(OR: Conservatives of a different color.. talked.)
Bet most of you missed this one. It was the other night on Fox News hosted by John Stossel. Rooster was under the weather and started working the T.V. He was lucky to come upon it. Winston enjoyed it, so sit back and Rooster will tell you all about it. If you search for Fox Business News, John Stossel you still can probably preview the show.
The Libertarian party is generally listed as the number three party in the U.S. It will have its convention on May 27, 28, and 29 at the Rosen Center Hotel and Resort in Orlando Florida. At number three it boasts registered membership of around 325,000 thousand. This is a bit off center, because they are not in some States, and membership and registration to vote are two different things. For example the GOP is number 2 in the U.S. with 41.2 million registered voters and the Democrat/Socialist (The American Socialist part disbanded in 2008, since the Democrat Party was taking all the air out of its sails.) party is the biggest with 43.5 million registered. These figures change daily as people in different states move from party to party. No question, by any measure the Libertarian party is tiny in comparison to the two major parties. As number three we still need to know.
Anyway John Stossel pulled together three of their Presidential candidates. There are about 9. He conducted a debate, with audience and all the trappings. The event size was considerably smaller, but nevertheless it was nice to see Fox cover it. His guest candidates were just three, Gary Johnson, John McAfee, and Austin Peterson. John Stossel was the sole moderator, but the responses were well done and informative. Their answers were pretty much the platform of the party. Rooster ( his pooka), Winston agreed that there was not one of the candidates who stood out as a barn storming, get out the vote type of guy, but they gave it the old college try. Let’s take a look at the major points made.
They are stanch supporters of individual rights and stanch demanders of little governmental interference with individual choices. Such things as the right to life, to speech, to action and to property. If you want to consume something you have that right limited by only injury to others. For example drugs should be the choice of the individual not the State. Religion or the lack thereof is inviolate. They demand Government transparency. The Government should be kept out of abortion. All the Bill of rights should be followed without qualification. In the world of economics, the State is limited to defending private property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework for voluntary trade. Government is prohibited from redistribution of wealth, managing trade. They support a clean and fresh environment in which they claim the Government is the worst polluter. Energy should not be subsidized. Income tax should be repealed and the IRS turned to dust, after a balanced budget amendment is passed. They want free trade and no governmental subsidies or guarantees. In the labor business arena they want freedom and no governmental interference. Probably means they support a ban on compulsory Union contracts, since they would violate individual choice. With health they want an open and free market. No Governmental run dole system for hypochondriacs. Retirement is an entirely free deal for individuals which means Social Security will be phased out and private plans encouraged. In national security, a strong military, but a freeze on foreign entanglements because we should not be an international peace force. As to immigration they have an interesting take. They are in support of free movement across borders with the Government simply providing restricted entry to those who pose a threat to security, health or property. (Pretty open) They condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant So, on any issue they will opt for individual rights over governmental control.
In short, the fair thing to say is they believe freedom will ring the correct chord, if Government will simply get out of the way. They feel people in Government will continue to develop more power for themselves and they are opposed to this ego trip.
PROTEST: Fly the Betsy Ross flag. It is the one flag where all the States supported the Constitution. Wc: 703 Rooster Bradford gives up all rights to this article and seeks no compensation for its use. 2016