{"article":{"id":65112,"heading":"Are Republicans different from Libertarians?","author":"Doug Patton","created":"2003-06-17 20:57:29","modified":"2003-06-21 03:45:03","last_modified":"Sat, 21 Jun 2003 10:45:03","article":"

Libertarians Want Their Own State

Doug Patton, GOPUSA, June 16, 2003

\"Who is John Galt?\"

Fans of philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand will recall that question as the opening line of her massive tome, \"Atlas Shrugged.\" Over the course of the next 1,100 pages, the reader learns that John Galt is the novel's capitalist hero, a man who methodically has become the catalyst of a successful attempt at recruiting the best and the brightest entrepreneurs of American industry to withdraw from the commerce of their country. The result is a steady decline of the U.S. economy, as America's producers refuse to continue paying for the non-producers.

Rand's vision was a warning that the socialism she had seen in her native Russia was creeping into the expectations Americans had of their own government. And this was in the 1950s!

Fifty years later, the American producer of goods, services and creative ideas labors under a financial and regulatory burden Ayn Rand could only have contemplated in her worst nightmare. And while the miracle of free-market capitalism still remains a strong motive, the insatiable appetite of government at every level to redistribute wealth is rapidly destroying the incentive to create it. (Witness the recent shameless pandering of Democrats and Republicans alike to give \"tax credits\" to an entire class of Americans who pay no taxes!)

It has been estimated that if all the assets of every individual American were confiscated and redistributed evenly, within a few decades those assets would be right back in the same hands. That sounds about right. Spenders spend. Savers save. Producers produce. Parasites do not.

Enter the Libertarians. It might sound Quixotic, but a real movement is gaining ground among a growing number of people who have become alarmed at the pace with which the United States is racing toward confiscatory taxation for the purpose of redistributing assets.

In a scheme that would make Any Rand proud, the Libertarians are plotting to take over a state, revamp the government with policies of minimal taxation, spending and regulation and possibly even threaten to secede from the Union. They think they will need about 20,000 hard-core believers in a small state to accomplish this. I think they just might be on to something.

Former Republican Senator Malcolm Wallop once said that the difference between Democrats and Republicans was that if Democrats introduced a bill to burn down the Capitol, Republicans would offer an amendment to phase it in over three years.

Put another way, in the words of a frustrated conservative House Republican with whom I spoke recently, Democrats seem willing to lock arms and step off the cliff together into the socialist abyss singing \"We are the world,\" while his Republican colleagues seem perfectly content to line up and march off single file.

True Libertarians will tell you they believe that government should defend the shores and deliver the mail - unless, of course, someone else can deliver the mail more efficiently and cheaper. In other words, pure Libertarians advocate maximum liberty with minimum restrictions in any and all arenas of human activity.

This sounds good, but carried to its logical extreme, it involves decriminalizing virtually every \"vice\" known to man: gambling, prostitution, the personal use of illicit drugs and abortion on demand performed by anyone anywhere. I have often said that I would become a Libertarian in a heartbeat if it were not for these social issues. However, when it comes to economics, they are right on target.

Fifty years ago, the average family of four in America paid just four dollars in federal taxes out of every $100 earned. State and local taxes were also at a minimum, with many states not even utilizing sales or income taxes.

It was this economic freedom, not the power and authority of government to confiscate our assets and solve our problems, that made us the world's greatest superpower. Libertarian economic philosophy may be our last hope of escaping the tax burden that is threatening the vitality of nations all around the world.



Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor at the federal, state and local levels. His weekly columns can be read in newspapers across the country, and on www.GOPUSA.com, where he serves as the Nebraska Editor. He also writes for Talon News Service (www.TalonNews.com).<\/p>\n","contact":"Doug.Patton@GOPUSA.com","link":"http:\/\/gopusa.com\/dougpatton\/dp_0616.shtml","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"Libertarians advocate maximum liberty with minimum restrictions in any and all arenas of human activity. This sounds good, but carried to its logical extreme, it involves decriminalizing virtually every "vice" known to man.","numcomment":22,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/06\/65112.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":65118,"heading":"it's about the weed, stupid","article":"Libertarians are Republicans that smoke dope.\r\n\r\nI think it was PJ O'Rourke that said that - he ought to know.\r\n\r\nted","author":"ted","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-17 21:43:13","modified":"2003-06-17 21:43:13","fileurl":""},{"id":65127,"heading":"Wow what a genius!","article":""Producers produce. Parasites do not."\r\n\r\nOK , who sits in an office all day drawing a giant salary while the workers that actually produce all the wealth are making minimum wage? WHO is a parasite? Liberty in ALL aspects of life?\r\n\r\nEconomic liberty is not just freedom from taxes, but freedom to run the workplace democratically. This includes democratically decided upon distribution of the fruits of labor.\r\n\r\nCapital "L" libertarians are frighteningly myopic when it comes to the meaning of the word liberty. Liberty for them seems to be little more than the ability to make all the money one can possibly make (while stepping on anyone necessary to do so) and freedom to do as many drugs as one wants.\r\n\r\nThey also seem to be ignorant to the fact that our "Capitalistic" economy has gone through the highest growth rates while the economy was highly protectionistic and centrally planned (WWII anyone?).\r\n\r\nI guess they aren't all that bad though. Anyone who wants to pay "user fees" to take your children to the park, go to the library, enjoy our national forests, or walk down the street would be at "Liberty" (tm) to do so (presumably these would all be privately owned because our "socialistic" regime wouldn't be stealing all the REAL parasites money to provide for public services).\r\n\r\nMaybe all this "Libertarian" stuff would work- nobody knows- but would anyone want to live in a society like this?\r\n\r\nA society built on a more meaningful liberty would be stateless and non heirarchical (obviously this rules out capitalism and state-socialism).","author":"Kilgore Trout","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-17 23:01:24","modified":"2003-06-17 23:01:24","fileurl":""},{"id":65181,"heading":"To Paraphrase a line from Churchill...","article":"...Capitalism is the worst form of Economic Organization ever created, except for all the rest.\r\n\r\n"Democratic Workplace" is a really wonderful non-phrase. It means absolutely nothing. In any Work Place someone has got to take the responsibility to see that the Job gets done, that the Product gets delivered. People sitting in offices drawing large Salaries is particularly repellent picture - except that it is not true.\r\nHenry Ford had a sign put up in all of his factories that tells it like it is: "The Employer does not Pay the Wage, he only handles the money, it is the Product that Pays the Wage. \r\n\r\nIn a company that is making things go executives are busy with a myriad of tasks that are essential to making sure that real production occurs. They are not sitting behind a desk with their feet up on the Credenza. They are frequently working long after the Production People go home and sit down in front of the Idiot Tube.\r\n\r\nDo executives sit down behind their desks and watch everybody else work? Hardly. They would be drawing unemployment if they did. The only way you get away with that kind of no-load behavior is if "Dad runs the Company" or you have something really Juicy on your Boss. A good executive is busy looking at how the Production is running, are the raw materials making it to the production line or Job Site, who is the best supplier, who can be counted on to do a good job, and are we actually making more from the product than it cost us to make it? What Government Red Tape do I have to wade through to be able to do real production and not just spin my wheels?\r\n\r\nI think what many of the people I hear whining about the "evils of Capitalism" are frequently whining about is not Free Market Capitalism. It is Crony Capitalism - which is really what we have in the United States.\r\n\r\nCrony Capitalism is a perjorative term used to refer to business practices that are dependent upon connections not Business Acumen or actual Production. The Defense Industry is a great Example of this. As is the Pharmaceutical Industry and I could name others.\r\n\r\nRelated is Plutocracy or \u201cRule by the Rich\u201d. Which is the state of affairs we have today. You will find no more staunch opponents to Plutocracy than Libertarians. Plutocracy is after all just another form of tyranny.\r\n\r\nUnder the kind of Crony Capitalism practiced by the Republican Party you have the \u201cold boy network\u201d greasing each other\u2019s palms with the gleanings from your pocket. If you are not mad you ought to be. Unless you prefer being an economic slave. This is not a free market at work. It is featherbedding created by handing off Plums from somebody else's pocket to people in the "in clique".\r\n\r\nBusinesses do not "just happen" - somebody makes them happen. Starting and running a business means somebody had the courage to take a risk that the Business might fail and that they might wind up on the street. It means that they put everything on the line to make something happen. Did the people punching a Cash Register take a risk? No. Does a guy hired to pound Nails on a Construction Site take a risk? No. Not really. Does he have to worry about where the money is going to come from to meet the Payroll? No. If the Business goes bust do they watch their dreams and their homes go down the drain as it is sold off to pay Creditors? No. They get another Job where somebody else had the courage and the drive to make something happen.\r\n\r\nDoes Corruption occur? Of course it does. Don\u2019t be silly. Our Government is one of the most corrupt on the planet and is generally for sale to the highest bidder. The Best that Money Can Buy. The late Robert Heinlein once defined an honest Politician as one \u201c...who when bought stays bought\u201d. When was the last time you heard of an honest business paying several hundred dollars for a \u201cToilet Seat\u201d?\r\n\r\nHere is one of the major sticking points for many Libertarians with Conservatives:\r\n\u201cThis sounds good, but carried to its logical extreme, it involves decriminalizing virtually every "vice" known to man: gambling, prostitution, the personal use of illicit drugs and abortion on demand performed by anyone anywhere. I have often said that I would become a Libertarian in a heartbeat if it were not for these social issues. However, when it comes to economics, they are right on target.\r\n\r\nWhat the author does not get is that it requires a Police State not a Free State to impose moral choices on other people - and it is not very effective at that. To keep other people from doing things he objects to he imposes upon the liberty of people who have no need or desire to do these things. These are individual choices and are not and should not be the province of Government in a Free Society. For anyone who thinks otherwise - it was not the Free Market, or individual Liberty, that brought you the Holocaust, Stalin, The Gulag, The Armenian Genocide, The West Bank, W.W.I, W.W.II, Vietnam or the Conquest of Iraq. These are all actions of Government. And the author would trust these people to correct peoples morals? These are actions that if done by an individual would earn them a trip to the Death House.\r\n\r\nIt is unfortunate that people sometimes make bad choices; self destructive choices. But do you really want the Great Nanny in Washington, or the State house, making those decisions for you?\r\n\r\nThe War on Drugs has been one of the most costly failures one could imagine. Drugs are cheaper and more available than at any time in our history since Drug Prohibition and CONTROL began back in the 20\u2019 and 30\u2019s.\r\n\r\nLiberty has a price - responsibility. But think of the alternatives.\r\n\r\n\r\nAs for Kilgore Trouser Trout\u2019s litany of the woes of freedom:\r\n\r\nEconomic liberty is not just freedom from taxes, but freedom to run the workplace democratically. This includes democratically decided upon distribution of the fruits of labor. \r\n\r\n\u201cCapital "L" libertarians are frighteningly myopic when it comes to the meaning of the word liberty. Liberty for them seems to be little more than the ability to make all the money one can possibly make (while stepping on anyone necessary to do so) and freedom to do as many drugs as one wants.\u201d\r\n\r\nNothing quite like charicaturing your opponents point of view to make a false point. From the Libertarian Point of view you are free to make all the money you can EARN. An unenlightened businessman who treats the people that work for him or her like shit is destined for failure. People will not put up with. The implicit assumption here is that people are going to be stupid enough and timid enough to stick around and work for an asshole. The only people sticking around to work for this asshole are people who could not get hired anywhere else because of their own egregious faults. There is a solution to working for a bad boss - get another job or start your own business. And People \u201cwho do all the drugs they want\u201d are not going anywhere either. They sap your will and send you down a dead-end spiral. Libertarians argue for legalization not so much as to be able to do drugs as to be free of the Police State Tactics used, ineffectively, to protect people from their own stupidity.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey also seem to be ignorant to the fact that our "Capitalistic" economy has gone through the highest growth rates while the economy was highly protectionistic and centrally planned (W.W.II anyone?).\u201d\r\n\r\nNot true really. If you look at the numbers and the overall economy the U.S. really started to take off after the War was over and all the able bodied men came home and businesses that had been getting by during the War suddenly had to make a competitive product to sell on the open market rather than at a guaranteed profit to the Government.\r\n\r\n\u201cI guess they aren't all that bad though. Anyone who wants to pay "user fees" to take your children to the park, go to the library, enjoy our national forests, or walk down the street would be at "Liberty" (tm) to do so (presumably these would all be privately owned because our "socialistic" regime wouldn't be stealing all the REAL parasites money to provide for public services).\u201d\r\n\r\nYou are already paying them whether you recognize it or not. Take a look at your pay stub and ask yourself where that 1\/3 of your paycheck is going. It is more equitable, and just, to have the people using the services pay for producing those services. There is no such thing as a \u201cFree Lunch\u201d. Somebody is paying and that somebody is not the evil \u201cRich\u201d. By and large the majority of taxes are paid by people in the 35 to 200,000 dollar EARNED Income range. If you aren\u2019t paying attention, and I convinced our friend \u201cTrouser Trout\u201d has not, the rhetoric of class warfare is a great divide and conquer technique, and the real Wealthy is this country have had the influence to cook the tax laws to the point where they pay a relatively small amount of their income in taxes.\r\n\r\n\u201cMaybe all this "Libertarian" stuff would work- nobody knows- but would anyone want to live in a society like this? \u201c\r\n\r\nCertainly not in the charicature you create, but since it is totally detached from reality your question is irrelevant - you are setting fire to a Straw Man.\r\n\r\n\u201cA society built on a more meaningful liberty would be stateless and non heirarchical (obviously this rules out capitalism and state-socialism).\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd by and by there will be Pie in the Sky. This is gibberish. Things happen because someone makes it happen. There are people who strike out on their own and make things happen and there are people content to punch a Cash Register and ask \u201cWould you like Fries with that?\u201d\r\n\r\nWhich are you?","author":"Diogenes","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 03:37:29","modified":"2013-11-11 00:23:09","fileurl":""},{"id":65195,"heading":"Security for whom?","article":"Libertarians believe the government should be involved in protecting the wealthy from the poor, but not vice-versa. They believe the government should protect property, but not prosperity. If a poor man can walk off with a rich man's dog, that's a case for government intercession. If a rich man can impoverish the poor man by financial strong-arm tactics and force the poor man to sell him the dog to buy food...that's just the free-market at work. \r\n\r\nHow "free" are unfettered markets, anyway? If one person is able through the free market to corner a commodity and insist on any price...is that market "free" any more? Is this not always the end result of a completely free market?","author":"S Robert","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 05:16:06","modified":"2003-06-18 05:16:06","fileurl":""},{"id":65223,"heading":"I hate poor people.","article":"That's why I'm a Libertarian.","author":"Diogenes","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 11:26:43","modified":"2003-06-18 11:26:43","fileurl":""},{"id":65230,"heading":"Libertarians.","article":"Libertarians.\r\n\r\nLibertarian are neocons are liberals.\r\n\r\nLike the proverbial wolf; Liberals in conservative clothing.","author":"through the looking glass","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 12:08:00","modified":"2003-06-18 12:08:00","fileurl":""},{"id":65261,"heading":"anarchists are libertarians","article":"are socialists are progressives are anti-gloabalists are communists are greens are America Firsters are the American nazi party are Reformists are Falangists are Constitutionists are Activists are...\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.politics1.com\/parties.htm","author":"through the looking glass","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 13:43:06","modified":"2003-06-18 13:43:06","fileurl":""},{"id":65317,"heading":"Hilarious","article":"Republicans are commies? No wonder libertarians are often called "libertarian wackos". How out of touch with reality can you be. \r\n\r\nThe way I see it, there are these elements in the political spectrum: \r\n\r\nExtreme Left - Anarchist - Smash the State \r\nLeft - Green Party \r\nRight - Democrats \r\nFar Right - Republicans \r\nExtreme Right - Republicans controlling the Whitehouse \r\nExtremely Wacky Right - Libertarians - Anarchists \r\n\r\nI admit that this is over simplification (most of those categorized would probably protest their position within this spectrum), but it just makes me laugh when I hear AM talk radio hosts call Bush Jr. a liberal. Then I become concerned when people actually start believing it. \r\n\r\nPopulist \r\nthis land is your land, \r\nthis land is my land... \r\n\r\nConservative \r\nthis land is corporate land, \r\nthis land is private land... \r\n\r\nReality \r\npeople belong to the land \r\nas do the the plants and wildlife, \r\nrivers streams, mountains and valleys \r\nthat are the land ","author":"MW","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 15:44:33","modified":"2003-06-18 15:44:33","fileurl":""},{"id":65324,"heading":"thank you, MW","article":"The world doesn't belong to us. We belong to the world.","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 15:55:26","modified":"2003-06-18 15:55:26","fileurl":""},{"id":65335,"heading":"MW, you are out to lunch.","article":"Perhaps you haven't heard the news bub, but it's a two party system. If you ain't in one or the other, you ain't in the game.\r\n\r\nAnd nobody said that Republicans are commies, dimwit. What was said, was that all of you marginalized self serving third party nitwits are not squat in the political spectrum.\r\n\r\nHere. Let me give you my analysis:\r\n\r\nMarginalized (wacky, wacky, insignificant and offscale) left - Socialists, anarchists, ant-globalists, IMC idiots and Fifth Columnists in general, etc.\r\n\r\nFar Left - Liberal democrats (I usually upgrade the status of the loonie leftists by referring to them as liberals. (Just trying to make it worth MY time to even address them in cogent discourse)\r\n\r\nLeft - Democrats\r\n\r\nCenter - Moderates, Centrists, independents\r\n\r\nRight - Republicans\r\n\r\nFar Right - Conservative Republicans\r\n\r\nLooney Right - Neocons, America Firsters, American Nazis, Christian falangists, etc ad naseam (these guys are essentially the same as the loony left, but for different reasons).","author":"Eric","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 16:07:49","modified":"2003-06-18 16:07:49","fileurl":""},{"id":65351,"heading":"Security for whom?","article":"Libertarians believe the government should be involved in protecting the wealthy from the poor, but not vice-versa. They believe the government should protect property, but not prosperity. If a poor man can walk off with a rich man's dog, that's a case for government intercession. If a rich man can impoverish the poor man by financial strong-arm tactics and force the poor man to sell him the dog to buy food...that's just the free-market at work. \r\n\r\nHow "free" are unfettered markets, anyway? If one person is able through the free market to corner a commodity and insist on any price...is that market "free" any more? Is this not always the end result of a completely free market? ","author":"S Robert","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 16:43:54","modified":"2003-06-18 16:43:54","fileurl":""},{"id":65375,"heading":"Lib vs Anarchist","article":"(this is an honest question, not being sarcastic)\r\n\r\nHow does libertarianism differ from anarchism?\r\n\r\nI ask because I assume that anarchists (who aren't waiting 50,000 years for a more evolved homo sapiens) make consideration for some type of law and order, some type of administration, etc.\r\n\r\nThanks in advance for your serious responses.\r\n\r\n","author":"Wondering","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 17:53:12","modified":"2003-06-18 17:53:12","fileurl":""},{"id":65386,"heading":"Actually, I just read Diogenes post in this thread.","article":"I must say that I'm utterly amazed. The old boy can make a point from time to time, when he wants to (and is not trying to undermine the current Republican monopoly of the government).\r\n\r\nVery clear and noteworthy post, Diogenes. It would serve you well if in the future you'd quit with the Fifth Column Leftist political mudslinging bullcrap, and just say what's on your mind.\r\n\r\nI like the libertarians. At least, the ones that are libertarian for the right reasons. Their biggest problem is that they've become synonymous with "the pot party". Most people that think of libertarians think of drug addicts and pot-heads that just wanna "legalize". And the fact that libertarians are not much of a political force means that they'll align themselves with these unsavory drug doers.\r\n\r\nLibertarians would do themselves a tremendous service by staying away from the "legalize" issue. At least stay quiet about it until you can get a few elected officials into office. Then do what you got to do. Not that I agree with legalizing drugs, as I certainly do not.\r\n\r\nBut this stuff in the article about these libertarians "stealing a state" and "seceding from the union" is a ridiculous notion. It's hyperactive liberal dementia gone conservative. It's hogwash and hype just to stir up support. Just not gonna happen any time soon.","author":"Eric","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 18:31:58","modified":"2003-06-18 18:31:58","fileurl":""},{"id":65404,"heading":"Free to sleep under a bridge","article":""Libertarians advocate maximum liberty with minimum restrictions in any and all arenas of human activity."\r\n\r\nThis would be in line with the traditional European sense of libertarianism, right? 'All arenas of human activity' means having maximum control and liberty with regards to ones working life as well (i.e. worker collectives,etc.). Libertarianism a l'America has these perverse fetish with private property -- Liberty for those few with capital... \r\n\r\nAccording to libertarian radio personality all federal level politicians are socialists, forcibly expropriating private property (income) to pay for social programs, etc. American libertarians live in such fantastical bubbles.","author":"Jean Valjean","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-18 19:30:39","modified":"2003-06-18 19:30:39","fileurl":""},{"id":65607,"heading":"Found on the web","article":"Libertarians are anarchists with money. \r\n\r\nAnarchists believe property is theft. Libertarians believe everything is property. \r\n\r\nLibertarians are bosses; anarchists work for them when they run out of other options. \r\n\r\nLibertarians buy more guns, but anarchists use more ammo. \r\n\r\nLibertarians ride in stretch limos; anarchists throw bricks through their windshields. \r\n\r\nLibertarians go shopping; anarchists go shoplifting. \r\n\r\nLibertarians go to the police after they've been mugged; anarchists get mugged by the police. \r\n\r\nA libertarian wants to marry another libertarian, but only after sleeping with enough anarchists. \r\n\r\nAnarchists ignore the IRS; Libertarians hire accountants and attorneys to fight them. \r\n\r\nLibertarians think the government is trying steal the property they rightfully own; anarchists think the government is trying to defend property that nobody rightfully owns. \r\n\r\nLibertarians are organized in a political party; anarchists aren't organized in anything. \r\n\r\nAnarchists ignore elections; Libertarians run for office, vote and lose. \r\n\r\nLibertarians think anarchists are naive and unrealistic; anarchists don't care what libertarians think. \r\n","author":"Disseminator","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-20 00:30:56","modified":"2003-06-20 00:30:56","fileurl":""},{"id":65609,"heading":"Tripe","article":""l'America has these perverse fetish with private property "\r\n\r\nPlease explain how an interest in acquiring and protecting private property is a perversion.","author":"fresca","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-20 00:35:09","modified":"2003-06-20 00:35:09","fileurl":""},{"id":65863,"heading":"KOBE SBM","article":"We hate niggers. Join us.\r\n\r\n","author":"KOBE SBM","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-20 17:25:22","modified":"2003-06-20 17:25:22","fileurl":""},{"id":66008,"heading":"The Libertarian GOP","article":"Yep, very often the Republicans and the Libertarians are one and the same...\r\n\r\nFrequently Asked Questions \r\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n\r\nThe Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) is a grassroots, nationwide organization affiliated with the Republican Party (GOP). The goal of the RLC is to elect liberty-minded, limited-government individuals to office. The RLC was originally formed in 1990 in North Carolina, and now has members in every state. \r\n\r\n...Many in our group have been Libertarian Party (LP) members, some still are. Past RLC Chairman, Professor Cliff Thies was the Treasurer of the national LP at one time and Executive Committee member William Westmiller is a former LP National Secretary and California State LP Chairman. \r\n\r\nOur past chairman, Congressman Ron Paul, was the LP presidential candidate in 1988. Our Past Treasurer, Mike Holmes, was a founding member of the LP. Former Honorary RLC Chairman, the late Roger MacBride, cast the only electoral vote the LP ever received and was the LP candidate for President. \r\n\r\nEveryone in the RLC joined for their own reasons, but it can be presumed that they all would agree that in many races the GOP is the best way to go in order to actually get a libertarian elected. It can also be said that the LP runs educational campaigns, where the goal is not actually electing someone, but educating the public about the libertarian philosophy. We are interested in getting someone who holds the libertarian philosophy elected.","author":"slime buster","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-21 03:41:01","modified":"2003-06-21 03:41:01","fileurl":""},{"id":66009,"heading":"Republicans \/ Libertarians = same thing","article":"Yep, very often the Republicans and the Libertarians are one and the same...\r\n\r\nFrequently Asked Questions \r\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n\r\nThe Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) is a grassroots, nationwide organization affiliated with the Republican Party (GOP). The goal of the RLC is to elect liberty-minded, limited-government individuals to office. The RLC was originally formed in 1990 in North Carolina, and now has members in every state. \r\n\r\n...Many in our group have been Libertarian Party (LP) members, some still are. Past RLC Chairman, Professor Cliff Thies was the Treasurer of the national LP at one time and Executive Committee member William Westmiller is a former LP National Secretary and California State LP Chairman. \r\n\r\nOur past chairman, Congressman Ron Paul, was the LP presidential candidate in 1988. Our Past Treasurer, Mike Holmes, was a founding member of the LP. Former Honorary RLC Chairman, the late Roger MacBride, cast the only electoral vote the LP ever received and was the LP candidate for President. \r\n\r\nEveryone in the RLC joined for their own reasons, but it can be presumed that they all would agree that in many races the GOP is the best way to go in order to actually get a libertarian elected. It can also be said that the LP runs educational campaigns, where the goal is not actually electing someone, but educating the public about the libertarian philosophy. We are interested in getting someone who holds the libertarian philosophy elected.","author":"common joe","parent_id":65112,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-21 03:48:43","modified":"2003-06-21 03:48:43","fileurl":""}]}