Those of us who want to keep government small and strictly limited — and, hence, who want individuals to have very wide latitude to make whatever peaceful choices they wish in markets — are far outnumbered by individuals who distrust markets to deliver enough of the goods to enough of the people. Why this distrust? What must sincere opponents of free markets have in mind to motivate their enthusiasm for replacing market processes with government commands?
Month: June 2024
RESOLUTION TO FORMALLY CONDEMN HATEFUL RHETORIC TOWARDS THE 2024 LIBERTARIAN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE CHASE OLIVER
WHEREAS, like most libertarians, our selected Presidential candidate joined the Libertarian Party after being a member of another party where they felt out of place; and
WHEREAS, the candidates on our Presidential/Vice Presidential ticket were properly elected at our national convention by qualified delegates sent on behalf of each affiliate; and
WHEREAS, The Libertarian Party has supported and fought for equal rights regardless of age, race, color, sex, nation of ancestry, sexual orientation, etc, since its founding in 1971; and
WHEREAS, Article 5.4 of the Libertarian Party National Bylaws states “No affiliate party shall endorse any candidate who is a member of another party for public office in any partisan election. No affiliate party shall take any action inconsistent with the Statement of Principles or these bylaws”, and
WHEREAS, Article 14.4 of the Libertarian Party National Bylaws states “The National Committee shall respect the vote of the delegates at nominating conventions and provide full support for the Party’s nominee for President and nominee for Vice-President as long as their campaigns are conducted in accordance with the platform of the Party”,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lucas County and Montgomery County Libertarian Parties of Ohio, condemn any national party leaders, state and local affiliates, and other party aligned organizations or groups, who openly refuse to endorse and support our ticket, use old and/or false information to discourage others from supporting our ticket, hint at breaking from the national party and choosing a different ticket, hint at disregarding the will of the delegates and choosing a different national ticket, and especially anyone who goes so far as to foster and grow an atmosphere of hatred towards one or both candidates on our ticket, a lot of which is thinly veiled bigotry; and
BE IT RESOLVED, that we call upon all national party leaders, state and local affiliates, other party aligned organizations or groups, and party members, to unify behind our ticket and the messages of liberty that this campaign will be working hard to spread.
We condemn hatred and bigotry as irrational and repugnant.
Trump Advisor Admits Trade War Against China Failed
Trump’s tariffs—in addition to those since imposed by President Joe Biden—continue to raise prices for Americans. In fact, promising great economic results and not achieving them is key to Trump’s record: After announcing the $200 billion deal in the first place, he tweeted that “it will bring both the USA & China closer together in so many other ways.” And of course, Trump’s anti-trade rhetoric was based on the trade deficit between the U.S. and China, which increased as a result of his policies.
https://reason.com/2024/06/19/trump-advisor-admits-trade-war-against-china-failed/
What Is Juneteenth to All Americans?
[Frederick] Douglass did not begrudge the freedoms enjoyed by the beneficiaries of the divorce from the British Empire. As an escaped slave, he enjoyed many of those freedoms, if not all. Yet, in this nation, ostensibly conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, “the mournful wail of millions” cried out against their bondage. A celebration of independence was meaningless to those who had little independence to celebrate.
Myths about the U.S. Constitution and Individual Rights That Erode Civil Society
Myth #1: The U.S. Constitution is a contract between the People and the State.
Myth #2: The “common good” exists and it can be discerned.
Myth #3: The State must balance rights when individuals enter society.
New York and Vermont Seek to Impose a Retroactive Climate Tax
Residents in both New York and Vermont already pay over 30 percent more than the US average in residential electricity prices, and this legislation will not lower these costs to consumers. Climate superfunds are not a serious attempt to solve environmental challenges but rather a way to raise government revenue while unfairly punishing an entire industry.
https://www.cato.org/blog/new-york-vermont-seek-impose-retroactive-climate-tax
Possible Good News on Reform of Civil Forfeiture?
Forfeiture has expanded dramatically as a weapon in the War on Drugs (similarly to the Prohibition era). One crucial development has been that law enforcement agencies can often keep the proceeds from auctioning seized property, which creates an incentive to seize more property and complicate the retrieval processes. This seems likely to distort balanced enforcement of laws and is inconsistent with the presumption of innocence.
https://www.cato.org/blog/possible-good-news-reform-civil-forfeiture
Red States Are Reversing Criminal Justice Reform
Politicians have pushed the narrative that criminal justice reforms have led to rising crime rates. The good news is that now, since those trends are reversing, that anti-reform story should be a harder sell. Since spiking in 2020, murder rates in major cities have been declining sharply.
https://reason.com/2024/06/06/states-turn-their-backs-on-criminal-justice-reform
America’s Transfer State
The growth of the transfer state puts our liberty at risk in many ways. It weakens state capacity to produce public goods to defend our liberty. It assures hikes in future taxes taking away resources with which we exercise our liberty. It undermines the habits of self-reliance and connection with others that generate a civil society friendly to liberty.
World’s Smallest Political Quiz Results from Pride 2024
Many people don’t know they’re Libertarian! Take the quiz for yourself at https://www.theadvocates.org/quiz/.
