Libertarian Party Press Release

[Xhad]

You're hilarious. "An expensive government that actively destroys things is better than an expensive government that affects little" is pretty much airtight using any reasonable definition of "better". Of course the appropriate rejoinder is "But that still sucks!", but "better" isn't the same thing as "good".

[bkholdem]

[ QUOTE ]
You're hilarious. "An expensive government that actively destroys things is better than an expensive government that affects little" is pretty much airtight using any reasonable definition of "better". Of course the appropriate rejoinder is "But that still sucks!", but "better" isn't the same thing as "good".

[/ QUOTE ]

being anally gang raped by a group of guys is better than being gang raped and tortured by a group of guys with aids.

[mport1]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My brother told me that the Libertarian party believes the next best thing to them being in power is to have split power in the government. In other words, we need the Republicans to control the House, and the Democrats control the Senate (or vise versa). I cannot confirm that the Libertarian party actually said this, but it makes sence. With split control, we'll have more gridlock. With more gridlock, hopefully stupid bills like this would have never been passed.



[/ QUOTE ]

So you want to fund a government that accomplishes nothing?

[/ QUOTE ]

It would be better than one whos net effect is extreme harm.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you are comfortable choosing between paying a lot to accomplish nothing and paying a lot to have extreme harm inflicted?

[/ QUOTE ]

No I want to pay very little for a government that does very little. But if I had to choose between throwing money at the government to continue its current activities and throwing money at a government that doesn't propose any new legislation, I choose the latter.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
And just how exactly do you expect Libertarian candidates to get elected without any funding? It's not the LPs fault that getting elected anywhere requires a ton of money.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you offer to volunteer your time/services they may just be able to accomodate you.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd be happy to help anyone who wants to get involved with local Libertarians. PM me if I can help you in any way (i.e., if that would be more convenient than you navigating the national and state party sites).

[Xhad]

[ QUOTE ]
being anally gang raped by a group of guys is better than being gang raped and tortured by a group of guys with aids.

[/ QUOTE ]

uh-huh. And if I was forced at gunpoint to choose one or the other I would choose accordingly. If it's feasible to avoid either then I avoid either. It's irrational to approach the problem any other way.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh, did your kid die from a bad batch of flu vaccine? Sorry about that, but the libertarians got rid of the FDA, too much regulation. The good news is, that now that your kid is dead, not as many people will buy drugs from that pharmaceutical company. The marketplace will fix it all!


[/ QUOTE ]

I won't say that no Libertarians are radical enough to try shutting down the FDA overnight -- some are -- but certainly not all, or even a clear majority, are that radical.

It is interesting to think about the relative effectiveness government intervention versus market discipline to keep companies from selling us products that kill us, though. Consider the following manufactured dialog that's roughly approximates one seen on this site a thousand times a month:

[ QUOTE ]

- Online poker is sooooo rigged.
- Moron. Online poker can't be rigged.
- Why not?
- Because the minute any site tried that, the loss of confidence in their integrity would drive away all their customers.


[/ QUOTE ]

Now, maybe I'm misstating things and it's really the integrity of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission or whomever that's more often cited as the reason why we can trust online poker. But oddly I don't seem to recall that line of argument. In fact, the general sentiment seems to be that while the authorities might take months or years to investigate malfeasance by the sites, mere rumors of rigging the games would be enough to run off business by sundown.

I actually don't idolize the market -- for example, up until the early 1900s the market wasn't doing anything about child labor, worker safety, etc. Some would say even now all it's done is moved those problems offshore to where we can't see them. But it's also paternalistic to say that Daddy Government is the only institution helping us make informed choices in the marketplace. Regulation might be a stopgap until consumers get informed, but it's no replacement for informed consumers. In reality it ends up being more of a shell game by which we hope the government will trick us into making choices we're too stupid to make for ourselves.

[Roybert]

[ QUOTE ]

Smaller Government... Fewer Taxes... More Freedom...

You know, I thought that is what the Republican party stood for.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why in the world did you ever think that?

[5thStreetHog]

All the pro libertarian ideas alot of you have been posting are correct in theory(at least to me and alot of people who value free choice and freedom).You wont get an arguement here.But,i think the most important concept to realize here is this.Their is a movement in this country to create an oppressive christian state.This movement is getting stronger,and the republican leadership over the last few years has been an accomplish to this(if not directly involved).And make no mistake about it , this movement would love for those who oppose this kind of totalitarian type of thinking,to vote libertarian.In fact they will count of this to help push their pro christian republican candidates into power.Vote democrat(lesser of two evils)or vote alternative and possibly watch as the people you are intent to stop remain in power.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Instead what we're saying is that IF it's going to be one or the other a paralyzing gridlock is better.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't mean to sound cruel, but this is the [attitude] that makes us sheep.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'd rather accept a paralyzing gridlock in the short term and work for something better in the long term. (As long as we're appealing to the common virtues of poker players, understanding the difference between short and long time horizons ranks right up there.)

In fact, that's just what I would do if I lived in a state with competitive D-R races: Vote for the Democrat now to hamstring the destructive power of the Rs in Congress, but volunteer to build multiparty infrastructure so that we're not always faced with such bad choices. Since nothing in my state matters a damn along the D-R axis anyway, I just do the volunteering and vote Libertarian to boot.

[pokernose]

[ QUOTE ]
The republicans, like democrats enjoy elitist power.

I am one of the many 'unenrolled' and really wish Libertarians would become stronger.

Government needs to get out of our lives and do their only job....protect our constitution and our citizens from foreign invaders. The last 20 years have been a joke!

I want democracy in its truest form.....majority, majority, majority voices without suppressing or oppressing the minority. Not the other way around. Now we have an oppressive minority where special interests seem to have taken over. It's really unAmerican! The majority were use to having their wishes yeilded to by elected officials - we seem to have lost their ears to special interest groups.

[/ QUOTE ]

The only way for the Libertarian party to get stronger is for people to start voting for them. It is only a wasted vote if you are not voting your conscience.