No Matter Who’s Prez

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Although the Libertarian Party has virtually no chance of winning any presidential election, the presidential campaign of any of its candidates in any such election can and should be used to promote libertarian ideas and educate Americans about libertarianism.

This is not a hard thing to do. The usual Democratic and Republican candidates for president are always so bad on so many issues that it doesn’t take much effort to stand out from them. The Libertarian Party just needs to write a good, brief platform that espouses the libertarian philosophy and then let its candidates for president and vice president apply this philosophy to the issues.

Although the Libertarian Party has a decent platform this election year, its presidential candidates—Gary Johnson and William Weld—are the most non-libertarian Libertarian Party candidates in history. The libertarianism they present to the American public—when they actually present something that can be considered libertarianism—is watered down, weak, and confusing. Don’t look to them to present a principled and effective case for libertarianism.

So, since I am a traditional libertarian, just in time for the election, I present a libertarian primer on the issues, most of which no candidate from any party is talking about—including the Libertarian Party. To keep this primer brief, I am deliberately limiting it to fifty issues, although there are certainly much more that I could mention.

  • Cuban embargo: should be ended immediately since the government should never restrict Americans’ trade or travel.
  • Guantanamo Bay prison: should be closed along with the U.S. Naval Base there.
  • The Patriot Act: the original act along with all of its reauthorizations should be repealed.
  • Funding for the UN, World Bank, and IMF: should be ended for many reasons, but especially since only a handful of Americans would give them money if it came out of their own pocket.
  • Obamacare: should be repealed but not replaced with anything.
  • Unemployment benefits: should be eliminated since the government should never pay anyone for not working.
  • E-verify: should be eliminated since businesses should be allowed to hire whomever they choose.
  • The National School Lunch Program: should be ended since it is not the job of government to feed any child or be involved in schools in any way.
  • The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: should be abolished since it is not the job of government to fund radio or television broadcasting.
  • The FCC: should be eliminated since it is not the job of government to regulate communications.

    • Bonus: In addition to the Department of Homeland Security, the Departments of Education, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Energy, and the Interior should be shuttered.

    What a shame that the Libertarian Party presidential candidates aren’t discussing these issues.

    The post No Matter Who’s Prez appeared first on LewRockwell.

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