The statists, whether Republican, Democrat or Green, already know this. The drum beat towards new and increased taxes only gets louder and louder as time goes on. The pressure is at all levels, city, state and federal. Stand against them. The TEA Parties are the evidence that the people are on our side on this issue, in spite of the fact that some of the TEA Parties heavily populated by neo-conservatives can get hostile to us.

We no longer have to apologize for our stances. We only have to turn the discussion around to saying that if Libertarians had been in office the mess we are in today would never have happened. We also have to be prepared to state what new systems will take the place of the collapsing systems.

The only other option I see is a totalitarian state. I am working hard for the libertarian option.

It notable that one of the most successful Libertarians, Ron Paul (yes he is an LP member) supported eliminating the income tax and replacing it with nothing, and a comparatively mainstream conservative, Mike Huckabee advocated abolishing the IRS and replacing it with a national sales tax.

One can call for quality private medical care and alternatives to the IRS, without insisting that it happens at once. Gradualism is simply the honest acknowledgment that we are part of a process in which one doesn’t get perfection overnight.

In other-words, maximizing a voluntary non-coercive society is a destination. In looking at compromises I always look to see if it points us in the direction of that destination. As Tom Knapp once noted, “I recognize that the bulk of the passengers will be disembarking at stations somewhere east of the one for which my ticket is stamped.”

If I believed government run health care was the solution, and that the income tax were good for the economy, I would stop being a Libertarian. To accept these premises, would be to reject many of the most fundamental arguments that support most libertarian positions. That doesn’t mean I would oppose intermediate measures in which some (but less) of the socialism and taxation still existed.

The Republicans are already using our rhetoric everywhere I turn, but when cornered on the issues they show they don’t mean it. If we are to contrast ourselves from them, we must be clear that we really mean it. Otherwise, we are just Republicans with no campaign funds.

Thank you very much for your insightful article regarding the Libertarian Party. I’m currently running as an “L”, this upcoming local election, for a At-Large seat for City Council. Reading your article has encouraged me to keep on fighting the good fight, and not give up or give in to either party that is in power “for now”. As you have pointed out, the political pendulum will swing back again towards the “other” party, and we Libertarians, will be ready with candidates of our own.

Yours in Freedom,

Angela Williams
2009 At-Large Marion City Council Candidate

While I agree on the importance of removing these obstacles I think it is even more important to reform the electoral process as a whole. Our current first-past-the-post, winner-takes-all electoral system encourages the fear of “spoilers” thus causing people to vote not for what they want but against what they fear.

We need reforms such as instant-runoff-voting (IRV) for executive offices and proportional representation (PR) for legislative bodies. IRV would allow people to rank their choices for an office allowing them to cast their first place vote for a minor party candidate even if they believe that candidate has no choice of winning. If indeed that candidate comes in last their second choice will then be awarded a vote in the next round where the last place candidate has been eliminated. PR involves using multi-seat districts and awarding seats in proportion to the vote totals. For example, in a five seat district if 20% of the voters support a minority candidate, that candidate would get one seat of the five — still a minority position but at least a presence at the table.

For more information on the electoral reform effort please visit http://www.fairvote.com