Libertarians Are Not Conservative or Liberal
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At times, it seems to me, liberals cannot discern the difference between conservatives and libertarians. It also seems conservatives cannot always tell the difference between liberals and libertarians.
As a Ron Paul supporter, I’ve been confronted with this issue several times within the past few months. I’ve had conservatives critique me with the “liberal” label attached to their comments. I’ve also had a few liberals accuse me of being a “right-wing conservative”.
Is Libertarianism Liberal or Conservative?
Liberals don’t like libertarianism because it’s “conservative” (whatever that means), and conservatives don’t like it because it’s “liberal” (whatever that means). I’ve long given up trying to understand what modern day American liberalism or conservatism actually means or even stands for.
It seems that for most liberals and conservatives it means whatever the Democratic and Republican Party supports at a given moment. If their team is in power (Democrat or Republican), they support an increase in the power of the government, a decrease in civil liberties, and an aggressive interventionist foreign policy, including military action. They’ll even support the same war they once protested once their guy is leading the charge. If they are not in power, they suddenly remember the Constitution and proclaim everything the majority party is doing as illegal and immoral and call for peace.
Personal Liberty or Economic Liberty?
Ron Paul talks about how the philosophical ideas of Liberty split into two factions: personal liberty and economic liberty.
The Left for the most part supports personal liberty, and the Right for the most part supports economic liberty. Originally, classical liberals such as Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine in the U.S. and Frédéric Bastiat and Benjamin Constant in France, saw the two as one. They could not comprehend a split in personal and economic liberty.
But today in America, liberals would support civil or personal liberties and favor state interventionism in the economy, and conservatives would support economic freedom and favor state interventionism in personal behaviors and lifestyles. Both sides regard the other as a threat to their own liberties and champion themselves as defenders of freedom and virtue. This is why this country is so divided and full of hate.
Each side fears the other because of what one side or the other would force onto the nation as a whole. This is democracy and both the liberals and conservatives pay homage to it.
Libertarianism or Statism?
The left/right paradigm has played a major role in American politics. The lack of a true understanding of libertarian and statist philosophy and history has kept the populous from understanding the true threat. Both sides sense the threat to their liberties in the actions and beliefs of their opponents, but are blind to the threats to liberty they themselves support. Because the choices have only been between “liberalism” and “conservatism” with libertarian and statist principles in both sides, either side can claim to support freedom and be seen by its opponent to threaten freedom. When in the government, as the opposition, both sides follow libertarian principles, as rulers, statist principles.
Defining Political Philosophies
Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.
Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded “safety net” to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.
Centrists prefer a “middle ground” regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose “political extremes,” and emphasize what they describe as “practical” solutions to problems.
Conservatives tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates “traditional values.” They oppose excessive government control of business, while endorsing government action to defend morality and the traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.
Statists want government to have a great deal of power over the economy and individual behavior. They frequently doubt whether economic liberty and individual freedom are practical options in today’s world. Statists tend to distrust the free market, support high taxes and centralized planning of the economy, oppose diverse lifestyles, and question the importance of civil liberties.
What about Ron Paul?
Ron Paul Wallpaper
Congressman Ron Paul is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited, constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution.
As for his foreign policy which seems to trouble so many…
Paul’s views are generally attributed to those of non-interventionism, which is the belief that the United States should avoid entangling alliances with other nations, but still retain diplomacy, and avoid all wars not related to direct territorial self-defense.
Paul is quoted as stating “America [should] not interfere militarily, financially, or covertly in the internal affairs of other nations”, while advocating “open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations”.
Ronald Reagan spoke in support of Paul’s foreign policy views in the early 1980s, stating “Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country.”
Daniel Ellsberg, famous for releasing the Pentagon Papers, has said of Paul in 2010: “On foreign policy, on the Constitution, on Homeland Security, on intervention, he speaks very well.”
Ron Paul pretty well summed things in October 2007 when he said, “There’s nobody in this world that could possibly attack us today…we could defend this country with a few good submarines. If anybody dared touch us we could wipe any country off of the face of the earth within hours. And here we are, so intimidated and so insecure…that we have to attack third-world nations that have no military and have no weapons.”
If you are a lover of freedom and the United States Constitution, you will not find a more consistent and ardent supporter of both than Ron Paul.
What’s Really Important? Liberal vs. Conservative? or Libertarian vs. Statist? | Libertas | 14 April 2010
http://libertas.ws/news-opinion/whats-really-important-liberal-vs-conservative-or-libertarian-vs-statist/World’s Smallest Political Quiz | Advocates for Self Government
http://www.theadvocates.org/quizWho is Ron Paul? | RonPaul.com
http://www.ronpaul.com/who-is-ron-paul/Political positions of Ron Paul | Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul
About The Author
Jeremy Sarber
I'm the pastor of one of the most blessed churches in all the world. I'm married to the most wonderful woman to walk the face of the earth. I'm host of possibly the most unconventional podcast on the Internet. I am thankful because I deserve none of it. Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email
