ON "THE WASTED VOTE ?"

By Camden W. "Cam" McConnell

Explains the difference between Libertarians and the major parties and tells why a vote for a Libertarian is not wasted.

Balderdash!

What could be a bigger waste of a vote than to be thoroughly unhappy with government, yet vote for "business as usual?"

Many voters who have historically aligned with either of the major parties, Republicans or Democrats, are today very dissatisfied with the Federal government. It costs too much, fails at virtually everything, interferes with our economic lives, and interferes in the affairs of other countries, completely disregarding the warnings of George Washington.

Both of the major parties, Republicans and Democrats, stand for big government, which means high taxes. They cannot avoid the connection, no matter how they try. Neither one has an underlying philosophy that permits them to be judged on anything but isolated issues. Each uses issues as needed to get elected so that they can exercise power. The principal difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is their opinion as to who should get to exercise the power of government.

Libertarians, on the other hand, want to be elected so that they can start dismantling the overgrown mechanism of government, freeing the people to run their own lives, returning power to the people, and reducing the power of the government itself. Libertarians have a sound underlying philosophy of liberty as the Founding Fathers of America knew it and tried to leave it to us. This philosophy leads us to consistent positions on any specific issue.

There is, therefore, a choice: on the one hand you have the two major parties, clearly standing together in favor of ever bigger government, increasing interference in the affairs of others, and continuously decreasing liberty for Americans; on the other hand, you have the libertarians of the Libertarian Party, standing for an actual reduction of government size, cost, and power.

Regrettably, but realistically, dismantling the present structure of government cannot be done overnight. Practically, the first few Libertarians elected to the Congress will principally be able to influence events only by speaking out. Dr. Ron Paul does this now. A libertarian elected as a Republican from Texas, he often opposes his nominal party when he adheres to the Constitution and votes against increased government power over our lives. Practical Libertarians, including me, are willing to start small if given a chance to start the nation on the path to healing.

Can it be done? The Whig party in England in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries was very libertarian in its outlook. In power, the Whigs reviewed the laws and repealed many, such that in 1873, the secretary of the Law Society estimated that of 18,110 laws passed from the reign of Henry III (died 1272, he was the son of John who signed the Magna Charta), over eighty percent had been repealed, partly or completely. By that time, Englishmen could not imagine that the government could violate their liberty. Unfortunately for the English and the world, they have since turned towards big government.

If you vote for the Libertarian, at least one of three things will occur: (1) in any case, you will have made a personal statement that you are dissatisfied with "business as usual;" and, (2) if the Libertarian comes close but does not win, you will really have gotten the attention of the major parties that "business as usual" is unacceptable; or (3) conceivably, the Libertarian might actually win and start dismantling government and returning it to the vision of the Framers of the Constitution!

A "wasted vote" indeed! Balderdash!