Liberty Explained - The Basics of Libertarianism

Chris and Julia discuss how health care will function when libertarians design the system. Video. - https://youtu.be/HQasScFidhQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris and Julia discuss how education will function when libertarians design the system. Video - https://youtu.be/qtGbZdwH8-0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained https://youtu.be/KZbVXx0J1xc • "Of Two Evils, Choose Neither" Pastor CH Spurgeon • Isn't it ironic that both duopoly parties who sell voters a utopia of perfection, riches, and paradise, still preach that to get there, you must first compromise your morals and accept their largely flawed, or at the minimum highly imperfect candidate. • Does this sound like the starting point for the world they claim to be able to achieve? If you believe so much of your livelihood is dependent on who the President of the United States is, that inherently means that the Office of the President is MUCH too powerful. • Unless you believe this is your last ever election on this earth, voting to give the duopoly candidate more power will only leave you with a worse choice 4 years down the line, this is why both parties pitch the line that "This election is too important" to: vote your conscience, express your true voice, reject both parties and stay home, or demand a better choice. So suck it up, hold your breath, vote for their candidate and your life will magically be improved. • If enough people in any one state vote third-party that that thin Gold line on CNN/Fox/MSNBC says 2%,5%,10%, this wakes up the whole country to the possibility of an alternative and starts a narrative that the duopoly lives in constant fear of, free will and alternatives. Why can't this be your state, and why can't you be a part of it? Especially if your state is solidly Red or Blue anyway and your vote will have no impact on the result. • Change takes courage. • A vote belongs to you and not another party. If these two parties do not represent you then an L vote will register as a visible, measurable protest against them. It says “there's a market for these ideas.” • Exit polls are considered the most reliable of all polling. It often shows that a candidate will pull small amounts evenly from the other two parties, but the vast majority of votes are from independents, first-time voters, or re-activated voters that now see an option on their ballot that represents them. • The electoral college means your vote is negligible due to gerrymandering. So really, what have you got to lose? Dystopia by Luke Hall https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-dystopia Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/elnlHcxPyFQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/iMfxmMLz1YQ • Well let's define "win". Win in the sense of receive the most electoral votes in a national Presidential election? No, there is an infinitesimally small chance the Libertarian candidate beats the Republican or Democratic candidate for President. This race is generally viewed as a marketing tool to explain broader libertarian concepts as a result. The best evidence may be the interest of the listener tuning in because it is a Presidential year. • This being said, the Libertarian Party's job at a national level as a minority party is to use its support and voice to impact duopoly party policy in a way that expands individual freedoms and limits government interference. • From this perspective, there are "wins" to be had in working with both parties. On a local level, any candidate can win an election, and given the old adage "all politics is local" it's crucial to have • Liberty-minded candidates on a local level to prove our party's ability to govern. • There are many Libertarians serving in government in local races. - https://my.lp.org/elected-officials/ • One other benefit of a third party is the impact of a candidate on the eventual victor. For example, in 2012, when Rupert Boneham ran for Governor of Indiana as Libertarian, one of his platform planks was expanding school choice into vocational training. The eventual victor, Mike Pence, tested the idea, it polled well, and he adopted it and ran campaign commercials on it. As governor, he enacted the policy. • Do converted Congressmen count as wins? Justin Amash or Laura Ebke? - Any action that expands awareness of the Libertarian movement, and advances our overall goal of Liberty in our Lifetime is a win. Justin & Laura have had an immeasurable positive impact on our party and that goal, and we hope more sitting representatives and Senators, and local government officials, begin to act their conscience and identify with their true ideology in declaring for the Libertarian Party. The more willing to do it, the more publicly acceptable it instantly becomes. Social proof is a powerful concept. Dystopia by Luke Hall https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-dystopia Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/elnlHcxPyFQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/eLH8hHWIC9o • When it comes to the national Presidential debates, they are run by a Bipartisan (again not NON-partisan) Committee on Presidential Debates, formed on the (Bipartisan) National Commission on Elections goal of explicitly "turning over responsibility and sponsorship for the debates to the two major political parties", again, the duopoly assigns itself control of election "fairness". • This was in direct response to the 1980 presidential election where third parties took over 8% of the vote and backfired in 1992 when Ross Perot took almost 20% of the popular vote as an Independent. • The CPD is the definition of shady politics, as it sells sponsorships to the major corporate interests, signs secret memorandums of understanding with the duopoly candidates, has confirmed they share questions/topics with campaigns in advance, has 6 secretive donors who no American is able to know the identity of, maintains government tax-exempt status while not doing any of the required non-profit work necessary to retain that title, has detained a major party candidate for 8 hours after she attempted to access the debate stage, and has private, unidentified funding for the constant barrage of lawsuits by Americans who want a fair election. • The best thing to do here is challenging the sponsors, as three major corporate interests ended their sponsorship in 2012 after public pressure due to non-inclusionary tactics preventing third party voices from participating. In 2020, the corporate sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, AARP, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, The Kovler Fund, The National Governors Association, and Philips. • The board includes several career government workers, former politicians, corporate and special interest CEOs, former media executives, College Deans & Presidents, and former political party chairs, aka no one with any incentive to ever consider a third-party voice. Dystopia by Luke Hall https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-dystopia Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/elnlHcxPyFQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/IkxCmC5QZqQ • The "NAP" or Non-Aggression Principle is the belief that initiating or threatening any forceful interference against an individual, their property, or their right to liberty is morally wrong. While many libertarians vary on their definition or forceful interference, property, when/how to apply the NAP, and proper responses to an aggressor, the movement is largely built on the defining principle, which boils down to "don't hurt people and don't take their stuff". It is in contrast to Pacifism in that it allows a forceful defense. • Mary Ruwart in her book Healing Our World calls this the Good Neighbor Policy. "Therefore, our program for peace had two parts: 1. honesty, tolerance, and respect towards others and their property (i.e. refraining from threatening first-strike force, theft, or fraud); and 2. repairing any damage we caused by violating the first part. We will refer to this dual approach of honoring our neighbor's choice and righting our wrongs as the practice of "nonaggression," the Good Neighbor Policy, or libertarianism." Dystopia by Luke Hall https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-dystopia Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/elnlHcxPyFQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/M6cxSGVmj5U Just start! Most feel they need a master class in political science to work on campaigns. On-the-job training is the most effective way to learn.  Find a candidate that shares your value and contact their campaign to get involved.  Basic volunteering like envelope stuffing, door knocking, yard sign distribution, or phone banking are a good start.  Don't take on too much. Sometimes a small campaign will ask a new person to be a campaign manager. This can lead to volunteer frustration and you'll burn out quickly. While campaign work can be uncomfortable or time-consuming, it shouldn't be frustrating. Also check out our training podcast called Upward - Libertarian Activism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/oOB-x7EFZ5M It is both! Libertarianism focuses on extending personal morality and ethics into societal organization. In other words, we want communities to follow the same rules we were taught as kids: Don't hit others, don't take their stuff, and don't lie or cheat.  Unfortunately, government is organized around the premise that these things are ok if enough people agree. If voters collectively decide to murder or steal from other individuals with 51% of the vote, then they believe the morality changes. Libertarians don't.  So enacting these values requires a mindset shift. It requires a mental shift for individuals that have lived under a different paradigm their entire lives.  The more one examines their values through this new way of thinking, the more empowering the ideology becomes. As individuals begin to think about taking responsibility for their own lives and communities, they get excited about the opportunities this new path affords.  One small example of this is the shopping cart. After purchasing items at a store, people will head to the their car in the parking lot and unload groceries. Once the cart is empty, a person faces a choice. They can leave the cart in the middle of the parking spot to inconvenience both the next parker and the employee corralling carts. Or they can put the cart in the corral and maintain order.  Most put their carts away, but some don't. The market has a fix for these "bad actors." Most stores employ a coraller. Other stores like Aldis use financial incentives to persuade individuals to act in a responsible manner.  Suppose stores hired an armed security guard to threaten any person not returning the cart. Would this make the relationship between customer and store more or less tense? Would it cost the store business? The answer is yes.  Government operates this way. It rejects the peaceful path used by an Aldi and monopolizes force. In other words, it puts all other stores out of business or takes them over and standardizes the more violent approach.  Libertarianism advocates for the original peaceful path by reminding individuals of their personal responsibilities, their right to be left alone, and providing solutions to handle complex problems.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/zBF07rJ8biw What is the single greatest thing about liberty? This answer probably varies for every individual, but mine (Chris Spangle) is the beauty of spontaneous order. Order comes from markets adjusting to the needs of individuals as judged by the price system (or what someone will pay for something). This order is displayed by geese flying in a V or people managing a roundabout without incident.  The classic parable of the efficiency of the marketplace is Leonard Reed's I, Pencil. A pencil is made up of many parts from around the world to solve a simple problem: the need to write things down. No one person invented the pencil. It developed over time with each generation evolving and improving it.  Men and women around the world contribute cedar, lacquer, graphite, ferrule, factice, pumice, wax, and glue. They add the labor necessary to make it work. Numerous people are involved in the process, including people like the sweeper in the factory and the lighthouse keeper guiding the shipment into port.  He writes:  "There is a fact still more astounding: The absence of a master mind, of anyone dictating or forcibly directing these countless actions which bring me into being. No trace of such a person can be found. Instead, we find the invisible hand at work. The lesson I have to teach is this: Leave all creative energies uninhibited. Merely organize society to act in harmony with this lesson. Let society's legal apparatus remove all obstacles the best it can. Permit these creative know-hows freely to flow. Have faith that free men and women will respond to the Invisible Hand. This faith will be confirmed." What is the greatest flaw of liberty? The greatest flaw I have found are two-fold:  It is a pretty big paradigm shift to ask people to trust their fellow man in a market-based system, especially in a low trust society.  Libertarians, like all humans, are imperfect messengers and often fail at communicating the message in a way that helps close that trust gap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/Py2D0v-3DaQ Visit your state's Election Board website or got to Vote.gov. There are registration deadlines, so you'll want to do it ASAP.  Deadlines exist so the voter data can be processed and ready for poll workers on Election Day. Some states have same-day voter registration, but it is rare. I oppose it due to fraud concerns.  Once you register, you'll get a voter ID card or letter in the mail. It is always a good idea to call your county clerk or election board to verify your polling location. Sometimes they will shift it days before Election Day due to scarce resources.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Video - https://youtu.be/B-ZKki1DVO0 What is Liberty? Liberty is the freedom to choose to do or not do a thing without interference from outside forces.  The less outside interference in a decision, the freer we are.  The most common form of interference being threats of violence or force if the wrong choice is made.  Liberty is often associated with the idea of free will, which is defined by Wikipedia as "the ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded."  So What is the difference between Freedom vs. Liberty? They are often considered synonyms that mean the same thing. Let's look at the definitions of the words thanks to Wikipedia: Freedom: Freedom, generally, is having the ability to act or change without constraint. In philosophical discourse, freedom is discussed in the context of free will and self-determination, balanced by moral responsibility. (Wikipedia) Liberty: Broadly speaking, liberty is the ability to do as one pleases. It is a synonym for the word freedom.  In modern politics, liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behaviour, or political views.  Sometimes liberty is differentiated from freedom by using the word "freedom" primarily, if not exclusively, to mean the ability to do as one wills and what one has the power to do; and using the word "liberty" to mean the absence of arbitrary restraints, taking into account the rights of all involved.  In this sense, the exercise of liberty is subject to capability and limited by the rights of others. Thus liberty entails the responsible use of freedom under the rule of law without depriving anyone else of their freedom.  Freedom is more broad in that it represents a total lack of restraint or the unrestrained ability to fulfill one's desires. For example, a person can have the freedom to murder, but not have the liberty to murder, as the latter example deprives others of their right not to be harmed. Liberty can be taken away as a form of punishment. In many countries, people can be deprived of their liberty if they are convicted of criminal acts. There's a third word we'd add to this mix, and it is "autonomy." From Merriam-Webster.com: Definition of autonomy 1: the quality or state of being self-governing 2: self-directing freedom and especially moral independence 3: a self-governing state Ok. Enough philosophizing. What does this actually mean to you? Liberty and Freedom are the goal for libertarians. Individuals should be able to govern themselves because the individual knows how to plan their life in coordination with others better than one person could govern another. We reject the idea that one person can constrain another's free will without their consent. Currently, the governments that we live under limit our ability to be truly free.  This does not mean that one can do whatever they wish. There will still be laws and consequences in a truly free society. The difference is that each person actively participates in the crafting of those rules. Murder, fraud, theft and other crimes would still carry penalties as they violate the free will of others. Music: Dystopia by Luke Hall https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-dystopia Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/elnlHcxPyFQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liberty Explained is your guide to libertarianism. Your hosts Chris Spangle, Julia Geier, and Levie Rainey break down a complicated movement and ideology to understand ways. We are a resource to share with friends when they have tough questions. Hopefully, we will answer some questions you might have yourself along the way. Please send your questions to ask@wearelibertarians.com. This podcast is produced by the We Are Libertarians Network. - Learn Libertarianism - https://libertyexplained.com/  - Subscribe to the podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/liberty-explained Mainly, we are a podcast that shares bite-sized information on libertarianism and the movement that nurtures it. Each episode tackles a question submitted by our audience. We will share the libertarian solution to an issue in under 15 minutes. It is a website with many different resources, and we've tagged the posts to help you quickly see the posts about a topic like taxes, health care, or education. We link to quizzes to help people clarify their beliefs. We have compiled several YouTube playlists that outline the basics of libertarianism, the libertarian philosophy, libertarian thoughts on current events, and the history of the libertarian movement. We also share a book recommendation a day and have links to several reading lists and sites with free eBooks. You'll also find a link to LibertarianPodcasts.com, a site that shares many of the most consistent, entertaining podcasts that explain liberty. We have also organized a list of libertarian websites that you can trust to produce consistent and thoughtful content. Have a question? Send us an email at ask@wearelibertarians.com. Video - https://youtu.be/77wQQPKRQgQ Dystopia by Luke Hall https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-dystopia Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/elnlHcxPyFQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Boaz of the Cato Institute speaks on Three Principles of Libertarianism. This was recorded at Student's For Liberty's LibertyCon 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a libertarian? Libertarianism seems like a complex political philosophy. Marshall Fritz explains. Marshall Fritz founded the Alliance for the Separation of School and State and Advocates for Self-Government, and was perhaps best known as the creator of the World's Smallest Political Quiz, a 10-question survey that places quiz-takers in one of five categories: Libertarian, Liberal, Centrist, Conservative, or Statist. Fritz passed away in 2008. In this video from a California Libertarian Party conference in 1991, Fritz gives an introduction to libertarianism by answering four questions about it: What are libertarianism's basic principles? How does it compare to the ‘left' and ‘right'? Who would be better off in a libertarian world? How can you prove the principles of libertarianism work? Video: https://youtu.be/TFCz2R2U_kE Support Liberty Explained - The Basics of Libertarianism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices