it should be pretty easy to follow so far. Toss in some Magna Carta to make sure that the government officials cannot take these rights from anyone and make sure that no one else can forcibly take another's rights.

Virtue only exists in mutually consentual trade. Another very basic concept. Because people both want what they're trading for, neither is getting ripped off. They both come off for the better, sometimes the best. This is the concept behind capitalism. This is why it works. This rule also tends to override the others

Life

This seems to be rather simple, no one may take another person's right to their Life. No killing. As I mentioned before, taking away a person's right to their life is taking away their right to their future (someone who is dead really doesn't have much to look forward to, excluding all religious beliefs).

Now, a twist does apply. If someone does actually ask you to kill them, you may but only if you want to. It's a pretty major decision to make, but some people can make it. Don't ask me how.


Liberty

Don't enslave people. Another simple one. To enslave someone is to take away their ability to choose at that very moment. It refuses them the right to live their life. It is bad.

Again, there's another twist to this deal. If someone will willingly sell their Liberty to someone else, that is fine. Just so long as both parties consent.


Property

To get money (which is property) you work. Work requires your talent for developing raw materials into valuable goods and time to use that talent. Property cannot be taken from another by fraud or force and still be virtuous. Mutually consentual trade, however, is virtuous because it ends up with both parties better off than when they started. This goes the same for charity, it is only virtuous when both parties consent to the giving. When a government takes money from a wealthy individual and gives it to a poorer individual in the name of social welfare it is not virtuous because the wealthy individual did not consent to this action. This is called "taxation." To make this action virtuous, the wealthy individual must willingly and knowingly be giving his property to the poorer one without being forced to do so by the government.

The Government

A truly Libertarian government doesn't exist too much. It's essentially a private firm established by the people that protects only those who desire their protection. For those that are protected, the police are allowed to issue fines and punishments that are equal to the damage done to any individual by another. Vigilanteism is certainly permitted so long as the criminal is not wrongly accused or brought to a stop with excessive force.

Of course, there would have to be a court system and the officials selected for it would be selected democratically. These judges would determine the severity of punishments and exactly how much of a violation of a right was committed.

The Future

Most Libertarians believe that there is one way to end most domestic problems in the world. That would be to not allow the officials, elected or not, refuse anyone the rights they have been given. It is for this reason I am enraged by immigration laws, the Patriot Act and progressive taxation. If our government cannot be a shining beacon of hope as it claims to be, what hope does the rest of the world have.

Don't get me wrong, I know that my paradise will never happen, but at least we can take some strides into making it possible. Milton Friedman already established a method of welfare that limits the amount of money redistributed by the government. He also suggested the draft-free army (which was a shock, as he announced it during Vietnam) which is a concept that will never be revoked now that it has taken effect.

Q