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Libertarianism lib·er·tar·i·an n. One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state. — American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. “Libertarianism is a political philosophy advocating that individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others or cause harm to others. Libertarians hold as a fundamental maxim that all human interaction should be voluntary and consensual.” — Source: Wikipedia, cited 22 September 2006, last modified 20 September 2006 “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.’” — Source: Institute for Humane Studies, cited 22 September 2006 “If you’re new to libertarianism, click here and then sit back and enjoy a delightful 10-minute animated introduction to the philosophy of liberty. We highly recommend it.” — Source: International Society for Individual Liberty, cited 22 September 2006 “The word means roughly ‘believer in liberty.’ Libertarians believe in individual conscience and individual choice, and reject the use of force or fraud to compel others except in direct response to force or fraud.” — Source: Yet Another Libertarian FAQ, cited 22 September 2006, last modified 10 February 1997 Are libertarians liberals, conservatives, or…? “On issues of personal liberty, libertarians may sound like liberals. On economic issues, libertarians may sound like conservatives. Which are they? Or — are they something else entirely? “Actually, the reason libertarians sound like people of other positions is that many of those other positions sound like libertarians! For example, conservatives have a tendency to be libertarian on economic issues, and liberals have a tendency to be libertarian on issues of personal liberty. “In fact, virtually everyone is libertarian on some issues. You might say libertarianism is the common denominator!” — Source: Libertarianism.com, cited 22 September 2006 “Libertarianism is self-government. It combines the best of both worlds: The left leg of self-government is tolerance of others; the right leg is responsible economic behavior. The combination of both legs leads to social harmony and material abundance.” — Source: Marshall Fritz, Founder of the Advocates for Self-Government; President, Alliance for the Separation of School and State Where does libertarianism come from? “Modern libertarianism has multiple roots. An important one is the minimal-government republicanism of the U.S.’s founding revolutionaries, especially Thomas Jefferson and the Anti-Federalists. Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and the ‘classical liberals’ of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were another influence. More recently, Ayn Rand’s philosophy of ‘ethical egoism’ and the ‘Austrian School’ of free-market economics have both contributed important ideas. Libertarianism is alone among 20th-century radical movements in owing virtually nothing to Marxism.” — Source: Yet Another Libertarian FAQ, cited 22 September 2006, last modified 10 February 1997 What is the Libertarian Party? “The Libertarian Party is your representative in American politics. It is the only political organization which respects you as a unique and competent individual.” — Source: Libertarian Party: What Is The Libertarian Party?, cited 22 September 2006 “The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States. Millions of Americans have voted for Libertarian Party candidates in past elections throughout the country, despite the fact that many state governments place every imaginable roadblock in our path in order to keep our candidates off the ballot and deprive voters of a real choice. “Libertarians believe the answer to America’s political problems is the same commitment to freedom that earned America its greatness: a free-market economy and the abundance and prosperity it brings; a dedication to civil liberties and personal freedom that marks this country above all others; and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade as prescribed by America's founders.” — Source: Libertarian Party: Our History, cited 22 September 2006 “The Libertarian Party was created in December of 1971 by people who realized that the politicians had strayed from America's original libertarian foundation, with disastrous results. Their vision was the same as that of America's founders — a world where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, a world of peace, harmony, opportunity, and abundance. “Libertarians are practical; we know we can’t make the world perfect. But, it can be better. Libertarians will keep working to create a better, freer society for everyone. As William Allen White said: ‘Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others.’” — Source: The Libertarian Party of Virginia: Who Are We?, cited 22 September 2006 The Libertarian Party Statement of Principles We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual. We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose. Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent. We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life — accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action — accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property — accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation. Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market. — Source: Libertarian Party Platform: Statement of Principles, Adopted in Convention 2 July 2006, cited 22 September 2006 For more information about libertarianism, see the official Libertarian Party website. |