Chasing Liberty: A Missing Component

by {userId=144}

Posted May 17, 2006

It's a grand idea: to move the country back towards the Constitution and a Jeffersonian model for a free society. However, many of us have debated the best methods of doing this. What we overlook is how to reach people who have never even heard of Ayn Rand or the many other libertarian icons we in the party look up to.

One of the most common ways of reaching non-libertarians is to connect with them on 'pocketbook' issues. With uncertainty running high in this country, we have yet to show non-libertarians savvy and legal ways to take back control of their pocketbooks from the government.

For example, we all complain about social security and all forms of withholding. Yet, where are the lawyers and financial planners among us? We need to investigate ways to legally put an end to withholding and show others how to do so without running afoul of the law. Also, what are the alternatives to conducting business without banks and their 'know your customer' mandates? Libertarians need to reach out to the general public by exposing them to effective and affordable means of achieving financial freedom and privacy. Are there ways to buy a home and still keep it out of the public records? What about alternative means of communication as opposed to standard telephones or cell phones? When we libertarians put together a manual for the average person to achieve privacy and financial freedom without a great deal of expense and convoluted legal maneuvers, we will pull non-libertarians into the party with little effort.

It is time to put together our own economic think tank. This think tank would be a gathering of people from the legal and financial fields—perhaps former employees of the various government agencies! It is not inconceivable to enlist the aid of folks like Joe Bannister for such a project. Bringing financial independence and privacy to folks like the single mom dependent on welfare, or the unskilled worker can be the greatest argument for the party. We need real-life examples of strategies that work. The results, if successful, will be a better persuasion than all the libertarian books put together.

7 Comments

Printer Friendly Version
Top of Page