The fundamentals of Libertarianism.

We Libertarians believe that each human being as an individual, and not as part of a group, posses natural unalienable rights, and that these rights are not handed to them by the any government or authority force, but are innate to our very human nature.

Only the individual can know what is or is not in their best interest, and so the individual alone has sole domain over his body and actions. No individual should be compelled through force or fraud to act in a way they do not wish to act, or to abstain from acting in a manner they believe furthers their own self interest.

We Libertarians believe that the primary, nay, the sole purpose of any governing body is to protect and defend the rights of its citizens against all enemies foreign and domestic. We believe that government can only gain power by first taking it from the citizenry, and that when this occurs the natural rights of the people are violated. Because of this Libertarians seek to limit the role of government to protecting the rights of the people without interfering with the free exercise of the private market.

We believe that no one should ever be forced relinquish the fruits of their labor to provide for another. We believe that each human being is entitled to his property, that no one may take from the individual what is rightfully theirs. We oppose wealth redistribution and welfare programs of any kind on the basis that they violate the natural rights of the people by forcefully seizing their property and giving said property to those who did not earn it.

We Libertarians believe that the best policy for dealing with foreign nations is to seek friendship with all, but alliances with none in the hope that we avoid war, but if one were to break out across seas we would not be forced into it. We take seriously the advice of our founding fathers, especially that of George Washington, who warned of the consequences of permanent alliances. We support a humble foreign policy of non intervention with peaceful and friendly relations with the nations of the world, discarding the arrogance and embracing the diversity of the world. We believe that this nation’s military should only be used in self defense, and that pre-emptive war, in the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower, “was the invention of Hitler” and should be abandoned as a policy.

We Libertarians reject force and coercion, in all circumstances, as an acceptable means to promote social and family values. No man has the right to force upon others their moral convictions and should at all times respect the rights of others to live in a manner they see fit for themselves. Force is the tool of tyrants and should be rejected by all freedom loving individuals.

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams

Why I won't support Obama.

Reading a few online blogs and visiting discussion forums for politics today, I have come across a disturbing trend.

Reading the post and comments on the thread “I'm conservative, but I'm glad I'm not a Republican”(http://www.amazon.com/tag/politics/forum/ref=cm_cd_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1S3QSZRUL93V8&cdThread=TxO9A2B0MHZ47E&displayType=tagsDetail) in particular from the Amazon.com politics discussion board, I can’t help but take offence to the charge that if I don’t support president elect Obama then I’m somehow “un-American,” “unpatriotic” or even worse, a traitor. This is a very serious charge and a very insulting comment as well, to make. It is also very hypocritical of the left who’ve complained (and rightly so) about being called traitors for not supporting the Bush presidency. I do not believe that people who oppose Bush (like myself) are traitors in any way, it is the people that blindly support Bush simply because he was President who more likely to be traitors.

It was wrong for Bush to accuse his opposition of treason, and it is equally wrong for Obama supporters to call opposition traitors. I will not lend support for Obama. As a Libertarian I cannot in good faith support his presidency, to do so would be to violate my principles and I will not do that. I believe in small government, maximum civil liberties, deregulation, non interventionist foreign policy, etc, most of which Obama is against. Giving these facts, how can I support his Presidency?

I don’t hold any grudge against the man, he’s very intelligent and fascinating. I’d love to sit down with him and just talk. He’s not the anti Christ, he’s not evil, but he is a socialist and believes in big government. I firmly believe that his economic policies will make the country worse, and so how can you possibly expect me to support him? What kind of American would support a President they believe will make the country worse? I’ll tell you what kind, the 20% of us that still support the policies of President Bush. Wouldn’t a patriotic American do whatever is in his power to make sure that doesn’t happen?

I did not vote for either Obama or McCain this election; I cast my vote for Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and I have no regrets for doing so. Had McCain won I would take the same position I am taking now, that I will not support any of his policies that I deem not in the best interest of our country.

Quick question to those Obama supporters who might think I’m a traitor; would you have supported a McCain Presidency if you truly believed he would make the country worse?