When we talk about Liberty it is a must that we are able to articulate what it means, not just to other like-minded folk, but to people who disagree with our views. Libertarians cannot be trumped in the arena of ideas when compared to other political and economic ideologies. Where we our trumped is in being able to thoroughly explain these ideas. Fundamentally, Libertarians have a messaging problem and that is why some from the left and some from the right are hesitant to join us. If we could just hone in on our messaging, then like birds of a feather people will flock to the only party not in favor of tyranny. Let's get into these five core principles that should be able to help any libertarian - or any Liberty lover in general - express what they mean when they say Gimme Liberty Or Give Me Death.
- Peace - First, let me just say that I TOLD ALL YOU LIBERALS YOU SHOULD'VE CAME BACK! Okay, immaturity aside, let's talk about what peace means. Libertarians catch a lot of flack from the Republicans being labeled as isolationists (see the messaging problem we got here folks?). To the hardcore neoconservatives of the world, nothing tops American 'interest' and 'nation building', whatever that even means. Don't worry I am sure they will have trouble defining American 'interests' and 'nation building' too. Currently we have American troops spread out all over the world in over 30 different countries, from as far back as the Cold War days. Let's all think back to how we were treated by the British military forces before we declared our independence... Not such a pretty picture right? So how did this become the norm? Well neoconservatives are winning the messaging problem. See, libertarians are not isolationists, we are non-interventionists. The difference is isolationists are quite apathetic if they were to be attacked. Why they would be attacked is another topic, because our constant interventions is a very plausible reason for why most Middle Eastern countries despise us. Think about it, imagine waking up every day unsure if you're house will get hit by one of the many air raids conducted by our United States government. Ask yourself these questions: would you hate the people who bombed your country every day? Would you want to put an end to it - even if it meant joining a terrorist group? These are real concerns that average citizens in the Middle East think about. These are some of the reasons some individuals decide to join ISIL. Well following that logic, by simply not intervening in foreign affairs we actually increase safety in America. Another way I like to think of it is like a big game of risk. As you spread your forces out more and more, your homeland becomes more and more vulnerable to attack. The non-interventionist would make protecting America not only the most important goal, but the only goal of our military. Quite different from the isolationist who wouldn't be able to defend themselves adequately if attacked. As humans, we owe it to other humans to be as diplomatic and as peaceful as possible in situations where we disagree, because war is brutally devastating, and should be avoided at all costs.
- Tolerance - Tolerance is defined as "the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with." Whether you disagree with someone's sexual orientation, their religious views, or any other reason you tolerate it - because it is that individual's right to live his/her life as he/she sees fit, not your right to force anybody into your way of thinking. We are a collection of unique individuals - each with our own way of thinking and acting - and individuals have that right to the pursuit of happiness as long as they do not harm another individual along the way. It is not conformity, it is the opposite - realizing and accepting that others have different views than you, but the same rights.
- Individualism - We are not 'society', 'society' is us - that is a collection of individuals each with our own rights. This ties into tolerance and more specifically into government 'one-size-fits-all' programs. One size will never fit all in the mixing pot that created America. To be an individual means to be free to choose to do whatever that individual sees fit - as long as one does not harm another in the process. Is a drug addict's addiction not punishment enough for their problem? Is it necessary for the government to come in, give that individual a felony and in turn ruin his/her chances at getting a career that could be exactly what that individual needs to fly from the prison of their addiction? If anything is said to be for the betterment of society, then it mustn't negatively impact even one individual. In a society made up of individuals and their distinct pursuit of happiness then even one individual being negatively impacted ruins 'humanitarian' efforts to 'Make America Great Again'.
- Free Markets - Markets free of bureaucracy and red line regulations only work to increase freedom, increase opportunities, and increase the overall standard of life. The biggest messaging problem faced by libertarians spreading free market awareness is capitalism's morbid step-brother from hell, crony capitalism. In my experiences, the left confuses the two terms and over time they have come to despise capitalism - without realizing it is crony capitalism they hate. Crony capitalism rewards big businesses with special tax subsidies which others in the market do not receive, rewards big businesses who fail by granting them tax-payer funded bailouts, and as a result ends in stagflation. Stagflation is the constant, slight increase in prices over time mixed with the constant slight decrease in GDP and a high unemployment rate. A free market allows businesses to fail, no matter how big because if they don't add value to the consumers they have to appease then what is the point? Another better run business is right around the corner just waiting to hire most of the employees who were laid off when the initial business failed. Failures set the standard for the market in how to treat inefficiencies, how to treat consumers, and even how to treat employees. If you neglect any of these, your business is doomed to bankruptcy from competition that a free market creates. A regulated market makes it harder for new businesses to form, resulting in less people getting hired no matter which way you want to try to spin it. Capitalism is not extortion of the working class, and we must get that message across to the left if we want a prosperous future for our children and their children and so on.
- Limited Government - George Washington once said, "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." No group of people understood the dangers of big government more than the founding fathers did. It's rather unfortunate we do not listen to these revolutionaries anymore. They understood that government is innately corrupt. The more power they get the more power they want, and this will never end until we the people wake up and elect people into office who will uphold their constitutional duties. If you want to end government corruption there is no other way to do it other than limiting government. The left claims to hate big business - they think they treat workers unfairly, have too much influence on government, and are just evil people trying to make a profit off the poor. But do they really not realize that without big government, big businesses cannot artificially influence anything? I will admit it, I used to hate big businesses too and just saw them as rich greedy CEOs who don't care. And they might be rich and greedy, but if they do not care about the value they add to their consumer's lives, then they won't be in business much longer. A big, successful business was once an idea with incredible risks involved that over the years have made better, cheaper products than their competition. A big government was once [in our case] a small, constitutional government with specific rules to follow. A big government over the years have learned to completely disregard these guidelines and have become corrupted to the point where either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will most likely become our president. Government corruption is an idea that both the left and the right should agree on, but the left needs to realize that limited government is the correct solution to end corruption, not Bernie Sanders. This is the messaging problem libertarians face today when trying to spread the message of Liberty. It's crucial to understand these concepts and be able to relate them to either side, so we can change the minds of our fellow man and be the change that we would like to see in future world. We have a duty to future generations - who all have the same basic human rights as we do - to not make them suffer from our blunders.