Ryan ChartrandSo you know what really cheeses me about libertarians. Let me break this down for you: we can view the two major political parties in general terms of their social and economic views and that each of these views can been as either libertarian or authoritarian. I know this isn’t perfect, but I think any political mind can agree that this is a rough approximation. Now Democrats tend to be socially libertarian (government hands off personal lives) and economically authoritarian (government has more power economically through taxation and spending). The Republicans would be the opposite, government with a bigger say in our personal lives and out of the economy. So a libertarian would be torn between the two parties. They would have to say “well I agree with the Democrats that abortion, gay marriage, etc should be personal decisions, but I also agree with Republicans that free-enterprise and the invisible hand should guide our economy.” Again, these are rough stereotypes, but still generally accurate.
So our Libertarian should be torn, no clue who to vote for, they half agree with both parties. Yet when push comes to shove, when it comes time to pencil in their vote, they break Republican. Why is that? Why is the sign at the libertarian booth at the Farmers’ Market always “Stop the War on Poverty?” Why is our resident libertarian leader Jeremy Hicks taking the time to lash out the evil Democrats who may want to “steal” his money while giving the Republicans, who want to “steal” his social freedoms, a pass? And don’t get me started on Ron Paul. I have never been so embarrassed to be a CSC major as when I saw Ron Paul hysteria grip the Internet. So what trait could the Republicans have that push most Libertarians over?
It’s the money. Libertarians are greedy. Money means more to them than their individual freedoms. It’s the only way I can get this to make sense. Now while I may disagree with Libertarian philosophy, I respect that it has some merits. What I don’t like are Libertarians, not the philosophy or political beliefs – the people. I have never been insulted in the course of a political debate as often as I have when arguing with a Ron Paul supporter. Libertarians are bad people because their entire political views are about getting as much money as you can, not the principle of individual freedom that a real Libertarian would truly believe.
Nathan Giusti is a computer science junior and a Mustang Daily guest columnist.