Libertarians believe in freedom.
We believe in private property. You own it, you can do what you want with it, short of causing direct damage to your neighbors’ property or a reduction in property value that you can prove in court. Your neighbor doesn’t like your hot pink paint job? Too bad, neighbor — grow up.
Private property includes money. You earn it, it’s yours. Taxation is government theft of your property. We oppose taxation at all levels.
We believe in free speech. You can say whatever you want short of fraud. Someone offended by what you say? Awww… The answer to speech you find offensive is more speech.
We believe in personal liberty. You can do whatever you want so long as it doesn’t infringe on the liberty of others. Anything government does for you is something you no longer are free to do (or not do) for yourself, and that is why we generally oppose activist government.
We believe in the 9th and 10th Amendments and the presumption of liberty. Unless the US Constitution specifically grants a power to Washington, we believe that the federal government has no authority to say diddly about the issue. (This is why Libertarians believe 80% of today’s federal law is unconstitutional).
The Libertarian Party is the only political party in America that still believes in these five things.
During the period when they controlled government, Republicans demonstrated reckless incompetence in most areas. Spending increased. The reach of government control over your life increased. All the while they claimed to have (some) Libertarian ideas.
In the eight months Democrats have controlled the executive and legislative, we have seen the growth of an ideology implacably opposed to Libertarians beliefs. The expropriation of the financial industry and of most of the American automobile industry has increased government control at the expense of individual choices. They have passed yet another “hate crime” law that criminalizes unpopular speech — the very speech the First Amendment is designed to protect. The nationalized health care system shamelessly being hawked on the corpse of Senator Kennedy would put the federal government literally in control of your life and death. The very legislators who two years ago were saying that “dissent is the highest form of patriotism” now are saying that it is “un-American” to oppose socialized medicine. And these very lawmakers are wiping drool from their chins as they promise higher taxes.
What is the second thing a tyrant does when he seizes power? First, of course, he shoots his opponents. Then he nationalizes the media to prevent any dissent.
There is a bill working its way through the US Senate called “The Cybersecurity Act Of 2009” (S-773). Among other things, the bill would require all servers connected to the world wide web provide certain information to the federal government and submit to government review of ‘security’ measures including personnel. It also would give the President authority to declare a “cybersecurity emergency,” and thereby allow the government to seize and silence any private website.
The office of bill author Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) says these are unfounded worries, and he is echoed by a chorus of The Usual Suspects. A re-write earlier this year to address some of the criticism led to vaguer language that still would be interpreted by a rapacious administration exactly the way we outlined in the previous paragraph.
A Libertarian Congress would kill this bill in committee and socially ostracize the sponsors. Democrats want to silence the dissent of the internet, one of only two media outlets they have been unable to buy or co-opt (they want to kill off the other one, talk radio, with the (un)fairness doctrine or “localism” requirements). Republicans will claim they stood up for freedom by getting three meaningless words changed.
Freedom is too important to trust to the government. That is why it is so important to vote Libertarian and financially support the Libertarian Party of Georgia.
In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to contact Senators Isakson and Chambliss to tell them what you think they should do about Senate Bill 773.
