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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mama Bear who wrote (4316)	10/10/2000 12:31:08 PM
From: Jim S	Respond to of 13056

Good point, Barb. I could have selected better examples. Such as: -Attending a state university, built on gov't land, usually with gov't funded buildings. -Attending a private school that gets gov't grants that augment the school's inocme. -Hiking or camping on gov't land. -Drawing Social Security benefits in excess of what was paid in. -Taking advantage of any emergency services (FEMA, Law Enforcement, etc.) without paying for it. I could go on, but you get the point. Governmental intrusion is so pervasive that there is very little we can do to get away from it entirely. jim

To: Mama Bear who wrote (4316)	10/10/2000 12:37:33 PM
From: dave rose	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13056

<<<Both are legitimate government functions provided for in the Constitution. >>> Just for my information: Where does it authorize roads in the Constitution? Regards

To: Mama Bear who wrote (4316)	10/17/2000 9:42:39 PM
From: Mama Bear	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13056

sfgate.com Apolitical? Maybe You're a Libertarian Third-party view lies outside the radar of politicians Steve Dasbach Tuesday, October 17, 2000 ARE YOU politically ambivalent? Do you find yourself sometimes agreeing with liberals and conservatives --but more frequently disagreeing with their pronouncements? Relax. You're not confused. You may be a libertarian, and not even know it. According to a new nationwide survey conducted by Rasmussen Research, 16 percent of Americans are libertarian. That's about 1 out of every 6 voters. By contrast, 49 percent of voters are broadly centrist, 14 percent are authoritarian, 13 percent are liberal and 7 percent are conservative, according to the same survey. Yes, you read that correctly. There are more libertarians than liberals or conservatives -- which makes libertarians the great stealth factor in American politics. Forty million strong, libertarians are invisible to the radar of politicians accustomed to thinking in terms of left and right. Who are these libertarians? Where do they fit on the political map? Why are so many Americans embracing this philosophy? Broadly speaking, libertarians believe you have the right to live your life as you wish, without government interference, provided you don't harm anyone else. Libertarians believe you, not the government, can be the best judge of how to spend your money, how to raise your children and how to run your life. Now there's proof that many Americans agree with this commonsense view. Rasmussen's study of 822 likely voters is the first nationwide, scientifically accurate survey based on the so-called World's Smallest Political Quiz, developed by the Georgia- based nonpartisan Advocates for Self Government. The quiz measures your viewpoint on economic issues with questions about taxes, business subsidies, minimum wage laws and so on. It also examines your stand on personal issues with questions about drug laws, free speech, immigration and more. Based on your answers, your political beliefs are plotted on a four-way axis. Four way? That's right. This innovative quiz transcends mere left and right. The scoring is easy to understand. If you support personal liberty but want the government to control the economy with taxes and regulations, you end up in the liberal quadrant. If you favor economic liberty but want the government to legislate personal moral choices and behavior, you're a conservative. If you support a high degree of both economic and personal freedom, you're a libertarian. If you support government control in both areas, you're an authoritarian. (Or, if you don't fall firmly in any camp, you're a centrist.) This four-way chart is a dramatic im provement over the usual two-way political model -- and explains many of the apparent contradictions of traditional politics. For example, the four-way chart illustrates why liberals are pro-choice on abortion, but not on Social Security. It explains why conservatives advocate limited government, except when it comes to regulating your personal behavior. And it demolishes the notion that a bloody tyrant like Adolph Hitler was ``right wing'' while a bloody tyrant like Joseph Stalin was ``left wing.'' (Both were authoritarians.) While only 16 percent of Americans fall into the libertarian quadrant, Rasmussen discovered that larger numbers of voters support supposedly ``radical'' Libertarian Party positions. For example: -- 28 percent agreed that drug laws do more harm than good and should be repealed. -- 42 percent agreed that businesses and farms should operate without government subsidies. -- 36 percent agreed ``we should end taxes'' and Americans should pay for government services with user fees. -- 27 percent agreed that minimum- wage laws cause unemployment and should be repealed. -- 28 percent agreed that people should be ``free to come and go across borders; to live and work where they choose.'' The survey suggests there is a vast, untapped pool of Americans who hold strong libertarian positions, but don't yet realize they are libertarian. That's bad news for Democrats and Republicans, because these ``latent libertarians'' could become the most potent force in American politics in the 21st century. But it's good news for everyone who wants to be free to live their life as they wish, not as the politicians demand. So, do you think you can do a better job running your life than either George W. Bush or Al Gore? Take the quiz -- and find out if you're a libertarian, too. WORLD'S SMALLEST POLITICAL QUIZ PERSONAL ISSUES: --Do you agree that: Military service should be voluntary. (No draft). Government should not control the press or the media. We should repeal regulations on sex for consenting adults. Drug laws do more harm than good. Repeal them. We should let peaceful people cross borders freely. Personal issues score: Add 20 for each yes, 10 for each maybe. ECONOMIC ISSUES: --Do you agree that: Businesses and farms should not be subsidized by the government. People do better with free trade than with tariffs. Minimum-wage laws eliminate jobs. Repeal them. We should end taxes and let users pay for services. The U.S. government should stop policing the world. Economic issues score: Add 20 for year yes, 10 for each maybe. Mark your personal score on the left axis of the graph and your economic score on the right axis. (See example of 20 percent personal and 10 percent economic, marked on the graph.) Then follow the grid lines until they meet at your political position. GRAPHIC: Chronicle Graphic Source: Libertarian Party Steve Dasbach is the national director of the Libertarian Party.