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In
This Issue:
Eminent
domain abuses mount -- but U.S. Supreme Court refuses to reconsider...
Study shocker: Americans twice as dependent on government
as 25 years ago ...Are you being offered watered-down, adulterated
libertarianism, asks Michael Cloud?... Cities explore privatizing
just about everything... Big results from a little Quiz... Mary
Ruwart is asked how libertarians feel about government-provided
universal health care, and for a short clear definition of libertarianism...
Harry Browne's scintillating soundbites on corporate responsibility,
abortion, and why liberals and conservatives are utopian dreamers...
Join legends including HUGH DOWNS and ROBERT RINGER at the Advocates'
20th Anniversary Celebration...
All this and much much more in the world's largest-circulation
libertarian publication...
...
The
Liberator Online
Vol. 10, No. 16 | August 25, 2005
Circulation: 71,072 subscribers in over 100 countries
Published by the Advocates for Self-Government
Edited by James W. Harris | Email:
james(a)TheAdvocates.org
Created by Paul Schmidt and James W. Harris
...
"The
Advocates for Self-Government has been responsible for almost
all the libertarian outreach tools you can find: from wallet-sized
copies of the famous World's Smallest Political Quiz, to instructional
audio tapes on communication skills and political activism,
to the ubiquitous 'libertarian event in a kit': the Operation
Politically Homeless booths that you've seen at parades, festivals,
and other events." -- The Henry Hazlitt Foundation
(July 24, 2001)
|
Contents
PRESIDENT'S
CORNER
*
Big results from a little Quiz
* "Fastforwarding Our Libertarian Future" -- a libertarian
event-of-a-lifetime!
WHAT'S
HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
*
Exciting opportunities for libertarians!
GOOD
NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
*
Eminent Domain Abuses Mount -- But Supreme Court Won't Reconsider
* Cities Exploring Privatization of Almost Everything
* Study: Americans Now Twice As Dependent on Government Handouts
* "Men who have given up the habit of self-government"
PERSUASION
POWER POINT #187
*
"Are You Being Offered Watered-Down and Adulterated Libertarianism?"
by Michael Cloud
ASK
DR. RUWART
*
What is libertarianism?
* What do libertarians think about universal health care?
HARRY
BROWNE'S SOUNDBITES FOR LIBERTY
*
Liberal and conservative utopian dreamers
* Abortion
* Corporate responsibility
...
PRODUCT
REVIEW
*
Get 50 FREE Quiz cards with great Concise Guide to Economics
book!
...
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 |
President's
Corner |
Dear
friends,
I'd like to share with you some brief items about the World's Smallest
Political Quiz that crossed my desk this week.
1) From California Computer News Magazine:
"World's Smallest Political Quiz: When I saw this thing, I
thought there was no way 10 easy questions could accurately describe
my political views. I always thought I was a pretty complex individual
with well-reasoned but eclectic views. Thinking this was probably
a well-disguised multi-level marketing scam, I took the test with
the intention of having to fill out some form at the end with a
bunch of bogus information. It turns out there was no form to fill
out, and no Amway salesman was going to call me and tell me how
I could get rich. It accurately described my political leanings.
Apparently a whole lot of other more reputable and better paid writers
think it's pretty accurate too. Over four and a half million people
have taken the quiz so far!"
2) From the book Yahoo! The Ultimate 2002 Reference
to the Web, by H.P. Newquist (published in 2002, but
just brought to my attention):
"A cool little test... Billed as the 'world's smallest political
quiz,' it takes about 15 seconds to fill out. Based on your answers,
the site gives you a profile, complete with graph, of where you
fit in the political belief spectrum. It's an interesting exercise."
3) From a column entitled "It takes more than two to
tango" in the University of South Florida Oracle,
July 18, 2005, by Adam Fowler:
"A while back I stumbled upon a Web site titled, Advocates
for Self-Government. On this site was what they called the 'World's
Smallest Political Quiz.' I urge anyone who may be naive or in doubt
of their political persuasion to go take this survey."
4) From Campus Magazine Online:
"World's Smallest Political Quiz: This is the original Internet
political quiz. Take the Quiz now and find out where you fit on
the political map."
Every week I receive similar reviews, praise, critiques and the
occasional pan from across America and around the world. It's remarkable
to me how the Quiz has caught the attention of so many people --
and how it creates such strong reactions.
The Advocates created the World's Smallest Political Quiz in 1987.
From the beginning, our goal was to create and popularize a tool
that would provide a more accurate and inclusive map of politics
that included libertarianism. We wanted this more accurate political
map to replace the old and inaccurate "left versus right"
view of politics that *excluded* libertarians.
For this to work, our Quiz would have to be accurate and fair. It
would have to give results that provided real insights about the
world of politics and the Quiz taker's own views. It would have
to be easy to use, but rigorous enough to withstand serious analysis
by journalists and political scientists.
Finally, we wanted it to be fast and fun.
We've worked hard to create a Quiz that was all that. And the work
is paying off.
The reviews above show this. I particularly love the first one.
The reviewer's attitude is very typical. Many Quiz takers expect
the Quiz to be some kind of scam, or a trick to get everyone to
score libertarian.
When they find out otherwise, they are delighted and impressed --
and they pass the word on.
Every day, thousands of people take the Quiz online. Millions more
have encountered it at different Web sites, through our Quiz cards,
and through reprints in books, magazines and newspapers.
Today, the Quiz reaches tens of thousands of high school and college
students each year. It appears in at least a dozen popular textbooks
or textbook supplementary material by some of the most prominent
names in the educational publishing field, including the McGraw-Hill
Companies, Prentice Hall, W.W. Norton, and Houghton Mifflin Company.
The Quiz has been praised by such news bastions as USA Today,
the Washington Post, and the Sunday Times of London.
The Quiz has been taken more than 4,775,000 times online. We've
distributed over 7 million Quiz cards.
The old notion that all politics is some variant of left or right
is now increasingly regarded as inadequate and obsolete. And while
we certainly can't claim all the credit for that, I think we can
rightly claim to have made a difference.
Congratulations to Advocates Founder Marshall Fritz, who created
the Quiz; to David F. Nolan, whose chart is the heart of the Quiz;
and to the many hundreds of libertarians and non-libertarians who
have worked with us to increasingly improve and refine the Quiz.
And of course, to Advocates donors, who make possible the Quiz,
this newsletter, and the many other Advocates programs that are
changing our world for the better, each and every hour of every
day.
PS: Want to learn more about this marvelous little tool? Check out:
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html.
PPS: Want to get 50 Quiz cards FREE? See "Product Review"
at the end of this issue.
*
* *
STAR-STUDDED
ADVOCATES EVENT!
Just a brief reminder about our upcoming Advocates 20th Anniversary
spectacular celebration, "Fastforwarding Our Libertarian Future."
It will feature a truly stellar line-up of speakers -- including
the legendary Hugh Downs and the acclaimed Robert Ringer. Some of
the planet's most exciting, inspiring, and provocative speakers
on the ideas of liberty and how to communicate them!
Three exciting days of events, wonderful speakers, panels, two luncheons,
dessert reception, frequent gourmet snacks, book signings, and gala
banquet, at a gorgeous four-diamond hotel.
This event will be one of the highlights of your libertarian life.
Complete details about "Fastforwarding Our Libertarian Future"
are here: http://www.theadvocates.org/20th.html.
Tickets are limited -- please sign up now! Hope to see you there!
* * *
Welcome to 150 new Liberator Online subscribers this issue.
Thanks for joining our subscription "family" of almost
70,000 liberty-loving readers in over 100 countries!
* * *
To learn more about the Advocates and our work for liberty: http://www.theadvocates.org.
To
learn more about libertarianism: http://www.Libertarianism.com.
Enjoy
this issue of the Liberator Online.
--
Sharon Harris, President | Email: sharon(a)TheAdvocates.org
PS: Understanding economics is crucial
if you want to defend the ideas of liberty.
Jim Cox's The Concise Guide to Economics is great if you
want to quickly grasp the essentials of free market economics --
including some of today's hottest issues. Each chapter can be quickly
read, and makes sense out of the often-confusing world of economics.
You'll never read a newspaper the same way again after you've read
this short, clear, straight-to-the-point book!
Plus: order it now, and we'll give you a pack of 50 FREE World's
Smallest Political Quiz cards with your order!
Check out our Product Review section at the end of this issue for
details on this limited-time offer.
[Offer
good through September 6, 2005.]
Thank you!
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What's
Happening With The Advocates
* October
14-16, 2005: "Fastforwarding Our Libertarian Future":
That's the theme of the Advocates for Self-Government's 20th Anniversary
Celebration. The legendary HUGH DOWNS joins top libertarian speakers,
wonderful surroundings, and great company to make this THE libertarian
event of the year. October 14-16, 2005 at the gorgeous Renaissance
Concourse Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets are limited! Learn
all about it: http://www.theadvocates.org/20th.html.
* Summer Outreach: It's summer -- the perfect time
for Operation Politically Homeless (OPH) libertarian outreach! Learn
how this acclaimed "event in a kit" can help you discover
dozens or even hundreds of libertarian-leaning folks in your community.
Details here: http://www.theadvocates.org/oph.html.
* Most Acclaimed Libertarian Communication Course EVER:
Learn the very best ways to persuade others of the benefits of liberty.
You can get Michael Cloud's classic 3-tape audio course "The
Essence of Political Persuasion" from us at the GIVE-AWAY price
of only $7.50 -- that price includes handling and First Class mail
so you'll get it right away! We've put over 7,000 sets into the
hands of libertarian activists in the past few years! To order,
call us or see: http://www.theadvocates.org/epp-redirect.html.
*
Want to quickly learn the basics of libertarianism -- from
some of the best minds in the liberty movement? Want to help a friend
quickly learn about libertarianism? Check out Libertarianism.com,
from the Advocates: http://www.Libertarianism.com.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Good
News, Bad News, Unbelievable News
By
James W. Harris
Eminent
Domain Abuses Mount -- But Supreme Court Won't Reconsider
This
week the U.S. Supreme Court turned away the chance to rehear and
reconsider one of its most-despised decisions in recent memory:
its 5-4 ruling in Kelo v. City of New London, which allows the use
of eminent domain -- a fancy term for "the government stealing
your home and business" -- for private development.
"The denial makes it crystal clear that since the Supreme Court
will not protect home and small business owners, it is now up to
state legislatures and state courts to protect people from eminent
domain abuse," said Scott Bullock of the libertarian Institute
for Justice civil rights group, which fought the eminent domain
battle all the way to the nation's highest court.
The Institute for Justice further notes that the Kelo decision has
already opened up the floodgates to eminent domain abuse.
Local officials in more than 30 cities have cited the Kelo ruling
in moving ahead with condemnations for private development. Dozens
more projects nationwide threaten thousands of home and small business
owners.
Among the many projects buoyed by the Kelo ruling:
* Small businesses are being seized for more upscale businesses.
Just hours after the decision, officials in Freeport, Texas, began
legal filings to seize two family-owned seafood companies to make
way for an $8 million private boat marina.
* In three Missouri towns -- as well as other cities across the
country -- homes are already being taken for shopping malls. On
July 12, 2005, Sunset Hills voted to allow the condemnation of 85
homes and small businesses to make way for a $165 million shopping
center and office complex. The City of Arnold plans to take 30 homes
and 15 small businesses, including the Arnold Veterans of Foreign
Wars (VFW) post, for a Lowe's and a strip mall. And in late July
a Missouri judge reluctantly condemned a home in an upscale St.
Louis neighborhood to be replaced with a shopping center. Basing
his decision on Missouri law and the Kelo decision, the judge lamented:
"Perhaps the people will clip the wings of eminent domain in
Missouri, but today in Missouri it soars and devours."
* Homes are also being taken to give space for builders to construct
more luxurious homes. In Long Branch, N.J., officials are poised
to use eminent domain to take the oceanfront homes of residents
who stand in the way of new luxury condos.
But libertarians and other citizens are fighting back. The Institute
for Justice and its "Castle Coalition" grassroots arm
has launched a $3 million "Hands Off My Home" campaign.
The campaign supports eminent domain reform at the state and local
level and equips ordinary Americans with the means to protect their
homes, small businesses and churches from eminent domain for private
profit. Citizens can join the Castle Coalition and learn how to
get involved in Hands Off My Home at: www.castlecoalition.org.
Source: Institute for Justice: http://www.ij.org
Cities
Exploring Privatization of Almost Everything
Most libertarians know that (at the least) virtually every service
local governments provide can be done better and cheaper by the
private sector.
Now a new city is considering testing that out -- in a big way.
Sandy Springs is a suburb of Atlanta in Northeast Fulton County.
This summer citizens approved a referendum for incorporation with
94.6 percent of the vote -- in effect seceding from Fulton County.
Why the "secession"? According to Geoffrey F. Segal, director
of privatization and government reform at the libertarian Reason
Foundation, "Sandy Springs residents were upset with dismal
service, a lack of local control, and the skyrocketing costs of
public services" from Fulton County.
Having been burned for decades by lousy government-provided and
tax-funded "services," the new city plans to examine carefully
every traditional city service and see if it is necessary, and,
if it is, whether it can be turned over to the private sector or
otherwise contracted out. Indeed, some city officials are considering
having private companies or contracts provide almost every service
in Sandy Springs.
Says Segal: "City officials expect to contract out as many
services as possible to the private sector. In addition, they hope
to partner with other neighboring municipal governments for service,
or even with the county. All of these options, for the most part,
are preferred over 'making' their own internal bureaucracy.
"The plan is modeled after the city of Weston, Florida. With
65,000 residents, Weston incorporated after years of poor public
service and spiraling costs. Today the city has fewer than a half-dozen
employees -- most of Weston's services were privatized, resulting
in better service at significantly lower cost.
"In the words of John Flint, Weston's City Manager, "Over
what the county was providing, there was a dramatic increase in
the quality of services, with the next jurisdiction in the county
more than double our property taxes."
Reason's Segal says that municipal governments across America are
watching the Sandy Springs experiment. Let's hope Weston and Sandy
Springs succeed -- and become role models for the rest of America.
Sources: Bangor Daily News / Reason Foundation:
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/segal_20050810.shtml
...
Study:
Americans Today Twice As Dependent on Government Handouts
Americans are more than twice as dependent on the federal government
for basic needs, compared to just 25 years ago.
That's the startling conclusion of a new study by the conservative
Heritage Foundation.
"The 2005 Index of Dependency" attempts to explore and
quantify the degree of our dependence on government. It does this
by examining five broad, major categories of federal intervention:
housing assistance, healthcare and welfare assistance, retirement
income, post-secondary education subsidies, and rural and agricultural
services.
With a benchmark dependence score of 100 for the year 1980, American
citizens' dependence on federal government assistance is at 212
on the Heritage study's index -- more than doubling in just 25 years.
Furthermore, just since 2001 the level of government dependency
has grown by 24 percent.
The consequences of such dependency on government are many, and
troubling. It increases the power of the state and weakens the power
of private institutions like families, churches, and charities.
It reduces individual initiative and charity. It increases taxes,
slows economic growth. It creates vast, impersonal bureaucracies.
It tends to trap the poor in poverty, encourage and reward unproductive
and destructive behavior, and discourage upward mobility. As Benjamin
Franklin noted, "[T]he best way of doing good to the poor,
is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them
out of it."
The Heritage study notes: "The opposite of independence is
dependence, which the American Founders deplored following
Blackstone's definition: "Dependence is very little else but
an obligation to conform to the will or law of that superior person
or state upon which the inferior depends." Thomas Jefferson,
as usual, was more to the point: "Dependence begets subservience
and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools
for the designs of ambition."
As the number of tax-dependents grows, this of course creates a
huge potential special interest group for bigger, ever-more-intrusive
government.
"Civil society already has yielded substantial ground to the
federal public sector," says study author William Beach. "When
do we reach what George Will called the triumph of the entitlement
state, where the special interests band together to form a majority
that votes its short-term desires at the expense of the long-term
public good?"
Source: The Heritage Foundation's 2005 Index of
Dependency:
http://www.Heritage.org/Research/Budget/cda05-05.cfm
"Men
who have given up the habit of self-government..."
"It is in vain to summon a people who have been rendered so
dependent on the central power to choose from time to time the representatives
of that power; this rare and brief exercise of their free choice,
however important it may be, will not prevent them from gradually
losing the faculties of thinking, feeling, and acting for themselves,
and thus gradually falling below the level of humanity.
"It is indeed difficult to conceive how men who have entirely
given up the habit of self-government should succeed in making a
proper choice of those by whom they are to be governed; and no one
will ever believe that a liberal, wise, and energetic government
can spring from the suffrages of a subservient people." --
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1835-1840
* * *
"Good News, Bad News, Unbelievable News"
is written by Liberator Online editor James W. Harris.
His articles have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers,
and he has been a Finalist for the Mencken Award, given by the Free
Press Association for "Outstanding Journalism in Support of
Liberty."
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 |
Persuasion
Power
Point
#187 |
Are You Being Offered Watered-Down
and Adulterated Libertarianism?
By Michael Cloud
"Libertarians are skeptical toward government intervention,"
wrote a columnist.
"Libertarians are concerned about the continual expansion of
government," wrote a libertarian organization.
"Libertarians favor a smaller government role in the economy,"
wrote a reporter.
"Libertarians want less regulation and day-to-day interference,"
wrote yet another.
Do you see how these ways of talking about liberty and libertarianism
weaken, dilute, and adulterate the meaning?
Try these watered-down and adulterated phrasings in other areas.
Are doctors skeptical about the value of infections and disease?
Are skydivers merely concerned about the failure of their parachutes
to open? Do police officers favor a smaller role for organized crime?
Do bank auditors prefer less embezzlement and less day-to-day white
collar crime?
Ridiculous, isn't it? But so are the watered-down phrasings of libertarianism.
To adulterate is to "corrupt, debase, or make impure by the
addition of a foreign or inferior substance. To prepare for sale
by replacing more valuable with less valuable or inert ingredients."
(Webster's 9th edition dictionary.)
When false friends or weak allies water down liberty with less valuable
or worthless ingredients, freedom loses. And so do we.
Take a look at a few weak, watered-down, diluted brews of liberty
and libertarianism.
Compare watered-down and adulterated "libertarianism"
with the Real Stuff.
Libertarians do NOT "doubt" the value of Big Government
and government intervention: we are sure that they are damaging
and destructive. We oppose them.
Libertarians are NOT individuals "who are unconvinced"
or "remain unpersuaded" or "aren't sold on"
or "are less than excited by" Big Government, high taxes,
or government intervention.
Libertarians are convinced, persuaded, and sold on the belief that
Big Government doesn't work, that government interference and intervention
into the voluntary, peaceful relations of individuals is destructive,
wrong, evil. We oppose these actions of government. We work against
these things. We try to reduce and remove them.
Libertarians are NOT people who FAVOR or PREFER freedom and small
government.
"Favor" or "prefer" ice cream flavors. Or clothes.
"Favor" or "prefer" music or movies or vacation
spots. Many people, perhaps most, favor or prefer one thing, while
accepting another.
Libertarians are people who INSIST ON or BOLDLY ADVOCATE freedom
and small government. We accept no substitutes. And we ACT to advance
freedom and small government.
Libertarians are NOT people who "see the new law as a threat
to freedom," who "view it as a danger to our liberties,"
or "who believe we must be vigilant toward the new law."
Libertarians hold that the new law is a VIOLATION and INFRINGEMENT
on freedom. That it's an ATTACK on liberty. That we must repeal
and remove the law immediately.
Mathematicians do NOT doubt that 2 + 2 = 7. Chemists are NOT skeptical
toward alchemy. Astronomers are NOT unpersuaded, unconvinced, or
unsold on astrology.
They rationally reject such nonsense. They are guided by reason,
research, and reality.
Libertarians must perceive and preserve and protect the meaning
and value of libertarian concepts and language.
We must advocate and advance "Truth In Labeling" toward
libertarianism and liberty.
We must object to and correct watered-down and adulterated "libertarianism."
We must restore freedom's ideas and impact to their full, pure strength.
* * *
Michael Cloud is the author of the acclaimed book,
Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion, available exclusively
from the Advocates. Order at: http://www.TheAdvocates.org/secrets.html.
Michael was voted the Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator
in America and honored with the Thomas Paine Award at the Libertarian
Party national convention in July 2000.
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 |
Ask
Dr.
Ruwart |
Dr.
Mary Ruwart is a leading expert in libertarian communication. In
this column she gives readers "short answers to the tough questions"
that libertarians are frequently asked.
Dr. Ruwart's past Liberator Online answers are archived
in searchable form at: http://www.TheAdvocates.org/ruwart/categories_list.php
"What is libertarianism?"
QUESTION:
"I'm trying to figure out what libertarianism is.
Can you give me a simple, cohesive definition, such as: ‘Libertarianism
is a system of self-government qualified by ___________ ‘ please?"
MY SHORT ANSWER: Libertarianism is the political
philosophy in which everyone rules themselves, as long as they don't
physically assault others, steal from them, or defraud them. In
a libertarian society, those who violate this "non-aggression"
principle or "Good Neighbor Policy" restore their victims
as much as humanly possible.
Other political philosophies reject self-government in favor of
rule by the majority (democracy) or rule by a minority (monarchy).
Such political philosophies use taxation, regulation, and punishment
(rather than restitution) to enforce this rule. The person or group
in power changes periodically. People take turns being victims and
aggressors. Society is thus eternally at war, with no hope or possibility
of peace.
(Editor's note: for other short definitions of
libertarianism -- and much more on the topic as well -- please visit
our Libertarianism.com
Web site.)
...
"What
do libertarians think about universal health care?"
QUESTION:
"What do libertarians think about universal health care?"
MY SHORT ANSWER: The way to make health care universal
is to make it affordable. The way to make it affordable is to slash
the excess regulations that cause prices to soar without protecting
the consumer.
In 1962, for example, regulations were passed that tripled the development
time of new drugs. These regulations haven't made drugs any safer.
Most side effects seen in drugs for the past 50-75 years are ones
that can't be predicted from animal studies or the small number
of people exposed to the drug during clinical testing. Thus, these
regulations kill about 100 times as many people as they save. In
addition, they've driven drug prices up 700%. (For details, see:
www.ruwart.com/AAPS.pdf.)
I conservatively estimate that we could slash 80-90% off our health
care bill without such wasteful regulations. Almost everyone could
then afford to pay for their medical care. The few who couldn't
would be easily covered by private charity.
If we keep excessive and expensive regulation in place and make
the taxpayer foot the bill, we'll have to ration health care as
other nations with universal health care do. In practice, this usually
means that the elderly are denied care in favor of children and
adults of working age. In Britain, for example, people over 55 years
of age are often denied kidney dialysis. Thus, universal health
care, as proposed by our politicians, is even less universal than
the current bloated system in the U.S.
* * *
Got questions? Dr. Ruwart has answers!
If you'd like answers to YOUR
"tough questions" on libertarian issues, just email to
Dr. Ruwart at: ruwart(a)theAdvocates.org. Due to volume, Dr. Ruwart
can't personally acknowledge all emails. But we'll run the best
questions and answers in upcoming issues.
Dr. Ruwart's outstanding books Healing Our World and Short
Answers to the Tough Questions are available from the Advocates:
http://www.TheAdvocates.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvv.
...
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 |
Harry
Browne's
Soundbites
for Liberty |
During
his two Libertarian Party presidential campaigns (1996 and 2000),
Harry Browne created hundreds of "soundbites" -- short,
pithy, and highly memorable answers to the questions libertarians
are most frequently asked by the media and the public. Each issue
we'll be sharing some of the best. Enjoy -- and put them to use
for liberty!
* * *
* Liberal and conservative utopian dreamers:
"Liberals and conservatives accuse libertarians of being utopian
dreamers. And yet the liberals and conservatives continually dream
up these fantastic government programs that somehow are going to
work better than all the failed government programs of the past."
* Abortion: "Given the government's record
with the War on Poverty and the War on Drugs, we can assume that
a War on Abortion would lead within five years to men having
abortions."
* Corporate responsibility: "It is said that
companies shouldn't limit their attention to making money, that
they should also concern themselves with 'doing good' -- for the
environment, the poor, and other social causes. But why? Should
lawyers become open-heart surgeons? Should farmers learn computer
programming? In a modern society shouldn't each of us do what he
does best -- and leave other tasks to people who do them better?
Shouldn't companies focus on making the products and services that
people want -- so the companies will earn the profits necessary
to pay dividends to the widows, orphans, and others whose retirement
funds have been entrusted to the companies?"
* * *
Harry Browne was 1996 and 2000 Libertarian Party
presidential candidate. He is the author of a dozen books that have
sold over two million copies, including three New York Times
bestsellers. Browne's book Liberty A to Z: 872 Libertarian Soundbites
You Can Use Right Now is a treasury of soundbites like those
in this column.
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