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The following is a list of answers to many of the frequently asked questions about libertarianism.
These answers have been compiled from several sources. Most of the answers are derived or quoted from writings by David Bergland including "Libertarianism in One Lesson" and "America's Libertarian Heritage." Quotes were used with permission from David Bergland and the Advocates for Self-Government as long as proper credit was retained. All quoted answers will be marked and the source referenced in the bibliography.
This document was converted to HTML by Jeffrey Breen (job5g@Virginia.edu). Additional editing was done by Scott Banister (banister@uiuc.edu).
If you want more information about libertarian ideas, take the World's Smallest Political Quiz and register or contact us at:
The Advocates for Self-Government, Inc.
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Cartersville, GA 30120
(770)386-8372
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Self-government is the combination of personal responsibility and tolerance. Responsibility means you govern yourself. Tolerance means you don't force your values on peaceful, honest people.
Today, however, others-government is giving us insecurity, conflict and poverty. Let's revitalize our heritage of self-government to create a win-win world where everyone comes out ahead. [4] -- Carole Ann Rand
Libertarian positions on the issues are not "left" or "right" or a combination of the two. Libertarians believe that, on every issue, you have the right to decide for yourself what's best for you and to act on that belief so long as you respect the right of other people to do the same and deal with them peacefully and honestly.
Today's liberals and conservatives have rejected America's heritage of liberty and personal responsibility. They want to put us all in their straitjacket. Americans built a great country without shackles. It's time to take them off again. Break free of the useless left right spectrum. Think freedom on all issues. Think libertarian. [2]
In dealing with political issues, libertarians focus on the people involved. Who is having a problem? What is it? What is the government doing already, if anything, and might that be the cause of the problem?
Most importantly, Libertarians ask: is anyone violating another's rights? Is someone committing murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, embezzlement, arson, trespass, etc.? If so, then it's proper to call on government to help the victim against the wrongdoer. But, if not, the government should not get involved.
In most instances, people are better off if allowed to work out their own problems through voluntary cooperation without introducing the coercive tool of government. [3]
I like knowing I'm being protected by people who are in the military because they want to be there, not because they were forced against their will to be there.
A military focused on defending America instead of policing the globe would reduce manpower needs and further eliminate any reason to have a draft or draft registration.
Let's let free people defend freedom. [3]
Americans would not like it if the government here owned or controlled the newspapers. Why should we like government control of TV and radio any better? As with printed words, broadcast words can and should be regulated by the free market.
Americans should be able to freely choose what they will watch or listen to, without Big Brother making those decisions for them. [3]
This doesn't mean we must personally approve of the sexual behaviors of others. It simply means that as long as the participants are consenting adults, no one has the right to use the force of government laws to try to stop or punish them.
There is no justification for throwing peaceful Americans in jail because of their sexual choices. Let's respect people's right to control their own bodies. [3]
Criminal penalties do not stop prostitution. They just create real problems. One study showed it costs taxpayers two thousand dollars every time a prostitute is arrested. Let's respect people's right to control their own bodies.
Decriminalize sex, and let it be a private affair. [3]
Before drugs were illegal, Americans handled them with few problems. Let's respect the right of people to control their own bodies.
Decriminalize drugs, help those who need it, and let the police spend their time protecting us from real crime. [3]
All of the hard drugs were legal before 1914, and there were few addicts. Studies show that even addicts can be productive, and also that they do not engage in crime when they can get their drugs inexpensively.
We have addicts today despite drug criminalization. We also have the violence that is caused by drugs being illegal. Let's decriminalize drugs so we stop the violence and get help to those who need it. [3]
Law-abiding, responsible citizens do not and should not need to ask anyone's permission or approval to engage in a peaceful activity. Gun ownership, by itself, harms no other person and cannot morally justify criminal penalties.
A responsible, well-armed and trained citizenry is the best protection against domestic crime and the threat of foreign invasion. America's founders knew that. It is still true today.
A way to help the poor is to let them go where the work is, regardless of borders. Studies show that immigrants don't take jobs from others, they add to the economy and help create more jobs.
America was built by immigrants who came here seeking nothing but opportunity and freedom -- and created the greatest, most productive society ever.
Respect for human rights and compassion for the world's poor require that we relax immigration restrictions. [3]
Subsidies are harmful and unfair. Why should some businesses be taxed to give handouts to others? Why should you pay higher prices to support government favored businesses?
Let's stop this nonsense. Then business could operate in a free market and all of us could be better fed, clothed and housed at lower cost. [3]
With free trade, consumers pay lower prices for products and thereby have more money left to spend on other goods, domestic as well as foreign.
Free trade also helps the cause of world peace. In the 1920's and 30's, trade barriers went up everywhere, directly contributing to the outbreak of World War II. If goods don't cross borders, armies will.
Let's end all trade restrictions and free the world's resources to be allocated in the most efficient and productive manner. [3]
It must be asked, if the minimum wage is such a good idea, why not raise it to $200 an hour? Even the most die-hard minimum wage advocate can see there's something wrong with that proposal.
The only "fair" or "correct" wage is what an employer and employee voluntarily agree upon. We should repeal minimum wage now. [3]
Permits, licensing, zoning, labor laws. They all stop people who want to work, especially minorities. Repeal those laws. Private charity is more compassionate and delivers the goods better than the government welfare plantation.
We can't make a perfect world. We can do more for the poor by replacing inefficient government programs with effective voluntary assistance. [1] -- David Bergland
An old saying states: "it takes two to tango." Relationships or associations require at least two people. We cannot justify using force to keep people out of voluntary relationships and we cannot justify forcing private citizens into relationships against their will.
Government employment is a different case. The only criteria for employment or advancement in government work should be merit. The Constitution requires that we all be given equal treatment under the law. Since governments are created by law, they are Constitutionally required to be absolutely even handed. Private citizens or companies on the other hand have the right to be stupid and suffer the consequences.
Attempts to correct bigotry with affirmative action haven't worked very well. Such laws are easy for bigots to circumvent and people tend to think minority employees did not earn their positions on merit even if they did. They also make it possible for bigots to harass minorities by demanding employment at minority owned businesses. [2]
We should support all moves to reduce and repeal taxes because taxes are obtained immorally, by force. The income tax is particularly evil, since it penalizes productivity and forces all of us to expose our private affairs to government snoopers.
We had no income tax before 1914 and America prospered. Replacing the income tax with voluntary methods for financing services should be our goal, and we should begin right now. [3]
Replacing political controls with self-government will only go as far as you let it. So let's experiment. Cut foreign aid. Deregulate transportation. Repeal one drug law. Cut farm subsidies. Cut taxes.
As you gain self government, you will probably want more. That's for you to decide. No one can force you to be free. [1] -- David Bergland
If people are basically evil, the last thing you'd want is a big government staffed by those evil folks exercising control over you. [1] -- David Bergland
A list of libertarian-oriented organizations is available.
A large collection of libertarian WWW links can be found in The Libertarian Web.
[2] Bergland, David, "America's Libertarian Heritage: The Politics of Freedom," Orpheus Publications, 1773 Bahama Place, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, (714)751-8980, 1991.
[3] "The Liberator," Spring 1992, pp. 18-19, Advocates for Self- Government, 1202 N. Tenn. St., Suite 202, Cartersville, GA 30120 (800)932-1776.
[4] "The Liberator," Summer 1993, p. 13, Advocates for Self-Government.
Last Modified, Sun Jun 01, 1997