Libertarians: Homeless or Actively Building a Home? Choose one.

[grarpamp]

https://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2021/04/americas-political-system-leaves.html
https://mises.org/power-market/three-states-libertarian-voters-may-decide

America's Political System Leaves Libertarians Homeless

Sadly, in America's two-party political system Libertarians are left
Homeless. The libertarian philosophy or ideology has many facets.
Running through all of them is the idea that less government is
generally a good thing. This reminds me of what President Ronald
Reagan, famously said: The nine most terrifying words in the English
language are "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Such
words resonate with most libertarians.

While the government may claim it has good intentions history shows it
often finds a way to muck things up. This is due to the fact that
"government" is comprised of both corrupt and fallible human beings.
This is a toxic combination that tends to create policies that screw
things up. This takes a variety of shapes, including costly or
unintended consequences.

While some people write a blog for financial gain, others of us do so
seeking as wide a base of readership as possible in order to have our
opinions heard and share ideas. It is fair to say that on occasion
some readers, with opposing opinions refuse to agree to disagree.
Below is a comment from one of those fellas taking issue with my claim
libertarian views do not align with those of the right, part of what
he is saying reflects the confusion surrounding libertarian
philosophy.

    Libertarian, or far-right, what's the difference? So many times in
the past, I've read blogs and websites from the far-right, in which
they love to cloak themselves in the term of "libertarian," but the
rest of the Rational world understands your dog-whistle politics and
misanthropic social ideals. Do your criticisms flow both ways? Where's
your hard-and-fast criticism of the political ideologues on the far
right?

In truth, the views of those claiming to be libertarians often
conflict with those of other libertarians and even the Libertarian
Party. We tend to be an odd lot and that is why the Libertarian Party
may be doomed to failure. It seems the elephant in the room is the
question of exactly where one person's rights start and where another
begins.

A libertarian is committed to the principle that freedom and liberty
are the most important political values. This means we should be able
to make our own choices about our own life, what we do with our body
and our property. In short, other people should not forcibly interfere
with our liberty, and we should not forcibly interfere with theirs.

Over the years, you would think the failure of big government to
address our problems and woes would have convinced more voters
expanding the role of government is not the answer. The cost of big
government and the reality Washington seldom accomplishes its goals is
beginning to nibble at the theory more government is good for society.
While Government may be better at giving people access to services and
good at passing popular laws, the private sector is by far more
efficient and better at controlling costs.

Over the last two centuries the United States government has been
steadily moving away from Adam Smith’s idea of limited government and
towards the view of Abraham Lincoln that government should do for the
people, whatever needed to be done. The Democratic Party has long been
thought of as the party of "big government." Filled with believers
that more government can make things right they claim they care about
the "little guy," women, workers, minorities. They are big supporters
of unions, more rules, and more regulations.

We, libertarians,  looking for a port in any storm often find
ourselves in the Republican camp but it is a poor fit. In politics
many of the positions people take reek of conflict. The pursuit of an
agenda or political advantage often results in people working together
who would not otherwise normally socialize with one another, politics
makes strange bedfellows. An example of this is how President Obama
had the support of business-minded Republicans when pursuing trade
deals while his party fought the idea.

Another example of this is how the mainstay Republican party stabbed
Trump in the back on several occasions. Clearly, it was Libertarians
and Populists that allowed Trump to get elected. In a piece authored
by Tho Bishop via The Mises Institute, he writes, "Since 2016, the
role of libertarians in political discourse has tended to devolve away
from a relevant political demographic into a weird scapegoat for the
Left and Right." Bishop goes on to point out what I contend is a major
problem, and that is, while the libertarian electorate may not be
valued, it is a very important demographic. This is because during
Presidential elections those voting for a Libertarian Presidential
candidate can flip enough delegates to give one party an undeserved
victory in the electoral college.

Libertarians are often misunderstood, they believe people are
basically good and are endowed by their Creator with natural rights,
including the rights of life, liberty, and property.

In the United States, libertarians often embrace a political
philosophy that advocates small government and is culturally liberal
and fiscally conservative. This is far different from what is offered
up in America's two-dimensional political spectrum mainly made up of
conservatives with rigid right-wing social values and liberals that
embrace big government and the spending that supports it.

The Trend From 20% To 35% Is Clear And Continues

Big government is not just an American problem and tends to be even
worse in countries established long ago. It seems corruption and
government both tend to grow in unison over time. The reality of
ever-larger government has manifest itself in more scandals as
departments overreach their missions. This can be seen in the
military, the IRS, NSA, and huge incomprehensible bills being passed
by Congress while our government often fails to accomplish the tasks
it is given.

Like the Populist, until the system changes, libertarians should
expect to remain a small swing group looking for a home. As for the
idea of reforming or improving our election system, that is very
unlikely to happen as neither major party wants to introduce a change
that might benefit the other. The entrenched interest of the elites
within the system block change. The small hope for change can be found
in shifting demographics that are rapidly shrinking the Republican
Party. If they do not adopt a more populist message and a big tent
policy they will continue to lose power. This could have a very
negative impact on America going forward.

The polarization we see today may be mild compared to what we see in
ten years if a large segment of the population feels its voice is
silenced. If the checks and balances in our system fail, expect anger
to grow as more Americans begin to feel even more left out in the
cold. The saying "be careful what you wish for" may again be proven
true as those wanting more government intervention experience the
limits of government and bureaucracy while burdened by the financial
cost it imposes. We must remember that government is often not
constrained by the power of the purse to strive for efficiency, where
a business fails when it does not meet its goals of providing a good
service or product at a reasonable cost government muddles on.

The open-ended theme of larger Government is generally a mechanism to
in some way transfer wealth. Mandates often unfunded are fostered upon
business organizations and private citizens.  A new proactive movement
of “cuteness” cloaked in a veil of flexibility and diversity has
allowed politicians and bureaucrats to use terms like "Private Public
Partnership" and "quasi-government entities" that mask just how deep
its roots have grown. These terms open a pathway for politicians to
tinker without the personal financial risk that a businessman must
take. Those within government love being creative especially when they
do so on our dime. The use of sun-set legislation is underused when it
comes to extending and renewing government bodies. We tend to forget
that the best time to kill a monster is while it's small.

It is the nature of bureaucracy to expand. It often takes courage to
make difficult and unpopular political and economic decisions that
will cause pain but benefit society in the long run. A political
system that encourages sidestepping these issues to pander to the
masses in exchange for remaining in power pays a tremendous price that
can stay hidden for only so long. This is a trap America has slipped
into, getting out of this will prove quite difficult. I seriously
question whether we have the fortitude to take the necessary steps
required.