Political Opinion: Libertarianism in Davidson County includes everyone
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Libertarian concepts revolve around Freedom and Liberty for the individual. The Libertarian Party of Davidson County has about 430 registered as Libertarians. Liberty has to include everyone or it includes no one, it excludes no one. There are things in the platform that goes against a lot of people’s ideas of what said Liberty encompasses. When power is given to a large group it becomes little more than mob rule with little consideration for smaller groups or individuals. The smaller groups get targeted as needing reeducation. Davidson is full of good people but to a large degree it is a product of being indoctrinated by the two-party system over the course of a hundred years so that the rhetoric is perpetuated as a we versus them mentality. Libertarians believe that as long as people do as they wish as long as no one is harmed and they do not steal others things then it serves the purpose of Liberty. When one tries to use force to bend others to their will it denies their liberty and freedom.
Things that I would like to see gone are all government creations to dictate the common good such as Imminent Domain, Civil Asset Forfeiture, Most Zoning Laws, Seizure of Personal Property due to failure to pay taxes and several others. When a Libertarian says “taxation is theft” it is based on the fact that taxes are generally not voluntary and involve coercion and threat of taking what is yours if you do not pay the government. Daily, government takes your rights and sells them back to you with their limitations and restrictions.
When it comes to the individual, no one else is capable of determining what is in your best interest other than you. If you wish to pay taxes, then pay taxes, if you do not then that choice is and should be entirely yours. The fall back on that is that if you do not then you are not entitled to services provided. The free market is the best choice to drive costs. If there are many people that provide the service then by way of competition the pricing is driven lower. Regulations are a form of protectionism by government to ensure higher pricing and driving out competition.
The founding fathers had it right for the most part but has since been corrupted based on their vision. When power is given, power finds a way to increase their leverage against the people. People get complacent when their needs get met and lose sight of what Liberty actually means. Even in the founding father's time, they took most of the right steps but fell short when they stated “All men are created equal”. Just a few that did not cover were slaves and Native Americans. Slaves were considered 3/5 of a man, Native Americans were considered savages therefore they didn’t count. The greatest genocide on behalf of the government was against the Native American. This is where the term Freedom has to apply to all, or it applies to no one comes from and is an absolute truth. In the end, it all comes down to the individual to decide what is in their best interest. There are a sundry of issues that I will discuss and present in future columns but this one is a basic introduction to Libertarianism in steering thought and the thinking process on the why of the Libertarian Party. Remember this is not a recruitment but offering you the choices for yourself, the individual.
D. Reid Deal, Sr.
Vice-Chair
Libertarian Party of North Carolina
