I Am Not a Libertarian

Posted by Casey

June 28, 2007

Posted by Casey:

I’ve just come to this conclusion, and I need to put my thoughts down in a public forum.

I think I’m closer to a Libertarian-Republican. But I’m not a Libertarian in the traditional sense.

Unlike the party platform for the Libertarian Party, I don’t believe in legalizing all drugs, I don’t believe in an open border or free trade with ALL nations, I don’t believe that all abortions should be legal, and I don’t believe in military isolationism.

More below the fold…

- I believe in abolishing the IRS, repealing the 16th Amendment, and implementing The FairTax.

- I believe in closing the border with a double-layered fence with vehicle barriers, doing all we can to stop illegal immigration, punishing those businesses that hire illegal immigrants, thereby forcing them to see hiring illegals as too risky, and compelling illegals to go back from whence they came without having waste money deporting them. Then and only then, I support implementing a guest worker program for those that wish to work here.

- I believe that we should take the fight to the terrorists

- I believe in free trade with nations that have democratically elected governments and free markets. And I believe in complete trade embargoes with those nations that do not meet those requirements.

- I believe that drug users should be put in treatment programs, not jail.

- I believe that marijuana use should be legalized but regulated along the lines of alcohol.

- I believe that everyone has a right to practice their religion without interference from any government entity. If a group of students wants to pray before a competition or before a meal or a Muslim student wants to practice his duty to pray five times a day, they should not be restricted from doing so. As long as a school is not mandating compelled prayer, the so-called “separation of church and state” is not violated.

- I believe that abortion is abhorrent and barbaric. I believe that life starts with conception. The fetus starts to form the instant the sperm enters the egg, has a heartbeat within 6 weeks, and develops other organs and senses soon thereafter. Partial-birth abortions should remain banned FOREVER. If you don’t know what that is, it is the partial delivery of a late-term pregnancy, and then they suck the brains out of the baby. There is never any reason for an abortion if the fetus is viable outside the womb. If the woman’s life is in danger from the pregnancy, a fetus that is viable outside the womb must be delivered or removed via C-section and be allowed to continue to develop as an premature baby would. I support a ban on all abortions after the first trimester. However, I cannot support an outright ban on abortions for the simple fact that people will continue to seek them out and we will end up with back-alley abortions like we had in the 60’s. We can’t have rogue abortions where people are dying and bleeding out, etc. But we can limit the time in which an abortion can be performed.

- I do believe in supporting all stem cell research. The test tube babies are going to be destroyed. Why not put them to good use before doing so?

- I believe that the next great endeavor of human-kind is the journey into space. I support grants for private enterprise to develop space vehicles and private space exploration. I support the continuation of government space science exploration missions. I support going beyond Earth orbit. I even support a mission where a group of strictly VOLUNTEERS would choose to live out their lives in space and explore the solar system.

These are just a few of my beliefs. I’m going to be starting my own political blog soon…I’ve just got so much in my head that I want to get written down!

Edit: Two more

- I believe that people have a Constitutional right to own firearms for self-defense and lawful gaming (I wouldn’t hunt/shoot an animal myself, but I will eat them all day long!), but I believe it is still too easy to obtain firearms. There needs to be a 90 day waiting period, a criminal and mental background check, and all firearms should be registered in a national firearms database. And there is no reason for ANYONE to own assault weapons. The assault weapons ban needs to be renewed.

- I believe that the Federal government has no place in education, except for ensuring everyone’s access to it. There needs to be either vouchers or property tax credits for those that decide to home school or send their kids to private schools. There needs to be tougher curricula, not easier. There needs to be more of an emphasis on history, civics, economics, and science, and less on art, foreign languages, and standardized tests.

I haven’t fully formulated my thoughts on education reform yet. That’s the one I’m having the most trouble with.