What exactly is a Libertarian Independent PT1

     

My oldest son and I had an interesting discussion the other day after I posted my last blog.  He noted that he wasn't sure I was a Libertarian as much as a Conservative.  So I of course dove into research on the Libertarian platform.  So this blog and the next few will be covering the Libertarian platform and which ones I agree with, disagree with or partly agree with.  I am hoping by doing this I can give you all a good insight into my viewpoints as many of my blogs will most likely sound very conservative.  But for those who may not be aware Conservatives and Libertarians are not too far separated from one another.

    So for this blog I am covering the Preamble and part 1.0 of their website, https://www.lp.org/platform/.  Here is what the preamble says:

"As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty: a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and are not forced to sacrifice their values for the benefit of others. We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized. Consequently, we defend each person’s right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power. In the following pages we set forth our basic principles and enumerate various policy stands derived from those principles. These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands."

Now in this I agree with the statement "a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and are not forced to sacrifice their values for the benefit of others."  I firmly believe it is our values that make us who we are.  If we are forced to compromise our values and beliefs as to not offend someone then what is true individual freedom?  The other part I wanted to highlight is "we defend each person’s right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings."  As long as what you are doing is peaceful and honest then you should be free to do as you see fit.  Peaceful assembly is a right granted to us in the Constitution and should be protected at all costs.  Now a major part of that is that your activities are peaceful and do not infringe on the rights of anyone else.  The freedoms we are guaranteed in the Constitution allow for diversity.  To me that is diversity of thought, actions, relationships, etc.

Section 1.0 of the platform is all about Personal Liberty.  

1.1 Self-Ownership: Individuals own their bodies and have rights over them that other individuals, groups, and governments may not violate. Individuals have the freedom and responsibility to decide what they knowingly and voluntarily consume, and what risks they accept to their own health, finances, safety, or life.

I agree with this in its entirety.  We do own our own bodies and must accept the consequences of decisions we make about what happens with them.

1.2 Expression and Communication: We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation, or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.

Again I agree. Freedom of expression is one of our primary rights.  As for religion I have never been able to comprehend why people hate those who do or do not worship.  Personal choice in this is just that, personal.  I oppose censorship and believe parents should be responsible for what their kids are and are not watching, listening to, or doing!

1.3 Privacy: Libertarians advocate individual privacy and government transparency. We are committed to ending government’s practice of spying on everyone. We support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, property, and communications. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records.

I agree 100%  Self explanatory I think.

1.4 Personal Relationships: Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government’s treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration, or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, promote, license, or restrict personal relationships, regardless of the number of participants. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Until such time as the government stops its illegitimate practice of marriage licensing, such licenses must be granted to all consenting adults who apply.

Here is one I think my son was surprised about.  I do agree with this.  I think marriage should not be something the govt is involved in.  It began as a religious institution and should go back to that.  I think whatever adult relationships you are in are you business.  Now along with the govt butting out I also believe people should not be forced to support any relationships they may disagree with, see the Colorado baker who would not make a wedding cake for a gay wedding as he did not agree with gay marriages.  Capitalism evens all of this out based on community actions.  If the baker in this case was known to have these views and lost business which closed his shop then so be it.  Conversely if his community supported him in light of that his business should succeed.  This cancel culture we are developing does nothing but destroy others who disagree with you and needs to stop.  If you don't agree with a business or individuals opinions don't associate with it, period. 

1.5 Abortion: Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

I also agree here.  Every single situation is different and the decisions made by the woman or couple is theirs alone.  If it was my relationship and decision I personally would not as I believe life starts at conception.  At the same time I do not think the govt should be involved in the decision at all.  

1.6 Parental Rights: Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs, provided that the rights of children to be free from abuse and neglect are also protected.

ABSOLUTELY!  As long as the children are not being abused or neglected the government should leave them alone.  Parents need to reassume responsibility for raising their kids.  The parents alone know what their kids need or not.  

1.7 Crime and Justice: Government force must be limited to the protection of the rights of individuals to life, liberty, and property, and governments must never be permitted to violate these rights. Laws should be limited in their application to violations of the rights of others through force or fraud, or to deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Therefore, we favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as gambling, the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes, and consensual transactions involving sexual services. We support restitution to the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. The constitutional rights of the criminally accused, including due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must be preserved. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law. We oppose the prosecutorial practice of “over-charging” in criminal prosecutions so as to avoid jury trials by intimidating defendants into accepting plea bargains.

This one is a little more complicated for me.  I will start where I agree.  I think the laws should be limited to violations of the rights of others, which actually covers most crimes.  I think prostitution should be allowed, oldest profession in the world right.  But with that STD testing and such should be mandatory. I support restitution to the victims at the violators expense.  Constitutional rights must be preserved and I support the abolishment of "over-charging" to avoid trial.  I think there should be no plea bargains and stricter repeat violator consequences.  I do not agree with the the idea gambling and drug/alcohol use are victimless crimes.  While the action is only performed by the person doing it there are other people who are affected through actions before during or after the "crime" happens.

1.8 Death Penalty: We oppose the administration of the death penalty by the state.

I actually disagree entirely.  I think the death penalty should be more strongly enforced.  I think death row should not be a lifetime appointment.  I say give the convicted 2 appeals.  If they both fail they receive a date for execution.  This date will be within 30 days.  Maybe if we make the death penalty an actual threat criminals will be more concerned with getting there.

1.9 Self-Defense: The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. Private property owners should be free to establish their own conditions regarding the presence of personal defense weapons on their own property. We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting, registering, or monitoring the ownership, manufacture, or transfer of firearms or ammunition.

And lastly I agree 100% here.  Our second amendment rights were not given to us to allow the government to monitor us, track our arms, and restrict which ones we can have.  They were given to us to allow us to protect ourselves from any form of aggression, governmental or personal.  This is a right we should protect at all costs because as Benjamin Franklin said "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety".

    That is the end of the first set in the platform.  I think you will find a lot of my ideas and thoughts on current and future events follow the beliefs I have laid out here.  Tomorrow we tackle the second section which is about economic liberty.  Please take time if you dig the blog to comment, share, and give your opinions!