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Libertarians want to privatize the military
This is not true on so many levels. To quote Dr. Paul, “…that would be a form of corporate welfare, which I cannot condone.” As a libertarian I would like to see most federal government programs privatized or returned to the state and local levels. But the military is not one of those programs. By privatizing the military you are merely subsidizing a corporation, which is, as far as I’m concerned, one of the most despicable acts our government performs. One of the problems that those on the left seem to have with the idea of privatization is that they believe all these private functions will be co-opted by corporations. There are two problems with this line of thinking. The first problem is that privatization and corporatization are two separate things. Adam Smith, the father of capitalism, warned against trusting large corporations as another form of centralized power – one less accountable even than government. The other problem is that once a private organization, such as a private military company, is contracted by the government to perform a task then that organization is no longer truly private. Since that company is now paid with the taxpayers’ money it should also be accountable to those taxpayers’ representatives. As I wrote in a recent article, national defense is the sole responsibility of the federal government. While most government programs should be eliminated or returned to state and local levels, the defense of the country is not something that should be outsourced. Libertarians would get rid of Social Security and the Department of Education Guilty as charged! I’ve always been curious as to why progressives use Social Security as their example of a successful social program. Why? Social Security is the definition of an abject failure. Left-wingers claim that those looking to do away with Social Security want to leave the elderly and infirmed with no safety net, but it is they who have removed that safety net from future generations by leaving the cupboard bare. Our $9 trillion deficit is often discussed, but what most ignore is that the liability is actually closer to $53 trillion dollars due to programs such as Social Security and Medicare. There is a reason why young people are interested in this topic – they are paying hard earned money, from the very first paychecks they are earning out of college, to something that they will never see. Why would I give a government that I wouldn’t trust to tie my shoes for me, the responsibility to hold on to my retirement fund? They obviously have not done well with it so far. As far as the Department of Education, I think the fact that American students are lagging behind the rest of the world in so many areas should be evidence enough. For years American schools were the envy of the world, but ever since the federal government took them over they have consistently gotten worse. But what has the progressives’ typical answer been to this situation – more government intervention. Throwing money at the problem has been a disaster, but now programs like “No Child Left Behind” have linked federal dollars to completely subjective standardized test scores. Instead of allowing individual communities and families make decisions about their respective education the federal government now sets the agenda and the results speak for themselves. Libertarians are young people with rich parents I cannot speak for other libertarians, but I have been extremely fortunate. I have parents that worked hard to provide a good life for us. I am no fool, though. I understand that there are those that have not been as lucky as I have. I do feel that as part of a community I have a responsibility to those less fortunate than myself. George Washington put it best when he said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force.” The government can only force you to do something – for good or bad. People should want to help their neighbor, but it is ultimately the choice of the individual, not the government. Those who joined the “Ron Paul Revolution” came from all walks of life. Many of these people were young people – the majority of which where college students. Some of these people may have been the children of rich parents. The reason these people saw the wisdom of Dr. Paul’s principles is because they saw that the current state of the government is unsustainable. The dollar is falling, the deficit is growing, and the government keeps asking for more – with both democrats and republicans promising that they can get it right where the other has failed. They refuse to see that state and local governments can handle most government programs, and that individuals can make decisions for themselves. One of the largest groups to contribute to Dr. Paul’s campaign were members of the military – mainly from middle and working class families – who were more interested in defending there country than nation-building. No Libertarian society has ever survived I can think of at least one right off the top of my head – the Trackback(0)
Comments (5)
  written by matt, June 18, 2008
I will definetely check Rollye James out. I have noticed Glenn Beck is coming around to a more libertarian mindset - but it's never been his politics I couldn't stand but his personality.
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 written by IMM, June 20, 2008
Neal Boortz used to be pretty solidly libertarian...until the Iraq war. But he's still pretty solid on everything else.
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 written by Sven R Larson, July 03, 2008
Ron Paul actually wants to preserve Social Security. So much for his libertarianism.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 June 2008 09:33 ) |
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and... glenn beck is slowly coming around.