In my first column, I discussed how the foundations of conservative thought are based on limited government with personal and economic freedom. Since being introduced to the two dominant ideologies at the beginning of my freshman year, I have always thought of myself as conservative. This semester, however, I have discovered that my views are more in line with libertarianism than conservatism. Libertarians believe that every person should be free to do whatever they like so long as their actions do not infringe on another person’s rights. That may sound like anarchy, but the “infringement” clause covers a great deal of human behavior. Libertarians believe liberty is the answer on every issue. Government schemes have tried to manipulate the economy and legislate morality, but libertarians ask, “why not try liberty?” Libertarians differ from conservatives in that we believe in greater personal liberty than what conservatives might allow; however, we do agree with conservatives on economic policy. Many conservatives consider libertarians to be moderate conservatives because of our stances on gay marriage and other issues concerning personal liberty. Libertarians believe personal liberty is key to a moral society, not the legislation of morality. Libertarians differ with liberals because we favor less government regulation of the economy and fewer government aid programs, but our positions on personal rights issues are very similar. Liberals can view libertarians as moderates as well, though in my experience, most lump us in with conservatives because of our stance on the economy. Libertarians believe that an unregulated economy is the way to promote market growth, and government regulation stifles the economy. Like every ideology, libertarians come in several interesting flavors. Different groups apply the basic libertarian philosophy to their world view. Green libertarians believe in environmental stewardship and argue that nature itself is included in legal protection from infringement. Left-libertarians and conservative libertarians both closely resemble one of the other two major ideologies but are more in line with libertarian doctrine than liberalism or conservatism. Neolibertarians believe in a post-Sept. 11 interventionist foreign policy and argue the natural rights of a person do not end at an arbitrary border of a democratic country. Instead they’re universal to all humans. After considering all the different aspects of libertarianism and conservatism, I feel that this is where my beliefs fit best. I came to the conclusion that I am libertarian only recently. It began when I found myself enjoying watching Glenn Beck on CNN more than Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity on Fox News. I considered the ways in which gay marriage might affect a heterosexual couple’s marriage and couldn’t find any. I looked at examples of the “redistribution of wealth” in action and found that everyone becomes equally poor except for the government. I read Frederick Bastiat’s “The Law” and agreed with everything except his stance on women’s suffrage – he was against it. The proper purpose of the law is to “prevent the reign of injustice” rather than attempt to bring about the reign of justice through government schemes. Socialist policies from liberals equate to legal plunder of our citizens, and the morality legislation from conservatives leads to false virtue in society rather than a society of true virtue. I have only skimmed the surface of what it means to be libertarian. I still have a great deal to learn as a recent convert to the gospel of freedom, but the seeds of libertarianism are already planted in the foundations of the other ideologies. Liberalism and conservatism need only be consistent in their application of liberty as an answer to social and economic problems. Just as Frederick Bastiat concluded at the end of “The Law,” I have seen many of our politicians in Baton Rouge and in Washington try to solve our problems with clever legislative schemes that usually end in failure. I ask, “Why not try liberty?”
—-Contact Michael Schouest at [email protected]