Five Libertarian Ideas #27 - Austrian Economics for New Libertarians

Libertarian approach to economics

Many people are sympathetic to libertarian ideas but don't know economics very well. Here's a guide to approaching economic policy as a libertarian: Is something that belongs to you being taken away? Who's supposedly benefiting, and who else is actually getting richer (or poorer)? Economics is human action, meaning individual people doing what they think benefits them the most. –10/5

They voted for big government

Many folks on the left have been shocked and appalled at police conduct and police militarization as seen in Ferguson, Missouri. The problem is that the left (and even some on the right) support the idea of big government. More, bigger government means more government offices and employees, more laws and regulations, and more law enforcement. These people voted for big government and Ferguson got it. –10/5

Rich people: producers vs. looters

I hold no grudge towards wealthy capitalists if they're responsible for creating value by producing goods or services people want or need. I could spend thousands on the machines and raw materials for making toothbrushes. But unless I'm going into the toothbrush business, I'm a lot better off spending $1 on a toothbrush at the store and using my time and money on other projects. The toothbrush capitalist has made my life easier and he got rich fair and square. However, if a capitalist uses government connections to shut down a competitor's factory, or takes a government loan against businesses who didn't get that loan, that capitalist becomes a LOOTER. –10/6

A Hong Kong independence movement?

The Chinese Communist Party is back to its age-old tactics of using organized crime "pro-government" mobs to attack protestors in Hong Kong. I certainly hope the people of Hong Kong start a bona fide independence movement. Let Hong Kong become an independent state, same with Macau. The Chinese nation would be better off economically and morally, with more Chinese leaving Communist autocracy and becoming citizens of free states like Hong Kong and Taiwan. –10/13

Competing currencies in action

One of the things I like about crypto-currency like Bitcoin and Litecoin is that it's very hard to crack down on the use thereof. Three years ago a man in North Carolina was federally convicted of fraud. His crime was making the "Liberty Dollar," a private medium of exchange to which new members could buy in voluntarily. The real reason the feds wanted this man gone: the Liberty Dollar was backed by gold and much stronger than the U.S. Dollar. –10/14

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Socialism graphic courtesy of Secrets of the Fed blog.  Hong Kong Tent City photo by Calvin YC, obtained from Wikimedia Commons, and used via CC BY 2.0 license.

Five Libertarian Ideas #23 - Libertarian national defense, Part II

See Libertarian national defense Part I

President Obama calls for “peace”

President Obama has said about the rioting and police response in Ferguson, MO: "Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson. Now is the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done." Which is exactly why he allows the Pentagon to distribute military arsenals to local police departments like Ferguson PD... -8/15

The Pentagon

From the Pentagon to the police station

I am NOT okay with the Pentagon giving military arsenals to local police departments. I can see the use for a SWAT team but not a SWAT army. The Pentagon should be issuing surplus goods to the National Guards. If there is a genuine military-grade threat at home, the Governor should call up the state militia, NOT militarized police. -8/15

When statist academics command armies

One of the things I like best about Navy SEAL Dick Marcinko's books is that he tells it like it is. There are always politicos in Washington--some idealistic to the point of self-righteous, some totally corrupt--who constantly screw with the military.

Despite their naivety and outright arrogance, none of these pencil-pushing idiots have ever served or knows how to lead troops in battle. Yet they use the military to push their personal agendas and it always gets people killed. -8/17

Private military/security contractors

Citizen militias vs. private military companies

Libertarians are often undecided on whether the ideal military organization is the citizens' militia or the private military company. Both entities can align with libertarian ideas, depending on the morality and objectives of the operators.

The citizens' militia predates the US Army by over 150 years, but the first English colonial warriors were private sector troops, as Plymouth and Jamestown colonies were corporate endeavors. Just as both entities can be effective tools for communal self-defense, both types of entities can throw away morality and become instruments of oppression for states, quasi-states, warlords, and private sector despots. -8/18

Libertarians, anarchists, and voting

For those who believe that the state is violence and that even voting is ultimately participation in such violence, consider this: voting for libertarians, or libertarian ballot measures, is self-defense. -8/14

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Private military contractors photo courtesy of Private Military Contractors Facebook page. Pentagon aerial photo Camila Ferreira and Mario Duran used via CC BY-SA 3.0 license, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.