Generally, people in America identify more with libertarian ideals than they do totalitarian ideals.
Here are some of the Libertarian Party's positions on various social and political issues of our time. Read through them and respond to the questions I've asked at the end of the blog post.
1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
1.1 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.
1.2 Personal Privacy
Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.
1.3 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, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.
1.4 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.
1.5 Crime and Justice
Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution of the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.
1.6 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.
We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.
2.0 Economic Liberty
Libertarians want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute
wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.
2.1 Property and Contract
Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.
2.2 Environment
We support a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our ecosystem. Governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights in resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. We realize that our planet's climate is constantly changing, but environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.
2.3 Energy and Resources
While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.
2.4 Government Finance and Spending
All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.
2.5 Money and Financial Markets
We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and unconstitutional legal tender laws.
2.6 Monopolies and Corporations
We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets.
2.7 Labor Markets
We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.
2.8 Education
Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.
2.9 Health Care
We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions. People should be free to purchase health
insurance across state lines.
2.10 Retirement and Income Security
Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become more charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in this realm.
3.0 Securing Liberty
The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.
3.1 National Defense
We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both avoid entangling alliances and abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.
3.2 Internal Security and Individual Rights
The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens. The Constitution and Bill of Rights shall not be suspended even during time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law.
3.3 International Affairs
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by
political or revolutionary groups.
3.4 Free Trade and Migration
We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a credible threat to security, health or property.
3.5 Rights and Discrimination
We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should not deny or abridge any individual's rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs.
3.6 Representative Government
We support electoral systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions. We call for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives.
3.7 Self-Determination
Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.
Which one (or more than one) of these positions do you find unacceptable? Why do you find it unacceptable? Or, do you agree with all of them? What about these libertarian positions do you find agreeable? Why do you like them?
If you find all of these libertarian positions acceptable, how did you respond to the torture question on the last blog post? Can you justify waterboarding and be a libertarian? If so, how do you justify your acceptance of waterboarding and call your self a libertarian? Is there a tension between agreeing that the government can torture certain people and calling yourself a libertarian? Can you be a consistent libertarian and support the government waterboarding people?
I disagree with the idea that America should avoid entangling alliances with other nations and to avoid becoming the "policeman" of the world. Without having a shared alliance with another nation, we have a smaller chance of defending ourselves against opposition. Even though having an alliance or a treaty means backing up the other state as well, I do feel that having such alliances only aid our country in times of war.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with the Libertarian International Affairs policy. It states that we are to abandon economic and military aid to other countries. I feel that leaving less fortunate countries to starve from hunger or suffer by extreme dictatorships is unacceptable and the American government should, by some means, play a part in resolving foreign disputes. Yes, there are times when America should stay out of the affairs of other nations. However, how many countries would willingly put their own military, time, and money on the line just so the citizens of another country could live to see another day? I believe that having America as the main center of authority only protects the world we live in today and gives a broader sense of security to those that accept our care.
The main point that i disagree with is the national security. I don't believe that we should turn our backs on the other countries of this world. out of sight out of mind is a horrible way to live your life. My compassion is to great to let another country suffer. If we don't police then who will. Aren't we just denying them all the things we support. If we won't let them into our country to enjoy our freedoms then i say we do whatever we can to help them acquire that outside of our borders.
ReplyDeleteI do not think waterboarding is right in any kind of society.I think that the humanly rights of people should be honored in all instances. It shouldn't matter if they may have information that you need there are humane ways that you can get people to talk. I was raised to treat others the way you want to be treated and you know the people performing these toture tactics would not want this done to them. I think the people who perform the water boarding on the prisoners should first have to undergo this torture. If you are going to be permitted to do this to someone else you should have it done to you. In the case of prisoners of far if something like this was done to an American there would be a big fuss.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can agree with most libertarian ideals, there are a few that I find issue with. For example, I don’t agree with the libertarian ideal of what education should be. I can consent to the concept that parents should play a major role in the education of their children, but having to accept all “control and responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education”? I find it hard to agree with that, considering that the government is paying a large majority of my college tuition. In addition, I believe that the Social Security system should be kept in place, and that the government of the United States has an obligation to help foreign countries, either economically or militarily, when the need arises. So considering that these beliefs are in direct opposition of libertarian ideals, I don’t think I could fall under the category of a libertarian. However, on those libertarian concepts that I do agree with, I find that the values and moral lessons each concept requires is what really draws me to them.
ReplyDeleteErin Shaw, 100.05
I agree with the views on abortion since it is the right of the individual to make decisions for her own body, self defense since it is difficult for many people who are in need of weapon permits to obtain them when it is absolutely necessary or when an evniornment is unpredictable and dangerous to live in, also the enegry view was extremely favorable considering we will not have to pay high prices for gas, and my favorite was the retirement! noone saves for retirement and that should not be the whole united states problem. if you dont save money for it, tough luck deal with your decisions that is what life is about.
ReplyDeleteI disliked migration because we should not have to learn spanish as a second language because of immigrants. if you want to be in this country speak english and be able to communicate it well. Also i disagreed with the national defense considering some country has to be the policemen of the world, might as well be us! Health care was also an issue for me since if someone doesnt have health care and they need a visit to the emergency room, we the tax payers will have to make up for their inconsiderate decision. Uner crime and justice it is my personal belief that we as a counrty should have equal punishment to a crime, or a life for a life, thats only fair and i'm sure there would be less crime if that were the justice system. Finally, realtionships somewhat bothered me because they wont mind if two men or two women can be parents, which is strange and i have read a study where children need a male and female figure in their lives in a sturdy enviornment.
Brianna Morell
I agree with most of the libertarian veiws but I do NOT think that waterboarding or any other form of torture is okay, anywhere. It is sick and morally wrong. How could you hurt someone or cause someone so much pain? It is completely sick. Even under orders to torture the person should refuse, there have to be other ways to get information from people or to scare someone. I do not agree with the national defense one, though. Our alliences with other countries is very important to us, yeah, we may act as policemen too much, as in the case with Iran/Iraq but if we pull out all of the time and money invested in that cause will crumble. Our efforts there would not have been so powerful and caused such an impact if it wasn't for the alliences and help we had from other countries. Without them we are pretty helpless in everything expect our army.
ReplyDelete-Tiffany Anders
I agree with some of the ideas of liberalism such as self defense and property and things of that nature but i do not agree with all of the points. abortion i feel is only right in some situations such as rape and things like that. I agree with some statements that people madesuch as retirement being your own problem if you don't save, and someone have to be the world leader so why not us. and two the question of can you be libertarian and be ok with water boarding i dont think you can be completely libertarian. they can be levels of your intensity, kind of like christianity, alot of people call themsleves christains but rarely go to church or pray.
ReplyDeleteElliott Reid
I didn't see a libertarian view that I was particularly opposed to. They are correct that environmental protection is the responsibility of the people. Self defense and property rights also make sense. The libertarian views say that the citizen has rights,and I am in full agreement.
ReplyDeleteSean Hubberman
I also agree with some of these liberal ideas. The ideas of self defence and property I certainly agree with, we have to protect ourselves in order to live. I do not believe that waterboarding and tourture is right by any means. I do not like the ideas of immigration I feel that if you want to live in this country you should know the language, I dont think its fair that we have to learn spanish because of immigration. The relationship point of view, I think that a child needs a steady male and female in their life to keep it stable.
ReplyDeleteLynsay Reinhardt
Personally, I feel that I am a social libertarian, meaning that I support freedom to make choices in regards to how one lives his or her life without government intervention. Economically speaking, however, I see government as a way to cut down on greed and corruption that tend to plague large corporations and wealth.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the specific libertarian viewpoints go, I support all of the personal liberty freedoms. I tend to disagree with economic liberties mostly because in my opinion money fuels a lot of problems nowadays. In particular health and education are two areas in which I believe there should be some government involvement: public education and public health insurance are key to citizen fulfillment. The points focusing on securing liberty makes me a little torn. I'm hesitant to fully support them because I'm hesitant to withdraw from government structure. I guess that I believe that there are some things that the government should know and not me.
A lot of the viewpoints look great on the outside but when you think about the consequences it's easy to see flaws in their system. Repealing taxes sounds fantastic until you think about why they're there in the first place. It's similar to asking people if they would like the government to just go away. Although taxes seem like an annoyance, they are vital for us to work as a country. We cannot expect the government to protect us and our rights without any money. Nobody would want to work for the government if it was voluntary. If we want to lessen the involvment the government has in our lives then the taxes would be lower, but no taxes at all would just be anarchy.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue was the lack of free education. An education is the biggest equalizer our country has. A basic education evens the playing field and provides much more than teaching basic reading, writing and arithmatic. There is only so much your parents can teach you, or even a non-certified teacher you are paying can teach. The government is needed when it comes to education.
Monopolies can become very dangerous if there is nothing stopping them. Allowing a monopoly requires a trust that they will not increase prices to things that everybody needs. If a monopoly has something people need, they can charge as much as people can afford. Overall the libertarianism sounds great on the outside, but I highly doubt a completely libertarian system could flourish.
For the most part I agree with most of the positions i.e personal relationships, abortion, crime and justice and so on.. The only position that I feel is a little bit of a gray area is the economic part. I feel that when you are dealing with money and things along those lines it can get a little sticky. For example the libertarian position 2.1 property and contract control on wages. As someone who works a minimum wage job I wouldn't want my pay to be
ReplyDeletelimited to how much some one feels like to pay me that week. I feel like the government does need to regulate something like that so employers are forced to pay a certain amount and you know each week what your income will be. After today's class and reading the blog I don't think that you can call yourself a Libertarian and believe that torture is an ok thing to do someone. The reason why is because you are taking away their personalrights by harming them. So I personally could not take the side with the libertarians because I feel that sometimes torture is something that has to be done. Even though I can't side with those couple of things, I feel that main idea of you controlling your body and property agrees with what I believe in now.
Christina Haag 100.05
All of the libertarian views were not that extreme to me. Although i wouldn't do a lot of them i respect that people have the choice to do them. However i think people would take it to an extreme and take advantage of the negative freedom. People would just do what ever they wanted to do and not face any consequence. People need some rules to what they can or cant do or else they would go on a rampage.
ReplyDeleteTo be a liberitarian and to believe in waterboarding are two basically opposite morals. They contradict each other. In the last blog I said that waterboarding was okay if known and only done for national security purposes. Reading the liberatarian views I second guess that. If a pure liberitarian government could function I would accept all of its standards, pints and values. There is not one that I dislike or disagree with. In fact it would be a refreshing change. You are in this world to better yourself and to live YOUR life. Not to be controlled by government and its conformaties.
ReplyDeleteJessica Dant 100-05
I agree with most the the libertarian views,however there is one I disagree with the most. I am not highly religious but I still believe abortions are wrong. I feel that it is just as bad as killing someone, rather the unborn child knows it or not you are in my opinion doing wrong. You don't have to want the child, but you made a decision to engage in sex and should have to accept the consequences. I think rather than killing an innocent child you should carry it to term and then if you decide you don't want it then put it up for adoption. There are plenty of government funding programs to assist you with buying prenatal vitamins and what not until the baby is born and you put it up for adoption.
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ReplyDeleteUnacceptable:
ReplyDelete2.8 Education:
I find this unacceptable because I like for the government to have some control in the school systems. This way, the level of education received is set at a sort of standard – at least state-wise. If the operation of school systems is completely left up to local systems and parents to control, I feel that the level of education received would decline dramatically. People would be so preoccupied with other operations that the education system would be caste on to a back burner.
2.3 Energy and Resources:
I like the idea of allowing the government to control energy prices because this way a national standard can be formed. In a system that allows citizen ownership of resources, I foresee a good bit of blood on the pavement. Energy and resources are highly sought after and anyone with control over such things possesses a great deal of power. I would rather nominate someone who I believe to be fit to hold that power than allow the person with the most weapons to control energy and resources. Basically, the image of Mad Max 2 comes to mind (the scenes when the gas colony fights off Lord Humongous’ group).
Agreeable:
3.5 Rights and Discrimination:
I love the idea of a society free of discrimination. Do I think it’s actually possible? Not at this moment in time.
2.9 Health Care:
The availability of health care for all is an idea I find especially appealing. Canada seems to be using this strategy without complication, why can’t we all?
2.2 Environment:
I’m an Environmental Studies major, so I’m all about the green!
1.4 Abortion:
This is a very touchy topic, but my feeling on it is as follows: The government should have absolutely zero say in what I decide to do with my body.
1.3 Personal Relationships:
Again, a touchy topic. People fall in love with people, so who are we to say who that person should be.
Kyra Wood
I agree with almost all of the Libertarian views except for the one about national security. America polices other countries to help when it is needed. Turning our backs on our other countries in a time of need shows that we could do the same to our country too. Some countries need our help in order to not be run over by the stronger countries.
ReplyDeleteIn the last post I said that waterboarding would be acceptable as long as it was out for the public to know, after reading the libertarian views I'm starting to lean towards it not being so appropriate after all. I don't think you could be a libertarian and accept the government's torturing ways.
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ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with the libertarian views with the example of our enforcement rights and control; I feel we have the right to use self defense to a certain degree. As for our control rights, it's extremely important that we value who we are and our bodies/property. Your in this world to better yourself and to become the person we hope to be.
ReplyDeleteAlso,as said above I would have to agree with Sara Roque. As I'm somewhat religious today, I can recall as a child being taught that aboritions are okay, but after I grew up and became who I am today, my views are completely different. I personally feel that it's morally wrong and shouldn't be allowed. You chose to engage in sex and should understand and accept the consequences that come from it. If you plan on having sex you should carry the child rather than kill an innocent life that could be a blessing. Even if you don't want to raise the child, the governemtnt provides a variety of programs and adoption agencies; do that instead of limiting a life.
Elizabeth Higgins
First of all, abortion is definitely unacceptable. I understand some women have abortions because they are going through medical procedures or have illnesses that they will not be able to bore a child and have to abort. And some women end up having a miscarriage and have to abort, but if it is their own choice, they are simply murdering their child. It is like smothering an alive human being whose heart is still beating and can still feel pain. Even if we can’t see that little human being doesn’t mean were not killing a life. Everyone deserves a chance to leave and see the real world. Another unacceptable issue is Self-Defense. Not everyone has the strength to defend themselves against their enemy. Requires a lot of potential to face your fears. The main part I am getting at is that, the disable or defend less people won’t be able to defend themselves if anyone tries harming them. Even tough there is a point in restricting this Guns to some people considered insane, a contract should be instead sign to tell them their responsibility in having this gun than getting a license for pretty much anyone can pass the license or still someone’s. Gun don’t harm people, people harm people. If the attacker didn’t want to get shot or anything, he would have left the defend less alone. Having Gun protect your privacy more than you can imagine. I agree with National Defense because, if we were not putting our soldier at war, we would have probably been taking over a long time. In order to prevent attacks, you need to show how powerful you are to other nations just so they will be scared of attacking you. Even if they do, it won’t be easy to get in, for there’s a reason the U.S have this embassy and secret service.
ReplyDeleteFrank Oben
Although I do agree with most of the libetarian views, but i do have an issue with the self defense..this being because yes we all should be able to defend ourselves but only to a certain degree. I feel as if people take advantage of this because it's one thing to defend yourself but its another thing to take it to a completely different level to the point that someone is brutely hurt. another thing that I do not necessarily agree upon is the education view. yes, it is appropriate for parents to have control over their childrens education I believe it is a bit unfair that they have to pay for it all. granted the government is paying for alot of my college tuition i feel as if that is the way it should be. otherwise, I agree with everything else.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Prager TR 935-1050
Generally I do not agree with the totalitarianism form of government at all. It lacks a central control and obviously a central government. Human Nature and society need a hierarchy system of rule. I find most of the libertarianism positions disagreeable although very well written and explained they just are not ideal for our society. The main points that I disagree with are;
ReplyDelete2.3 Energy and Resources
If the government was not a part of providing us with our main method of fuel as a modern society things wouldn’t be productive, or equal. The government being in control of this creates a balance in our energy sources.
2.4 Government Finance and Spending
This is the main fault I have with liberalist positions. Without an income tax there would be no national identity, the US would be poor, a victim, and vulnerable. We need to collect taxes to provide for our nations expenses. It is impossible to say that cutting back will solve any financial problems in the US today. Taxes are needed.
I do not completely agree with any of the positions although most of them have great points, I just don’t think they would work with our society which has functioned as is for hundreds of years.
Charlotte Marion
Firstly, I disagree with economic liberty, which states that the government cannot control or manage trade and cannot redistribute wealth. I believe that when dealing with the free market, people need some limits and regulations. When the law states people can trade freely in the free market, does that mean they can trade anything, even drugs? If that is the case, people most definitely need certain regulations. Secondly, concerning the environment, I disagree that the most effective means of changing our climate’s situation is by social pressure and environmental advocates, this also means government should have to promote and enforce a form of fuel source. Corporations, industries, and banks should be regulated by the government because they can all cause a huge world crisis if not properly managed. On the other hand, I agree with government finance and spending laws, I strongly agree that the government should worry about occurring debt for future generations. I also agree that citizens should have more choices when it comes to health care. And lastly, citizens should have the right to do something about their government if it isn’t meeting their expectations. Overall, I agree with many of the libertarian rights, but also disagree with many because we cannot leave everything up to the individual, there has to be some rules and regulations.
ReplyDeleteEmily Suranno
100.03
When i think about what it is to be Libertarian, I have to admit I do not feel I fit into that category. My view on waterboarding was simply if it is absolutely necessary to protect our country and obtain information to keep us safe, then it should be allowed but only under extreme circumstances and under the watchful eye of a trained professional. A Libertarian would totally disagree with this opinion.While a free health care system is most definitely appealing to me, I really do not see our government ever being able to institute and run this program. If this did happen, I still do not believe Americans would receive proper health care or be treated fairly. I do not believe there would be enough funding to keep the program running, and I think the working class would be last on the list to receive treatment. I do not agree with abortion ever, unless the woman is a victim of rape, and in this case I still feel as if the person would need to contemplate her actions very carefully. The life inside of a woman has a right to live and be given a chance to be a productive member of society.I am appalled to learn that Libertarians want to abolish retirement and social; security. This is just awful,and it should never be a consideration. Too many people in this country survive on a fixed income, and they should not have to worry or wonder where their meals are coming from or whether or not they can pay the month's bills. H ow on Earth could they just sit back and depend on local charities to support them? There is no proof that other people will become more generous. My parents are seniors, and they are retired now and living on fixed incomes, so I feel very passionately about his. I t seems if one is a Liberal, then he just expects to do what he choses in this world as long as his actions are not harming anyone else. I do realize the importance of government,and while I don't always agree with every policy ever written, I am grateful for our government with its checks and balances. Laura Remsburg, 100-04
ReplyDeleteIt seems that I agree with the majority of the ideas of libertarianism but the idea I disagree with the most is the policy of International Affair. Although I feel that we should stay out of people’s business and we ultimately cannot really control how other countries are run, I do feel that if we can make a difference in someone’s country we should try. For instance a third-world country; if conditions are extremely bad and we can intervene an little, I think we should try and help.
ReplyDeleteIn last week’s blog I said that I felt that waterboarding was unacceptable and I feel that if you are a libertarian there is not way you can justify that. They feel that their person human rights should be valued and when someone is practicing waterboarding on another person, they are practically harming them. The individual is not willingly laying on the table saything they can cover their mouth and torture them. I also do not feel that you can be a consistent libertarian and support the government waterboarding people because you would be contradicting the ideas that you have full control over your own body and that no one can forcefully take over your body; which is what they are basically doing.
Jenna Benke
The only point I disagree with is National Security. I think we should be able to help out other countries who are in need. Countries do have differing ways and certainly different opinions on a majority of things, but I also think the United States is a powerful country and other countries look to us for help sometimes. Maybe in some situations, denial of help or whatever the need is the only thing we can do to protect us as Americans, but thats not going to happen in every situation. I think the more other countries get involved and help each other out in certain areas, might help the world in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley on that. National security can be provided for other countries in need! I agree with all of the rest, because this just gives people more rights and most of which rightfully belong to them. such as abortion and all that! A person can decide to have an abortion when she chooses to because if there are any consequences she faces it on her own and no one else is there. Because an abortion is a sin they say but it's even a greater sin when you bring a child into this world that you cannot take care of! Therefore i totally agree with libertarian
ReplyDeleteSeveral commenters have disagreed with the libertarian view regarding the US role in international affairs. What is the libertarain view on US intervention? Libertarians argue that the US should be less interventionist and not engaged in entangling alliances. Generally, these commenters have said that the US should intervene or police other countries.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting to me when compared to the many commenters who spoke negatively about the US government helping poor people inside the US.
Why aren't we asking whether or not these foreign countries deserve US help?
Why aren't we asking whether or not these foreign countries want our help?
I ask that because many people who spoke negatively about the US government helping poor people inside the US talked about whether US citizens deserved this help. They suggested that many of the poor Americans did not deserve the help.
Moreover, I ask about whether these foreign countries want US help because many of the countries that the US intervenes in do not actually want the US there.
Nothing is perfect, but in my opinion libertarian policies are closer to it than others. I like how people have to be responsible for themselves and they do things based on their opinion and what they think is best for them. I agree with almost all of the positions. Of the few I don't agree with one is the way schools should be controlled. Although I feel the government messes up a lot in the school system, I still think they do a better job than parents would if they ran things. Other than that the other policies are good and with some minor adjustments could be even better. However this is just my opinion and the world wasn't made for me so I don't know what would work the best for everyone as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of libertarian stances listed here. I definately agree with the choice of sexuality, etc., because it is such a personal matter and it is not one that people decide for themselves. I also agree with the fact that abortion is a sensitive subject and the government just should not meddle with it. However, I agree with others in the class that stated that if we did have a libertarian government, many people would just take full advantage of their rights to the extreme which would in my moral beliefs be wrong and would be a problem. So while I do agree with multiple stand points of the libertarian system, there would still be no one to keep those over stepping their rights in place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the Libertarian policies. However, there are a few such as education and national defense that I strongly disagree with. I think it is extremely wrong to have the parents be fully responsible for each child's education in terms of cost and funding. Some parents cannot afford to send there child to school which is why they send them to public school which is paid for by our taxes and the government. If every parent had to pay for their child to attend school, whether it be private or public, we would have an extreme amount of uneducated people in our country. I also believe that the policy on national defense is wrong. We should be helping other countries in order to gain allies. If we do not help other countries, then no other country is going to help us. If that be the case, then every other country will start to resent us because of how selfish were being.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with personal liberty. Everyone should have a right to do, think and believe what they want. (with accepting the possible consequences for the choices they make) there should be nobody forcing you to do, believe or be anything you do not want to be (unless there is probable cause). I do not believe that you can call yourself a libertarian and agree with torturing. Torturing goes against almost every concept of libertarian policy. I agreed that torturing would be ok in a very very extreme cause with probably cause. Anything other than that should be seen as unmoral.
I am a very Conservative person, and yes I can be liberal in some ssues, but mainly I believe in many Conservative issues. For example, it drives me crazy that abortion is legal. I am pro-life and it just makes me sick to my stomach to think that people kill their babies. Give them up for adoption if you really don't want them. Don't kill the poor, innocent child! Grrr.
ReplyDeleteI pretty genuinely agree with most of the Libertarian agenda you posted in the blog above. I am an individualist myself and I really value my right to choose for myself about my 'body' and my 'property.' I do disagree with some things, however. I hate to just continue the cycle of the other posters but I disagree about putting ourselves as a defensive military only and cutting our international aid and military aid. To a certain extent, I can understand wanting to take it down a notch. We do tend to stay in some places longer and offer more aid than I feel is necessary, but I don't believe that we can take a defensive position and go in somewhere and level all their resources and tell them to fend for themselves. I think that this will only cause more problems in the end. I do feel that as a nation we should address if they WANT or DESERVE our help, but only to a certain extent. Getting a country back on it's feet isn't necessarily a waste of our resources, but everything has its LIMITS... and that is a concept I don't think we understand as a nation. We are spending a lot of tax dollars rebuilding other countries when our own is in such dire need of help. It is hard for me to just agree with that stance on international affairs, however, when I've been raised to understand that as Americans we reach out and help keep the peace and that we offer aid to other countries. If we stop that... what are the consequences? What do we lose? And how will that effect our foreign relations in terms of trade, etc? These are the questions that bother me... and maybe I only ask them because I don't fully understand what I am talking about.
ReplyDeleteOn more social issues, I am ALL about individual rights. I am pro-choice all the way... not because the idea of killing an innocent child appeals to me, but because I don't want to live in a world that tells me I can't control what I do to my own body. It is MY body... if we take away the choice to use drugs and have an abortion, where does the loss of individual rights end? Will I be told what I can and cannot eat now? In that sense... the Libertarian agenda is very appealing. I don't use drugs nor do I really believe in abortion... but I want to choose for myself. And the added bonus of taking those 'criminals' out of the jail system saving our government tons of money is nice too. The less I am taxed to keep some meth addict behind bars the better.
I do agree with Veronica above about Education as well. I find the idea of an overarching public school system appealing... in THEORY. But I am not blind either... the public school system in this country is failing and it doesn't appear that we have any real solutions. At the same time... I am a product of the public school system as most of us here are and I feel that I received an excellent education. I also know that not every school is created equal. So how do we fix this problem? I have no idea, I am not fully aware of how the education system would work in a libertarian society. I assume that prices of sending your children to school would be much lower, but I also feel that a lot of kids would go without a primary education and that is a shame.
(I had to split this into two posts... for some reason my computer is telling me that I wrote too much.)
Challee Blackwelder
100-04
(continued)
ReplyDeleteFinally... when it comes to the water boarding argument I was all for it, and I was also all for it being kept a secret from the general population. Obviously the appeal of libertarianism and water boarding do NOT mix, but this whole post has been a bundle of contradictions so I don't really know how to explain myself. When it comes to national defense... I feel like I take a pretty ruthless stance. We have got to defend ourselves and if that means torturing terrorists then so be it. I like that people have to pay for their crimes and I think they should have to pay a very high price for violating our laws or in this case, trying to threaten the safety of this country. So no... I don't have some genius way of blending the two beliefs together, but I do feel that if we look at it from a defense standpoint it could work. And I do believe that I said I would never advocate for the torture of any united states citizen that is processed through our judicial system for a crime. Enemies of the United States? Absolutely, otherwise no. We have to maintain security as a whole... if nothing else that we do TOGETHER as a country I feel that security needs to be one of them.
In my perfect world I would like to see a balance of conservative and libertarian ideals implemented on this country. Like most things we need to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the community as a whole. Right now, I can tell you that our government is NOT doing it. Hopefully soon.
Challee Blackwelder
100-04
There are many Libertarian views that I don’t agree with. The first being the idea that parents control how much education a child should get. Education is a valuable concept in our society. The amount of education you have helps determine what field you go into and the amount of money you bring in. If the government does not require a certain degree of education there is a good chance that people will not be as educated as they are today. Also, the idea that without social security society will become more charitable sounds absurd in my mind. If the government takes a hands off approach that does not necessarily mean people are going to be more giving with their money. Most likely people will hold onto their money because they need to save for retirement. Even though I disagree with some of the Libertarian ideas I don’t disagree with all of them. I do agree with the Libertarian ideas on environment and rights and people being able to raise their children under whatever beliefs they choose.
ReplyDeleteEmily Johnson
There wasn't one thing that I could post up an argument about. I'd have to say that I would like to try out the libertarian side.. I think it has its benefits. The best part is it kind of caps off the government's powers. I mean, thanks to the government and its laws, you can't even smoke in public anymore.. They force you to wear helmets though it is only providing protection to yourself. They try to decide to make you carry a child to full term or not.. they make you go to therapy for trying to take YOUR OWN life, etc. The government plays a large role in today's world and I think in this class we have done a great job at pointing out the types of things those are.
ReplyDeleteNow my opinion on the water boarding was that it should be allowed only in the most dier situations for foreign matters, and that the public shouldn't be aware of it (specifically for intelligence reasons on counter-attacking the procedures). My answers were standing in general, as in today's society, if it were to be. But if we are now speaking in 'what if' terms, I would retract my opinion and say that it is not allowed. All in all, I would support the libertarian views and accept them all as a whole, and not just cherry pick what suits me best.
Kristi Barrett
One issue that i DO NOT agree with is Abortion. Even though it is your body there is still another life inside you. You should not be able to go around just killing the babies because you don't want to take care of them. Another thing that I don't agree with is Education. The government helps pay for a lot of people's tuition without the governments help a lot of people would not be able to attend school. Overall I don't think that a libertarian government would be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteMegan Williams
I agree with many of the liberatarian ideals, I believe people have the rights to control everything about them, and I believe that everyone should be able to make decisions with their lives and have the freedom to do so, until they impede upon someone elses rights. My views are not consistently liberatarian because I believe in the defence of ourselves from enemies anywhere in the world. There are people out there who are truly evil and that with freedom to do anything would envoke fear and terror upon anyone in their way. I have seen people who are this sort of evil, I've looked in their eyes and dont see someone who was wrongly accused or put in to this cell for no reason at all. I imagine if this person were out of the cell, he would try to kill me where I stood, just because he could. I beleive stongly in liberatarian enforcement rights because of this. So I may not be entirely consistent in my beliefs in liberatarianism, but i agree that the federal government impeades upon people rights way to much, people should be able to do things as long as they dont affect other people, examples such as gay rights, they dont hurt anyone, so let them be, or people with guns, if they dont go out and try to kill someone every second, then let them be, our government oversteps its boundaries in way to many ways, and worries about insignifacant things, instead of dealing with big problems. So I beleive that a Liberatarian society would work, while keeping a very small government, that did not control every aspect of peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteDevin Raine
The end justifies the means. If a little non-lethal torture saves the rights of people, then behind closed doors it's unavoidable. What if someone breaks into a house, steals everything and leaves. Then someone who knows the culprit or the partner is caught, you won't just accept a formal apology, you would want to figure out where your stolen goods are. Now, if the loot was worth silence, said person will not speak. So the question remains; how will you get your goods back. Well by mild torture by means of imprisonment.
ReplyDeleteBasically if you want to secure your rights and be liberal, you don't want effective means of doing so, be my guest. But sometimes to get a quick and potent result, questionable means must be used.
With personal liberty, individuals should be able to make their own chices and suffer the consequences but there should be some limit on the choicse they can make. We should be free to express ourselves but there should be some limit on that too. We can peacefully protest but the images or words that are used should have a boundry. Personal privacy should allow us to use drugs if we so choose to do them but if an email is needed to be checked by a third party because it may hold useful information then that should be allowed. You should be able to choose who you want to be in a relationship with, but if your choice goes against the norm in society then it should not be made excessively public. If a female decides that she wants to get an abortion then that should be her choice and she can deal with the consequences herself. With self-defense you should be able to bear arms but there should be some type of regulation. Governtment should require registration of ownership, manufacture, transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition to have some kind of limit on who can own one. Education should not be managed locally and the parents should not be responsible for all funds expended for their childern's education. There would be too much difference in the education level throughout and some families would not be able to afford any type of education. We should form alliances to strengthen ourself because there is strength in numbers and we should police to keep a country from getting too out of control, possibily with intentions to harm us. Individuals should have rights but when they have broken the rights of others or there is evidence that they are planning to then tactics such as waterboarding should be allowed. Yea we would not want ot be tortured but if we do not put ourself in that position then there should be no worries. A person who gets tortured in the U.S. has done something against or values and it should be made clear that they have done so.
ReplyDeletei agree with the abortion issue. I believe that it is a womna's right to choose whether or not to have a child. The thing is, is that abortion should not be used as birth control. The government should stay out of that part of people's lives since it is not their body, their life, or decision.
ReplyDeleteI do not however, agree with the thought that a parent should determine how much educatoin a child gets. Not every single "adult" who has a child thinks that they are the most precious gift in the world. Sad as it is to say, there are those who could care less if their child went to school, made something of themselves, or even had clean clothing and food.
I don't agree with many of these libertarian ideas. I don't think immigration should just be open to everyone. There definitely needs to be limits or every person with an unstable government would flood the better off countries. I also don't agree with the abortion issue. I believe that every human being has the right to life and it is completely unfair to kill an unborn fetus. If people don't want children they need to do a better job about preventing it; there is always adoption. I also dissagree with the comment about parents being so important in school finances. It's not fair to the parents to make sure that they have enough money for a child to go to school when they have other items, like a house and food, to pay for to support their child.
ReplyDeleteLaura Gentile 100.04
I think many of these ideas are good, but I just feel they go extreme. Yes, of course many people would like to live their own life and make any choice they want without the government having say in it, why wouldn't you? Its your life. However then again you have to think of all the people out there that would take advantage of that fact. The government has to be apart of our lives to keep everyone under control. Its like the kid who stuck gum under the table in school and got gum chewing privledges taken away for everyone. There are always going to be those kinds of people who ruin it for others, which is why the government in this situation has to be apart of our lives.
ReplyDeleteEmily Van Gilder
I definitely agree with the first policy of the libertarian government. People being able to make their own decisions, whether it be the choice to have an abortion or the right for homosexual marriage, shouldn’t be something the government has control over. I think the government creates hatred towards themselves blocking people from being able to make their own decisions as long as they don’t affect others in a bad way. I also strongly agree with personal relationships and the policy on abortion. I wouldn’t necessarily say I agree with everyone of the libertarian polices, but overall I agree with the majority o f them. Some I did find unacceptable, like 2.10 Retirement and Income Security. This policy basically states that those in need is held responsible for themselves, and that it’s not the government’s job to help them. I believe that some, if not all, people who are in need, are in their situation possibly because of the government. Whether they got laid off or the economy is just too expensive for them, so I feel as if the government should help them either way.
ReplyDeleteThe only part of the libertarian view that i dont agree with, is the view on education. I think that every child should have the right to have the same education as any other. If you give the power to the parents to choose how their child will be educated some kids wont have one at all. While others are getting schooled properly.
ReplyDeleteRiley Strawderman
I agree with the liberatarian points to a certian extent. I have a need of certian securities, such as if someone wanted to shoot me, at the moment we have a LOT of laws against it, it's just not allowed. If we were living in a liberatarian state that person could shoot me. But I do agree with certian rights pertaining to body, property, getting the full extent of our earnings, health care and so on. I can't be a lieratarian because I agreed with using waterboarding and keeping it secret, but what would be nice is if we could up the rate of democracy so that we would be just a little bit closer to liberatarianism. This would enable us to make choices that benefit ourselves and our property. We would have the freedom to express ourselves, and also protect ourselves and our property. No judgements.
ReplyDeleteSorry djoine01 is Dani Joiner
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree with a liberatarian state. There are laws placed for yours and my own safety and if we didnt have these all hell would break loose. i do agree with certan rights a liberatarian state covers such as property and such. i on the other hand may kind of agree but could not be a liberaterian because i did not agree with waterboarding at all. Although it would be nice to be able to protect your self and your property the way you want to and get away with it i couldn't be a liberatarian
ReplyDeleteAlthough to at least some degree I agree with most of these ideals, I recognize that some are flawed or simply too naive. Take 3.2 Internal Security and Individual Rights, sure transparency sounds good I would like to be aware everything they are doing and make sure I agree with it. However, I recognize that it is a naive view, keeping sensitive information public could endanger the lives of those who are working to protect our rights. If it is open to the public than *anyone* could read it and that could end disastrously. There does need to be oversight and once there is no danger of harming someone, all the information should be released. But that isn't what a libertarian wants. For 2.8 Education, I believe that there should be a standard basis of education which everyone must be given the *chance* to receive (ie, some form of free public school open *initially* to everyone this does not exclude the school from being able to kick people out if they can not behave) which is not to say that it should be mandatory, no one should be forced. I believe there should be a standard currency which only the government may print, this does not exclude bartering, so that there is some degree of control over inflation and all that although I do believe the government needs to do a better job. I do not believe in guns/weapons for all, If someone is found guilty of a violent crime they should not be able to buy/sell/carry a weapon period. On the other hand I agree with the libertarian view on a lot of things, including that it should butt out of world affairs. The U.S. has no business telling another country what to do until that country specifically attacks us. Many of these positions I would just like to qualify.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree with many of the views that Libertarians have there are a few that I do not agree with. Take national defense for example. If the US was not involved anywhere in the world the alliances that we have would not exist. Then if we were to be attacked with no allies it would be much harder to win a battle. We can't expect other nations to help us if we don't reach out and help them also. As for policing the rest of the world, I agree with the Libertarian point of view. I don't think it is the responsibility of the US nor do I think they should try to take on that role.
ReplyDeleteSome of the Libertarian Party's positions make a lot of sense to me and seem quite reasonable. A few do not, however. As for the government finance and spending, I'm not sure I totally agree with that. At first, the suggestion of no taxes sounds great, but then who exactly would build roads and maintain them? Maybe I'm just being naive, but it would take a lot of individual companies to maintain all the roads in this country, much less build more. If the budget is balanced by cutting expenditures instead of imposing taxes, where does any money come from at all? Certain countries rely on tourism, but I don't see that happening here. Also, as a few others have said, I don't think that the US should altogether stay out of everyone's affairs. Again, maybe I don't have my facts straight, but I'm under the impression that certain countries rely on the US for at least some support, however little. I'm not sure I agree with the education policy either. I really don't think it's wise for parents to control all the funds expended for their child's education. In fact, I think that's really stupid. A lot of parents wouldn't really have any idea what to do with that money, especially since a lot of them aren't educators. And what about those parents who don't care at all? Should they be given the choice of what to do with that money?
ReplyDeleteNathan Arch
I agree with most of the views in Libertarianism. I think that people should be able to make desicions for themselves without the governments say. If people want to put their bodies at risk then thats their own fault. Everyones entitled, in my opinion, to do whatever with themselves.
ReplyDelete-Rebecca Harrelson
Like just about everyone else who commented, I agree with most Libertarian views. But I disagree with the views on education. Some parents don't wish to, and some are simply unable to, educate their children properly. I think that all children should have the same opportunity to learn. Also (I hesitate to say this because I am very wishy-washy on the subject) I believe that abortion is wrong. It's taking someone else's life away. I'm in support of freedom of sexuality and whatnot because it is only affecting the person that it applies to. They aren't hurting anyone. Education and abortion both directly affect the lives of others (in this case, children and the unborn) in a potentially negative way.
ReplyDeletePost for Torture:
ReplyDeleteI believe that waterboarding and other torture techniques are in face deviations from the ideals and values of the American people and that they are, by far, not a legitimate means of deriving accurate information from people. I believe that there are no circumstances in which the methods would be used in to get reliable intelligence from enemies of the state. The United States government will never admit to using these methods, so by insisting on the legitimacy of a circumstance under which they would be used is irrelevant. Using torture as a means of getting information from others by the United States government will only cause other, harsher governments, to resort to tactics, on captured Americans and citizens of US allied countries, that are far worse than any form of torture the United States would use. Torture is a scar to the fortitude of the American value system to use such means on any other human being and it allows for our enemies to use it because they see that we will stoop to the lowest levels just to quench our blood-thirst for ultimate global intelligence supremacy. If the United States is using these tactics, they should admit to it now and pledge to never use them again. This would send a message to all nations that we are an honest people and are striving to live and act upon higher values than those by which we did in the recent and distant past.
Chad Starner
Post on Libertarianism:
ReplyDeleteI can say that I agree with parts of almost every one of the views stated about the Liberal mindset. But in the end, there are phrases in every one of the views that I find unacceptable and just cannot agree with. The only one I agree completely with is 3.7. It shows what a true democracy is and that the people have the power. That, I can say, I accept whole-heartedly.
Chad Starner
I don’t consider myself a full straight down the line Democrat. I have some conservative views and some libertarian views. But two positions that really stuck out to me is first “2.8 Education”. “School should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement.” I mean let’s face facts not every parent of every student is going to be involved with the school, let alone aware of what their child is being taught. I think there needs to be a set format of what needs to be taught at that level of learning and then keep record of what is being taught and how well the students comprehend that lesson and then go from there. The second position I don’t agree with is national security I don’t agree that we the United States should turn its back on a country in need. I do think we need to help a country if a natural disaster happened to them. And hopefully that country would repay the favor.
ReplyDeleteTim Zeigler
I completely disagree with 1.4. IF murdering innocent people on the street is wrong, then abortino should be too. If someone wants to have sex, than they should have to deal with the consequences.
ReplyDeleteBecause America strives to be a free country open to oeveryone, i believe waterboarding is wrong because it is discouraging people to come over here. I think that the humanly rights of people should be honored in all instances
I can agree with a lot of libertarian ideas. I do not think the government should be able to deeply interfere with our lives and rights. I think that as Americans, we do attempt to police the world too much. We have plenty of problems here but our focus always seems to be elsewhere. In the eyes of most other countries, America is viewed as arrogant, hypocritical, and self-absorbed. A lot of these feelings stem from our tendency to get involved with other issues in other countries so frequently. So i again feel we should not have such a duty to "police the world." I do not fully agree with libertarian views however. Government interaction with our daily lives help maintain order and efficiency. Libertarianism and totalitarianism both have strong upsides and downsides on how they can help or hurt the functioning of society. It is up to us to decide which are the best ideals to instill into action.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with all of the libertarian ideas. I actually like the ideas and the way they are set up. With the libertarian ideas, you can live your life as an individual. Where with totalarism, your living your life like your told(as a group). With the libertarian ideas, you can do what ever you want, the way it's set up is that you can do what you want and you know the rules, boundaries, and consequences. everything else is your own individual choice to cross the lines or abide by them. It is all your own individual opion instead of being told or having someone else make your descions for you.
ReplyDeleteCanaan Metz
I am not a "strictly liberal" person, but i do agree with many ideas the libertarians offer. being able to control your own life and truly being free is a great opportunity we have, but i believe government needs to, not necessarily control certain things, but they need to be part of any system we have. We need to have protection if we are unable to protect ourselves, we need to have order and punishment, to an extent, so prevent mass murders and other crimes. people need to know that they are free to do as they please, as long as they know they do have limits on freedom. The government system we have now may not be the best but if definitely beats having some of the other government systems elsewhere. We are lucky and many people don't see that and tend to take advantage of their "freedom". This is why the government nowadays is so strong and controlling, people need to be responsible and grow up and watch their actions.
ReplyDeleteAnna Wilt
I disagree with the statement about international affairs and national defense. Both of these state how we should avoid entanglement in international affairs and that we should avoid alliances. well, i'm sure a lot of time and frustration could be spared if we did not have alliances with foreign countries, but it would probably be even more of a headache if we weren't to have alliances with foreign countries. it's more beneficial to have alliances than it would be if we didn't. Basically with the partnerships, if we help them, you know they would also help us if we are ever in need of any military or economic service. During WWI and WWII many countries were each others aid to defend themselves against their enemies no matter whose side you were on.
ReplyDelete-Amber Ropp
I identify with a lot of libertarian principles. I agree most strongly with their ideas on abortion, religion, and personal relationships. I believe who you date, what you believe in, and how you handle your body should always be your own choice: government should not force you or encourage you to make one choice over the other. Those decisions are extremely personal.
ReplyDeleteLaura Baker
I agree with most of the libertarian principles. Personal relationships, and what you do with your body is strictly your own choice. As well as abortion. Government had no part in making the baby, so they should have no say in what the mother does with it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that most of the Libertarian concepts are pretty agreeable. Personally I favor their ideas of little to no government intervention, yet I also believe that the government should intervene with certain things. I do not believe that personal protection and security should be privatized. There are certain things that citizens need the government for, and if we pushed for privatization of protection then I could see a society settling into an almost anarchical way of life. Although Libertarianism sounds nice in theory, I think that if a society were to strive that it would need government intervention on a persons life.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many libertarian concepts, some I'm not sure about, and some I really disagree with. I'm not quite sure where this leaves me in the political spectrum. I really strongly agree with 1.0 Personal Liberty, 1.3 Personal Relationships, and 3.5 Rights and Discrimination. I totally agree that each individual is in complete control of his or her own body. I think it is about time that people start taking responsibility (and consequences) for their own actions or decisions they make. I don't think many people can argue with that. It is very straight forward. When it comes to 1.3, personal relationships, I believe in, "To each his own." I don't view anyone differently or judge anyone because of sexual preference. I do not think the government should be able to prevent two men or two women from marrying and being happy. This relates to 3.5 Rights and Discrimination. No one deserves to be discriminated against because of gender, race, nationality, religion, age, economic status, or political views. I don't think this is totally possible at this point in time, but it is very wrong that it still happens.
ReplyDeleteI immensely disagree with 2.8 Education. I don't really think that the parent should be able to decide if they want their child to go to school or not. I think it is good that the government plays a big part in education in our society so 20 years down the road no one can say they weren't given an equal opportunity because of the decision of their parent. However whatever someone wants to do with their life outside of high school is completely their decision. There are too many options to tell someone what they have to do.
There are many concepts listed above that I'm not sure about but think I disagree with because libertarians want to banish all government involvement and interaction. I don't think that is possible, and if it were to happen, I don't think the outcome would be too bright. I'm not saying that our current government is involved too much or too little, but I don't think they should be excluded from everything. That may lead to very greedy people, and some may try to take advantage of the fact that the government will not intervene.
Kelsea Weiant
100:04
I think most of the Liberterian's views are similar with most of our current views of government. There are a couple of views that I disagreed with; mostly with abortion and self-defense. I do believe that mothers have a right to say how or what should be done to their body, that's if they are doing it in good-faith. I just don't think a teenage girl who practice unsafe sex should use abortion as an escape. Or how about a mother who is in six months of pregnacy and all of the sudden is tired of it and decide to abort the baby. There should be bounderies and the abortion law today would be good to prevent those cruel, inhuman acts.
ReplyDeleteIn the Liberterian view of self defense, 'We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.' This kind of get me worried. Im sorry but if my neighbor has a bazooka and a sniper rifle, I kind of want the government to step in and say what is he/she doing with those deadly weapons. Without any restrictions, chances are: people are going to stock up and make a pretty collection like Nicolas Cage in the movie 'Kickass'. So I am pro-restrictions on weapons.
Yuet Chu
In my opinion there are a couple positions that i feel are unacceptable. I do not agree with the abortion position of Liberterians. I do not agree that abortion should be something that women should be able to do. Even though a fetus is not really considered to be a baby until after a certain period of time I still think that the person would be killing a child. I don't agree with that. ALso, I do not agree with the national defense in Liberterian societies. I believe that each country/nation should always work to help one another. Helping eachother out will help each country to get along with everyone else. I do not agree that nations should help one another in order to keep everyone fed and healthy. I feel that every nation/country all over the world should help one another so that everyone will have enough to eat, etc. so that they live long and happy lives. Within the Liberterian system I find that i agree with a couple of the posiions provided. These positions include personal liberty, expression and communication, personal privacy, etc. I do not think that waterboarding or any type o torture is acceptable anywhere. I do not feel that it is necessary to put someone through that in order to get information out of them. I think it is morally wrong and that it should not be performed on anyone anywhere throughout the globe. It is wrong to torture someone.
ReplyDeleteKristen Geppert PSCI 100.03
I think that all of our ideas of how a government should be run are good ideas. They all work in some fashion or another, and we are all as happy as we can "seem" to be. The system in america bounces around on some libertarian ideals which I find to be rather awesome. However I do like the SECURITY of our government and find some of the shady things we (THE USA) do necessary and OK. It is always to what extreme our views and rights get pushed too. It is an ever so changing fine line.
ReplyDeleteAs a registered libertarian, I agree with all of the listed statements. I have always considered myself very conservative in all aspects. I have always thought that social issues like gay marriage, abortion, and drug use were wrong and I do not support it, but as a libertarian I believe that I don't have any right to prevent someone else from participating in those acts as long as it doesn't cost ME OR OTHERS tax dollars. So I guess in a way I am socially liberal in the fact that I believe that people should have a choice to do whatever the please as long it is not at my expense. When it comes to economic policy I am very, very conservative. This is why I didn't registrar republican nor democrat, because neither are conservative. In the Bush years the republicans lost their conservative ways and spent too much money, but now we have an even larger mess as the democrats put us even much, much further into dept than republicans did in eight years! Both of the main parties are what is refereed to as "progressive." HA! What a misleading title! So the libertarian party in the US can be interpreted as socially liberal and economically conservative. I do not believe that the libertarian party in the US is 100% libertarian due to the fact that we believe that taxes should still be collected to fund our military. In my opinion that should be the highest thing in our yearly budget. We love our freedom as libertarians but we also realize that if we don't maintain our military and don't maintain defense, then we won't be enjoying our freedom for very long!
ReplyDeleteNow concerning last weeks post, I do support water boarding and other interrogation methods when it comes to our enemies that WANT TO KILL US. I do believe in and love the constitution, but the constitution is for the citizens of the United States not citizens of the world. To be very honest, I don't care at all about citizens of other countries. I will not care about citizens of other countries until every citizen in the US is cared for (and I don't mean welfare). I am a libertarian, and I support water boarding to people who want to kill us.
I found all the libertarian positions acceptable except international Affairs positions. I believe since the United State is a great country with a lot of power, the government should be willing to help other country when they are down or just had a natural disasters.
ReplyDeleteI like the other libertarian positions because it gives the people more power than the government which is a good thing for the country and the country wouldn’t be run by a group of people anymore. I believe you cant be called a libertarian if you agree with waterboarding. Being a libertarian is all about peoples right and a true libertarian would rise up against the government if this would happen.
I do not find any of the positions to be unacceptable. As said before in the blog about torture, I do not agree with the thought or use of it. If you are libertarian, I do not believe that you can support or be okay with torture. The thought of no discrimination and personal rights ties right in with the fact of discrimination.
ReplyDeleteJosh Kidwiler said: "I am a libertarian, and I support water boarding to people who want to kill us."
ReplyDeleteWhat about one of the central components of libertarianism? That is, control rights. Jose Padilla is an American citizen who was held in solitary confinement and without access to a lawyer. He is an American. He lost control of his body and property. Does that not go against one of the central ideas of libertarianism? Is there no tension between your support for libertarianism and torture?
Most of Libertarain view I do agree with. One that I don't agree with is abortion. You should not have an abortion because there is another life inside of you and you are killing it before you are giving it a start.Another view I don't agree with is National Security. We should be able to go to other countries to help if they need it. The last view I don't agree with is Eduacation. Why should the parent have control over how much education a child can get . The last posting I said i against the waterboarding. And I am still am against that. If they are going to do that than the people that are performing the act then they should be waterboarded first. But it is still wrong.
ReplyDeleteVirginia Spriggs
I'm all for the rights and Ideas the libertarian stands for. I'm very much against government intervention in my life. I however also believe that some laws and polices have to stay in place because some people cannot govern themselves. Such as crime. Without a court system anyone can "pay" off a judge. In national defense. The administration cannot be transparent because in order to do there jobs effectively secrets have to be kept. i love the idea. I however think a true libertarian society such as in are novel is impossible to achieve in America.
ReplyDeleteThough I do agreee with some of the Libertarain ideas,there are some things that I disagree with.Self-defenceis a major one:if my neighbor as an arsenal of high powered guns then yes,I want the government to step in and do something about it.I do feel that people should be able to have guns but there does come a point when it can be a danger to the community.Education is something else I disagree with.As someone who one hopes to be an elementary school teacher,I feel like everybody should have the opportunity to attend school.Though there are some differences our government and a Libertarain government really aren't all that different.
ReplyDeleteBlair Jewell 100.04
I like all the libertarian rights and ideas. Especially the free health care. In the US our health care is certainty not free. Tons of people go with out health care each year and end up not wanting to go to the hospital because its very expensive. If we had free health care more people would be treated for illnesses and there would be less deaths....
ReplyDelete---Sabina Nicewarner 03
I agree with most of the libertarian ideas except for two of them. I do not agree that the government should be left out of the education system because then I believe that people will only be taught what their parents know and it could turn out that if your father was a shoemaker then you must be a shoemaker because there will no one else to teach you other things. I also believe that we should be able to make alliances because even if we change to a libertarian government it is not like the rest of the world will and we might still have enemies that could overwhelm us if we do not have help.
ReplyDelete--David Leonard
I have to say that I agree with almost all of the libertarian ideas. A few of them, I would change a bit so they would work better. Like the Education system, I believe that the government should have some say in the education of the children in schools. Without it, I believe that some children wouldn't learn much about what they need to do to survive. They would learn only what the parents knew, what the parents what them to know. They would be ignorant to what the world has in store for them. I also like the free Health care system, though I believe that there should be more precautions to make sure that people would not take advantage of it. That's the last thing our economy needs. I like the libertarian views, I think they would work fairly well.
ReplyDelete-Brittney Garland
I have to say for many of these points; I am half in agreement, and half in disagreement. Regarding the education principle, I believe parents should be in full control of their child’s education, homeschooling is an example of that. But I believe the government should help pay for education, the burden shouldn’t be solely on the parents. The financial burden of education may be too much for the parents, which wouldn’t give a child the education he or she might need to succeed in college and in life. This is just an example of helping the “poor class” in America.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I do not agree with the libertarian international affairs point. I believe America should aid other countries. It goes along with the same principle of aiding the poor class in America. Now I’m not saying that the US truly fulfills these duties. But I don’t believe we should end any sort of foreign military and economic aid.
Jessica Lisk 100:05
I agree with almost all of the Libertarian Party's positions on various social and political issues. However, I don't agree with education and national defense. I don't think that our parents should have control over how much education we get and to be held responsible for all the funds for schooling. With the national defense, I think the US should aid and help the world when they need it. I like all the personal rights because I am very against much government interference in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think abortion is extremely unacceptable. I think in certain circumstances it's acceptable like rape but if you have an abortion because you Aren't ready to have a baby I think that's wrong. You don't need to kill an unborn child because of a bAd decision you made. The child didn't ask to be made. Either you live with your bad decision or give the baby up. Dont kill it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the Lertarian Party's positions. They are all good for the people. I do disagree with a couple of them like the education and national deffense. I would change that one a little bit, by letting the government having a litle say so, plus not everyone will be able to afford their education. It seems like we have a good thing going by making everyone get at least a basic education. I would also have to tweak abortion. Abortion is should be against the law, but there are circumstances that could change how it is taken care of. But you also can't just let people just kill away their problems. If someone has messed up then they ashould have to live with the consequences. If someone wants to have an abortion then they must have an extremely valid excuse, like rape or something like that.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Sawyers
While reading the positions of Libertarianism I found that I tend to agree with all of them. The only one I wasn’t sure about was 3.3 International Affairs. This may be because I don’t really know much about how the US deals with entanglement with other nations besides those we are supposedly at war with. I like these positions because they highlight the belief that all of mankind is equal.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the libertarian views while I find others unacceptable. I think that we should be able to deal with our national security in different ways. We should help other countries if the need is there and defend our own country. I also feel that it is important that monopolies cannot form as our government has it. Monopolies would be aweful to be allowed. I feel that it is important to have police and such that are paid with tax money. Even though people have the right to defend themself some people would still be unable. There is always someone bigger and stronger and sometimes people need the help from a strong central force. All in all I don't think I could live in a libertarian system. There are aspects that sound wonderful but there are many that I would have a hard time dealing with.
ReplyDeleteVickie Norris
After reading all of the different positions I came to find that I agree with just about all of them. The only one that I didn't fully agree with was 1.4; Abortion. I have never agreed fully on the topic of abortion. Yes, if you get raped that is a completely different story. But for individuals who cant face their own problems and deal with what they got themselves into just isn't right. I think it needs some tweaks, but overall i think a libertarian government could be an okay thing...
ReplyDeleteLike most of us here, I agree with many of the Libetarian views, and only "disagree" with a few to some degree. The first being education, I believe it is best that our government play a role in regulating attendance policies an such and mandate schooling. Although it is in the best interests of most parents, not all would take the appropriate steps in assuring that their child get proper schooling, and develop the skills they will use later in life. I also disagree with the Libertarian viewpoint regarding resources and eneergy. I believe there are some things we just are not capable of properly controlling, and those would be two examples. AS someone stated earlier, my first thoughts jump to Mad Max when thinking about "us" controlling our own resources. I don't think we'd be as barbaric, but I do believe some mini-wars could stem amongst ourselves, especially if it came down to such a valuable resource as oil.
ReplyDeleteMelani Lewis 100:05