What is a libertarian?

A libertarian is someone who believes that freedom should have the highest weight factoring into all decisions of life and government.

That's my definition.

Libertarians often are known as "constitutionalists", people who keep their eyes squarely on the Constitution, and interpret the Constitution exactly as it reads without bending or twisting the words.

We believe in equal rights for all persons.

We believe in letting each person decide what's best for him or herself.

We believe in getting government off our backs.

We believe that each person should be free to live their lives as they please, so long as they respect the peace and freedom of everyone.

The Big L and little l

The Libertarian Party and libertarianism are not necessary the same thing. A "Libertarian", with a capital L, refers to someone who follows the Libertarian Party. A "libertarian", with a small l, refers to someone who follows the concept of libertarianism in general.

In most cases, the Libertarian Party follows the general principles of libertarianism. However, the Libertarian Party is a political party just like any other, and plays politics just like any other. But just because the Libertarian Party adopts a specific policy, doesn't mean libertarians in general stand by the same principle.

For example, many libertarians support the War on Terror, while many others do not. Some libertarians support legislation allowing gays to marry, while some prefer to leave marriage undefined, while others support each state's right to decide for themselves.

But all libertarians seem to agree that freedom is too valuable to sacrifice. Ultimately, it's the protection of freedom, and the promotion of freedom that all libertarians hold as most primary.

A Return to the Roots

It's interesting to know that libertarianism was alive and well during the American Revolution. It was the tyranny the American Colonies suffered under British rule that caused colonists to raise their fists up and revolt.

Cries of "Give me liberty or give me death!" was a cry for the very principles of libertarianism.

Once with burdened from excessive taxation and once losing the freedom to live one's own life, Americans eventually rise up to break the bonds that confine them and once again focus squarely on the words written into the Constitution.

The principles of libertarianism is to erase the complications and details that we've layered upon ourselves over the generations, and resync with the basic foundation set forth in the Constitution. And then from there, readdress the issues we deal with today.

Libertarians don't necessarily want to promote the Libertarian Party, we only want Democrats and Republicans to clear out the complications and details that fog their thinking, look again at the Constitution, and rethink the issue the way American Colonists had thought it when they rose up against British tyranny.

For Further Study

If you want to learn more about the principles of libertarianism, I suggest these websites...

• Libertarian Party - http://www.lp.org/


• The Cato Institute - http://www.cato.org/


• Reason Magazine - http://reason.com/