What is a Libertarian?
The word means roughly “believer in liberty”. Libertarians believe in individual conscience and individual choice, and reject the use of force or fraud to compel others except in direct response to force or fraud. Some libertarians (the so-called Le Fevbrians) reject *all* use of force, even in self-defense. 2. What do libertarians want to do? Help individuals take more control over their own lives. Take the state (and other self-appointed representatives of “society”) out of private decisions. Put both halves of the welfare/warfare bureaucracy out of business and liberate the 7/8ths of our wealth that’s now soaked up by the costs of a bloated and ineffective government to make us all richer and freer. Oppose tyranny everywhere, whether it’s the obvious variety driven by greed and power-lust or the subtler, “well-intentioned” kinds that coerce people “for their own good” but against their will.
Let’s start with Webster’s definition: libertarian: A person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action. Libertarian: a member of a political party advocating libertarian principles. Libertarians believe in, and pursue, personal freedom while maintaining personal responsibility. The Libertarian Party itself serves a much larger pro-liberty community with the specific mission of electing Libertarians to public office. Libertarians strongly oppose any government interfering in their personal, family and business decisions. Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another. In a nutshell, we are advocates for a smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.
The word means approximately “believer in liberty”. Libertarians believe in individual conscience and individual choice, and reject the use of force or fraud to compel others except in response to force or fraud. (This latter is called the “Non-Coercion Principle” and is the one thing all libertarians agree on.
