Defining a Libertarian – Ron Paul’s Political Platform

If you are a member of the Tea Party (or is it the Tea Party-Party?) or call yourself a Tea Party Patriot (or is it a Tea Party-Party Patriot?), some of you may be quite excited about the thought of Libertarian-Republican Ron Paul, Congressman from Texas, running for President even though you did not know his name when he ran in the 2008 primaries.

Many conservative blogs claim Ron Paul is the founder of the Tea Party (Party), but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I suppose that Ron Paul could be considered the grandfather of the Libertarian Party. This would not be because of his age, but because he is the epitome of the Libertarian Party.

There also seems to be some excitement among conservative Republicans over the thought of Ron Paul throwing his hat into the ring.

You will not find that Libertarians flip-flop on any of the issues like some Republicans and Democrats. You may find, however, that some Libertarians do not want to discuss some of their more unpopular views, but they will never waver in any of their views.

While Libertarians and Liberals (utilizing sneaky word association) have a number of similar views like civil liberties, freedom of speech and press, and freedom from illegal search and seizure, Tea Partiers and Libertarians only share two somewhat-similar views.

The first issue is gun rights, and the belief that the bigger the gun in your leg holster, the cooler you look.

The second issue is the gripe with paying taxes, although that is where the similarity ends. A true Libertarian wants to abolish taxes because Libertarians want to abolish all of the programs and departments that taxes fund.

If you identify with the Tea Party (Party) or the Republican Party and think that you might have found the right candidate with Ron Paul, prepare yourself.

Let Them Be Gay! 

Libertarians believe that all people have the right to be married, including gay people.

Libertarians believe that there should be no laws governing a woman’s body, and there should be no laws infringing upon a woman’s right to choose.

Libertarians do not believe in borders. They want to tear down the fences and the walls and allow immigrants to enter our country in order to pursue a better life for themselves and their families.

Libertarians do not believe in any sort of identification or verification process for employment or travel. People should be free to come and go as they wish and to apply for jobs without interference. Libertarians are vehemently opposed to Arizona’s SB1070. This law goes against everything that Libertarians stand for.

No Taxes. No Schools. NO FIREMEN!!!

While Tea Partiers might believe that they are on the same page with Libertarians regarding taxes and fiscal responsibility, the truth of the matter is that you won’t find many Tea Partiers who are willing to eliminate public schools. Libertarians want to replace the public school system with low-cost, private alternatives.

Libertarians believe that taxes should be abolished along with all the programs and departments that taxes fund. Libertarians don’t believe in Medicare. Libertarians don’t believe in Social Security. Libertarians don’t believe that there should be fire departments, police departments, public transportation, grants for education, unemployment, disability, food stamps, and every other type of government system and assistance that you can think of.

Libertarians wish to eliminate taxes in order to eliminate all of the above programs and more. Libertarians believe that without these taxes, individuals will have more money in their pockets and will be able to afford all of these things. If someone is unable to provide themselves or their family with school, healthcare, or food, people need to rely on family members, church, or a private charity.

Libertarians believe in freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom to peaceably assemble and worship. This would include the right to build a mosque anywhere and without red tape.  This would also include the right to protest at a dead soldier’s funeral. Libertarians do not believe in law enforcement and government officials of all types: police, FBI, CIA. These entities are considered to be intrusive.

Libertarians do not believe in any of the above.  Libertarians especially do not like the recent ban on poker sites for American poker players or the recent charges filed against the owner’s of the poker websites.

Libertarians believe that government’s role in the market should be to protect property owner’s rights. There should be no FDA, equal employment opportunities, unions, minimum wage, payroll taxes, safe food handling requirements, consumer protections, regulations that protect against financial conflicts of interest and fraud, and business licenses.

Libertarians believe that business owners should have the right to deny entry to minorities and/or women and/or people with disabilities, if that is how business owners wish to run their businesses.

Libertarians believe that all drugs should be legalized and that this would drastically reduce crime and solve overcrowding in prisons. Libertarians view drugs the same way as alcohol prohibition. Libertarians believe that alcohol prohibition created the Mafia and, likewise, drug prohibition created the Crips, Bloods, and drive-by shootings. Libertarians believe that legalizing all drugs would resolve the overcrowding problems in prisons, resulting in eliminating early release for criminals that pose a danger to society.

On September 10, 2010, Libertarians issued a warning to Tea Partiers that Republicans were trying to fool the people. Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, Wes Benedict, issued the following statement:

"There are two kinds of Tea Partiers. One kind is so blinded by its hatred of Obama and Democrats that it cannot see fault with Republicans. It's the other kind the Libertarian Party is reaching out to."

The warning continues by criticizing a long list of Republican Presidents, including both Bushes and Ronald Reagan.

While Ron Paul is probably one of the most honest of all representatives, it is my personal opinion that Ron Paul will not be one of the front-runners in the primaries if he does decide to run again. Although there may be some initial excitement over his campaign, most Republicans and Tea Party (Party) members will find Ron Paul's views too liberal once they explore Libertarian values.

Democrats will find too many of Ron Paul's views along the lines of a dog-eat-dog world.

Women around the country who love firemen will also find Ron Paul very unappealing.