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In
This Issue:
Federal
court decision brings America "dangerously closer to a police
state," newspaper warns... Now there's a libertarian columnist
in the world's most influential newspaper... Republican House Leader
says there's no place to cut the federal budget (but we
have a few suggestions)... Mary Ruwart deals with the problems of
Rottweiler owners and malevolent monopolists... Michael Cloud tells
you why you should remain hopeful during dark times for liberty...
Harry Browne offers soundbites on education, the environment, and
why more government isn't the answer to social problems... Get your
tickets now -- and save $75! In just THREE WEEKS join HUGH DOWNS,
ROBERT RINGER and more than a dozen great libertarian speakers at
the Advocates' spectacular 20th Anniversary Celebration...
All this and much much more in the world's largest-circulation
libertarian publication...
...
The
Liberator Online
Vol. 10, No. 17 | September 21, 2005
Circulation: 67,074 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 is the granddaddy of libertarian
education and outreach organizations... Their World's Smallest
Political Quiz has become the de facto standard for gauging
political opinions in the 21st Century." -- Libertarian
Party of Massachusetts
|
Contents
PRESIDENT'S
CORNER
*
"I was amazed," says libertarian activist
* "Fastforwarding Our Libertarian Future" -- just three
weeks left until this libertarian event-of-a-lifetime!
WHAT'S
HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
*
Exciting opportunities for libertarians!
GOOD
NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
*
GOP House Leader Says There's No Room to Cut Federal Budget
* Libertarian Columnist at the World's Most Influential Newspaper
* Newspaper: U.S. "dangerously closer to becoming a police
state"
* "The most sacred duty of a government"
PERSUASION
POWER POINT #188
*
"Don't Chop Down A Dead Tree During Winter" by Michael
Cloud
ASK
DR. RUWART
*
Could you own Rottweillers in a libertarian society?
* How could a libertarian society deal with malevolent monopolists?
HARRY
BROWNE'S SOUNDBITES FOR LIBERTY
*
Education for every child
* Government and the environment
* Government doesn't work
...
PRODUCT
REVIEW
*
Get 50 FREE Quiz cards with great Concise Guide to Economics
book!
...
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 |
President's
Corner |
Dear
friends,
"I was amazed..." That's what Virginia libertarian
activist Liz Bowles said about the results of her Operation Politically
Homeless (OPH) outreach booth a few weeks ago.
Liz coordinated the OPH booth at the "Steppin' Out" summer
festival in Blacksburg, Virginia on August 5-6, 2005.
OPH, an Advocates creation, uses the World's Smallest Political
Quiz and other tools to rev up an ordinary outreach table into a
crowd-drawing event.
"I was amazed at the number of people who scored in the libertarian
quadrant this year," she said. "We gave 97 Quizzes over
the two days, and 26 [people] gave us contact information and wanted
to be invited to our future events. A few of them were students,
but the majority were area residents."
The Operation Politically Homeless (OPH) booth was sponsored by
the Libertarians at Virginia Tech, the New River Libertarians, the
Libertarian Party of Botetourt, and the Roanoke Valley Libertarian
Party. Congratulations, guys!
I'm delighted at their success -- but I must confess, I'm not at
all amazed. Because over the years, I've seen OPH work its magic
time and time again. OPH is simply a fantastic way to discover libertarians
and libertarian-leaning folks in your community, and get their contact
information so you can help them get them involved in the great
cause of liberty. It's a proven, effective and, yes, amazing tool
-- a perfect activity for new libertarians and veteran activists
alike.
And not only that, it's fun! OPH users tell us that, over
and over again. Outreach that's fun -- what a concept!
This fall, millions of Americans will be attending county and state
fairs and other events. These are *perfect* opportunities to use
OPH to make them aware of libertarianism and your libertarian group.
Don't let those opportunities slip by! If you have an OPH kit, put
it to use. If you don't have one, you can learn more -- and get
this acclaimed "event in a kit" -- here: http://www.theadvocates.org/oph.html.
*
* *
JUST
THREE WEEKS UNTIL STAR-STUDDED ADVOCATES EVENT!
It's almost here! Our upcoming Advocates 20th Anniversary spectacular
celebration, "Fastforwarding Our Libertarian Future,"
takes place in just three weeks.
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.
SAVINGS BONUS: Mention this column and TAKE $75 OFF YOUR TICKET
PRICE! If you purchase your ticket before midnight October 2, your
cost will only be $274.00.
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 444 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 October 3, 2005.]
Thank you!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
What's
Happening With The Advocates
*
October 14-16, 2005: JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY! "Fastforwarding
Our Libertarian Future" is 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.
* Libertarian Activism Awards: Can you meet the
Lights of Liberty Awards challenge? Three libertarian letters to
the editor, three libertarian speeches, OR three turns at working
an OPH booth done before January 1, 2006 qualifies you to receive
a handsome certificate suitable for framing -- and also qualifies
you for drawings on some great prizes, including the incredible
Libertarian Presidential Library, an AUTOGRAPHED collector's set
of every campaign book written by every Libertarian Party presidential
candidate from 1972's John Hospers to 2004's Michael Badnarik! Most
importantly, every person who qualifies encourages others by their
example to engage in these vital outreach activities. See details
here: http://theadvocates.org/lights.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
GOP
House Leader Says There's No Room to Cut Federal Budget
House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) wins, hands-down, the award
for the single most mind-bogglingly absurd political comment of
recent weeks (if not years).
Fiscal conservatives have expressed alarm over the Bush administration's
proposal to spend anywhere from $60 billion to $200 billion or more
in New Orleans disaster relief. Many argue that this money should
at least be raised by cutting unnecessary federal spending, rather
than by still more deficit spending.
But that's just not possible, countered Rep. DeLay in a press conference
after the president's proposal. Get this: DeLay said that Republicans
have done such a stellar job of slashing federal spending during
the past decade that there simply is no place left in the federal
budget where further cuts are possible. (No, he wasn't joking.)
According to DeLay, the GOP has won an "ongoing victory"
against wasteful federal spending
"My answer to those that want to offset the spending is sure,
bring me the offsets, I'll be glad to do it. But nobody has been
able to come up with any yet," the Texas Republican told reporters.
"Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared [the
federal budget] down pretty good."
The GOP House Leader's comments stunned and outraged fiscal conservatives
and libertarians, who have watched President Bush and the GOP Congress
lead one of the biggest social spending sprees of all time.
The arch-conservative New Hampshire Union-Leader newspaper
responded bluntly: "That has to be the lie of the year. The
only thing Congressional Republicans have pared down is the party's
reputation." DeLay, the paper charged, is guilty of "lying
to the American people about how their government is being run."
The San Diego Union-Leader similarly noted: "Since
the GOP took over Congress in 1994, the supposed party of small
government has presided over the largest expansion of federal spending
since the New Deal -- and, no, that doesn't count the post-9/11
spikes in military and homeland security spending. This binge has
only accelerated with a Republican president. No wonder the president
blithely touts a $100 billion-plus rebuilding of New Orleans without
outlining how to pay for it; his indifference to running up $1 trillion
in total debt since 2001 shows it might as well be Monopoly money
to him."
"If Mr. DeLay actually believes what he said then he has clearly
lost touch with reality wrote John Berthoud, president of the National
Taxpayers Union, in the Wall Street Journal. "After
all, total federal spending, aside from interest, has increased
79 percent since 1995 -- much greater than the inflationary increase
in prices of 28 percent. Republicans have dramatically increased
the size of government to an extent not seen since Richard Nixon
was in the White House."
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) -- a nonpartisan organization
dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement
in government -- was quick to respond with a long list of specific
proposals for cutting.
CAGW released "Prime Cuts 2005," which catalogues 600
recommendations throughout the government that could save taxpayers
$232 billion in fiscal year 2006 and $2 trillion over the next five
years.
Just a few examples from "Prime Cuts" of programs that
could be abolished: Community Development Block Grants (saving $24.7
billion over five years); the White House's National Youth Anti-drug
Media Campaign (saving $1 billion over five years); the Advanced
Technology Program (saving $750 million over five years) and on
and on it goes, page after page of waste, duplication, and federal
destructiveness.
Our own suggestion is that Rep. DeLay spend some time talking with
his fellow Texas Republican House colleague, libertarian Congressman
Ron Paul. We have no doubt at all that Congressman Paul could come
up with a few suggestions for trimming the budget.
In fact, Congressman Paul has proposed a bill, The Liberty Amendment,
to restrict the federal government to performing only those functions
permitted it under the Constitution. (Talk about a radical proposal!)
Doing so would cut the federal government so dramatically that the
entire federal income tax could easily be abolished.
Unfortunately, only two GOP Congressmen have thus far signed on
to support it. Perhaps Congressman Paul could persuade DeLay to
be the third?
Source: http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050914-120153-3878r.htm
http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20050918-101526-2359r
http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=60591
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/op-ed/editorial1/20050919-9999-lz1ed19top.html
Libertarian
Columnist at the World's Most Influential Newspaper
Hooray! One of the world's most valuable pieces of newspaper real
estate is now firmly occupied by a libertarian.
A few months ago the New York Times passed over numerous
prominent conservative writers to pick John Tierney -- a self-identified
libertarian -- to fill the twice-weekly op-ed spot held for three
decades by retiring conservative William Safire. For libertarians
this is grand news indeed.
"I consider myself a libertarian," Tierney recently told
the libertarian magazine Reason. "[I]t's my gut instinct
toward things: Keep the government out of your wallet and out of
your bedroom."
How did Tierney become a libertarian? In college in the 1970s he
was "pretty conventionally liberal," but he came across
Reason magazine and found it a refreshing alternative to
the stale ideas of the left and right. After that, he told Reason,
"I sort of evolved into it, really through working as a journalist
and meeting libertarians that way." Particularly influential
on his thinking was the great libertarian economist and contrarian
environmental thinker Julian Simon.
Tierney's New York Times columns are already turning heads
-- and winning increasing respect and acceptance for libertarian
ideas. You may have seen him this week on MSNBC's The Situation
with Tucker Carlson, arguing persuasively that Wal-Mart and
other private-sector providers were far more effective in responding
to the New Orleans disaster than FEMA and other government bureaucracies.
Tierney has long stirred up controversy by devastatingly dissecting
hallowed liberal and conservative nonsense. And he doesn't shy from
controversy; indeed, he embraces it. In 1996 he wrote an article
about compulsory recycling -- with the provocative title "Recycling
Is Garbage" -- that set the all-time record for hate mail received
at the New York Times Magazine. He has called for the privatization
of Central Park, and once wrote a column entitled "Amtrak Must
Die."
Tierney has been with the New York Times since 1990. He
is highly respected by his peers as a journalist and as a commentator,
writing capably and engagingly in fields as diverse as history,
economics, science, politics, and current events. A healthy sense
of humor adds spice to his writing.
Before joining the Times he was an award-winning freelance writer
whose articles appeared in publications including The Atlantic,
Esquire, New York Magazine, Newsweek, Reason, Rolling Stone, Washington
Monthly, Playboy, Outside, Reader's Digest, National Geographic
Traveler, Vogue, The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The
Washington Post, Discover and In Health.
In addition to all that, he's the author of the 2002 book The
Best-Case Scenario Handbook -- a parody of the best-selling
"Worst-Case" books -- which explains, among other things,
how to deal with a broken ATM spewing cash, how to accept the Nobel
Peace Prize and even how to cope with a polite teenage child. Mr.
Tierney is also the co-author, with Christopher Buckley (son of
conservative icon William F. Buckley), of the comic novel, God
Is My Broker: A Monk Tycoon Reveals the 7 1/2 Laws of Spiritual
and Financial Growth.
Sources: Reason interview: http://www.reason.com/interviews/tierney.shtml
New York Times bio: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/tierney-bio.html
...
Newspaper:
U.S. "dangerously closer to becoming a police state"
Last week the Virginia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit upheld a presidential action that, if allowed to stand,
will strip Americans of fundamental civil liberties that date back
to the Magna Carta of 1215.
The case -- arguably one of the most important in U.S. history --
concerns Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen. Padilla is a former Chicago
gang member who was arrested in May 2002. The government at first
claimed he was an al Qaida operative who planned to detonate a radioactive
"dirty bomb" in the U.S. Later they suggested instead
he was planning to blow up apartment buildings by filling them with
natural gas.
These vague accusations were never proven, and the government apparently
doesn't want to try. The day before he was to be given a court hearing,
the federal government dubbed Padilla an "enemy combatant"
and spirited him away to a Navy jail in South Carolina.
There he has remained imprisoned, without a trial or without even
being charged, for more than three years. The Bush administration
says such arrests and imprisonments are necessary to protect America
from terrorism.
This is, as numerous legal observers have noted, an outrageous violation
of the most basic principles of American constitutional law, including
habeas corpus, due process and the presumption of innocence.
In upholding the president's power to do this, the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Fourth Circuit court has essentially said that the
president can, if he so desires, declare a U.S. citizen an "enemy
combatant," suspend his right to a trial, strip him of constitutional
protections, and imprison him indefinitely.
This kind of dictatorial power is utterly alien to the American
system of government.
As the Asheville, North Carolina Citizen-Times wrote: "If
the detention of Jose Padilla is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court,
the United States will have slipped dangerously closer to becoming
a police state."
Interestingly, the author of the court's decision was Judge J. Michael
Luttig, appointed by Bush Sr. and one of the president's leading
candidates to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme
Court.
If this wretched decision is upheld, the Constitution has no meaning
and no American is safe from government error or government tyranny.
As the Asheville Citizen-Times wryly notes: "The administration
that is so sure Padilla is a terrorist is the same one that was
sure Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."
As Justice Antonin Scalia -- hardly a bleeding heart liberal --
has written: "The very core of liberty secured by our Anglo-Saxon
system of separated powers has been freedom from indefinite imprisonment
at the will of the Executive."
Nor is the "war on terror" any excuse. In 1943, Winston
Churchill, in the midst of World War II, put it very well: "The
power of the executive to cast a man in prison without formulating
any charge known to the law and particularly to deny him the judgment
of his peers is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation
of all totalitarian government, whether Nazi or Communist."
The case will be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Padilla is a U.S. citizen. If he is indeed guilty, he deserves to
be punished, and severely. But he should either be brought before
a judge and charged, or set free. Anything less is an assault on
bedrock U.S. liberty, worse than anything al-Qaida has ever done.
Source: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050916/OPINION01/509160309/1039
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/12647550.htm
http://www.sfbayview.com/091405/josepadilla091405.shtml
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/mariner/20050914.html
"The
most sacred duty of a government"
"The most sacred of the duties of a government [is] to do equal
and impartial justice to all its citizens." -- Thomas
Jefferson, 1816
* * *
"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
#188 |
Don't Chop Down A Dead Tree
During Winter
By Michael Cloud
One winter, a farmer ran out of firewood. He walked to the edge
of his property, looking for a dead tree. The weather was bitter
cold, but he found a tree.
He snapped a couple of twigs to make sure it was dead. Then he sawed
it down, chopped it up, and hauled it home. The firewood warmed
his home for the rest of the winter.
That spring, he came upon the trunk of the dead tree he'd cut for
kindling. New shoots and leaves sprouted from the trunk. The tree
had been dormant, not dead. The tree's core, its taproot, was alive.
"I learned an important lesson," said the farmer. "Don't
chop down a dead tree during winter."
It's a simple and profound lesson.
Many people make major decisions during a low point in their lives.
Some make critical career choices when things are going poorly in
their company. Still others break off romantic relationships when
they hit a bad stretch.
"Don't chop down a dead tree during winter," warns the
farmer.
This is a vital lesson for libertarians. Especially today.
"I'm burnt out," a longtime libertarian activist told
me. "I've spread the word, run for office, and worked on many,
many libertarian projects. I've done as much as I can, given as
much as I can, and I don't have anything left. I still receive my
libertarian newspapers and magazines in the mail, but I hardly ever
read them anymore. I'm out of energy, and I'm out of hope."
I know how he feels. I've suffered the dark night of the soul more
than once. I went through a season in hell just a few years ago.
I've felt helpless and hopeless about liberty in the face of current
events and seemingly unstoppable government growth.
But I've learned the farmer's lesson. I did not chop down the tree
of liberty during winter.
Albert J. Nock and H.L. Mencken weathered the winter. They suffered
through World War I, alcohol Prohibition, the establishment of the
Federal Reserve System, and the launching of the income tax.
They did not chop down the dead tree during winter.
Ayn Rand, Isabel Patterson, Rose Wilder Lane, Ludwig von Mises,
Friedrich Hayek, and Henry Hazlitt weathered the winter. They experienced
Roosevelt's New Deal and his launching of the welfare state, World
War II, the Soviet Empire, and more.
They did not chop down the dead tree during winter. And liberty
is richer and more robust for it.
It is winter for liberty and small government in America. But we
can get through it. We can preserve and protect the tree. We can
nurture and grow it.
Spring will come. We must make ourselves ready for the opportunities
it brings.
* * *
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
"Could you own Rottweillers
in a libertarian society?"
QUESTION:
"I own four dogs, Rottweilers to be specific Around
the nation people are losing their rights to own certain breeds.
Would I be free to breed, sell, and buy my dogs in a libertarian
society?"
MY SHORT ANSWER: "You would be free to breed,
sell, and buy the dogs of your choice. You would also be responsible
for any harm that they caused others."
...
"How
could a libertarian society deal with malevolent monopolists?"
QUESTION:
"I find your libertarian arguments stimulating. But I still
have some reservations. What happens in a libertarian society if
someone legally acquires monopoly control of scarce resources
-- in which there is no possibility of competition -- and then uses
that control to blackmail the society? Examples might be water rights,
utility infrastructure (power lines, water pipes, etc.) or medical
knowledge such as how to make certain drugs.
"Take the last case as an example. Suppose a new life-threatening
disease arises and scientists working for one company discover an
effective drug treatment. But the owner of the company is racist
and won't sell treatment to some minority despite the fact it costs
him money. In a libertarian society, what happens? Can the owner
condemn people to death and get away with it?"
MY SHORT ANSWER: "All of the examples you've
given for monopolies -- utilities, water rights, cartels -- are
created by government-imposed regulations restricting competition.
Free-market 'monopolies' are rare and short-lived. For details,
see Chapter 7 in my book, Healing Our World, available
from the Advocates (revised 2003 edition) or as a free download
(older 1993 edition) at: http://www.ruwart.com
"Regarding medicine, in a libertarian society, a company that
refused to sell life-saving medicine to a minority group would likely
encounter a consumer boycott on its other products and a great deal
of negative publicity. Most likely, less bigoted individuals would
buy drugs and resell them, or donate them, to the affected group.
"But speaking of deadly medical monopolies, look at the government!
Today, desperately ill people are denied access to life-saving drugs
by the 1962 Leaver-Harris amendments to the Food and Drug Act, which
added 10 years to drug development time. Pharmaceutical firms are
forbidden, by law, to sell or even give unapproved drugs to dying
people, even though it may be a matter of their life or death. By
my calculations, these regulations have killed between 4.7 and 20.8
million Americans since their passage. (I described this in greater
detail in a recent presentation to the American Association of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, as covered in the Liberator Online earlier in
this year. For more details, see: http://www.ruwart.com/AAPS.pdf
)
"The FDA currently has monopoly power in determining which
drugs the American public may buy. A libertarian society would not
have this monopoly. Consequently, people would live longer and healthier
lives."
* * *
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!
* * *
* Education: "We need to
make it possible for every child to get a good education. The only
way to do that is to get the politicians out of the schooling business,
repeal the property taxes that finance schools, allow parents to
use that money to choose the schools that fit their values, and
set up private charities for the few children of families that still
can't afford private schools."
* Government and the environment: "Almost
all pollution takes place on government property -- on government
lands and roads, in government lakes, rivers, and streams. If someone
dumped garbage on your property every day, you'd call the police
and get them to stop the trespasser from polluting your property.
But government has allowed companies to dump toxic wastes in its
lakes and streams, and to clear-cut or strip-mine its lands. Then,
as public outrage has became overwhelming, the government responds
by passing new laws and setting up new agencies that harass companies
and property owners who have always taken far better care of their
property than the government has."
* Government doesn't work: "Government doesn't
work. It doesn't keep the cities safe, it doesn't educate our children
properly, it doesn't deliver the mail on time. Why should we think
this incompetent institution is the solution for the next social
problem that will be raised?"
* * *
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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