Comments on: Libertarians and the Constitution http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/libertarians-and-the-constitution/ Ideas on Liberty Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:57:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: stop spam plugin http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/libertarians-and-the-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-63400 stop spam plugin Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:16:12 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/uncategorized/libertarians-and-the-constitution/#comment-63400 <strong>Stop Spam - Wordpress plugin...</strong> [...]please visit the site we follow, as it represents our picks from the most flexible wordpress plugin that stops spam.[...]…... Stop Spam – WordPress plugin…

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]]> By: Instead of Politics http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/libertarians-and-the-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-43341 Instead of Politics Tue, 31 May 2011 13:41:47 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/uncategorized/libertarians-and-the-constitution/#comment-43341 The move toward a libertarian society will occur in one of two ways. Overreaching politicians will expand black markets to the point at which the state will collapse (i. e. the USSR). Often the remnant of faith in politics will allow a new form of politics in many ways worse than the old one. So it's a gamble. The second direction would be for society to pass back through the Constitution - restoring the original checks and balances and adding new ones. As the love affair with "criminal law" collapses and is replaced by direct tort and contract law, the realm of the Supreme Court would become progressively limited. A welcome amendment would remove final appeal from the federal government and allow both disputants to choose their arbiter. This has proven to be successful in modern arbitration law. The Constitution also limits federal appropriations for the army to two years. If this provision were actually followed, the bulk of defense would be funded by insurance companies and the spontaneous militia. Strict control over federal purse strings would keep the federal government from meddling in international affairs - a costly and barbaric endeavor. This would not require amendment - except perhaps a limitation on the navy to US shores, and return of state control over the budget by repealing the 16th amendment. The Constitution prohibits interference in private contracts. Removing the ability of the federal "government" to broadly "interpret" the commerce and welfare clauses would curtail any appearance of a loophole. In short, the biggest issue libertarians face is abolishing the role of the federal government as final arbitrator. As long as this error remains, Washington will continue to redefine itself ("interpret" the Constitution) as it wishes. The powers of Congress are enumerated in the Constitution itself. Confining it to its actual functions would be a decent first step. The move toward a libertarian society will occur in one of two ways. Overreaching politicians will expand black markets to the point at which the state will collapse (i. e. the USSR). Often the remnant of faith in politics will allow a new form of politics in many ways worse than the old one. So it’s a gamble.

The second direction would be for society to pass back through the Constitution – restoring the original checks and balances and adding new ones. As the love affair with “criminal law” collapses and is replaced by direct tort and contract law, the realm of the Supreme Court would become progressively limited. A welcome amendment would remove final appeal from the federal government and allow both disputants to choose their arbiter. This has proven to be successful in modern arbitration law.

The Constitution also limits federal appropriations for the army to two years. If this provision were actually followed, the bulk of defense would be funded by insurance companies and the spontaneous militia. Strict control over federal purse strings would keep the federal government from meddling in international affairs – a costly and barbaric endeavor. This would not require amendment – except perhaps a limitation on the navy to US shores, and return of state control over the budget by repealing the 16th amendment.

The Constitution prohibits interference in private contracts. Removing the ability of the federal “government” to broadly “interpret” the commerce and welfare clauses would curtail any appearance of a loophole. In short, the biggest issue libertarians face is abolishing the role of the federal government as final arbitrator. As long as this error remains, Washington will continue to redefine itself (“interpret” the Constitution) as it wishes.

The powers of Congress are enumerated in the Constitution itself. Confining it to its actual functions would be a decent first step.

]]> By: Sterling http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/libertarians-and-the-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-22945 Sterling Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:57:02 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/uncategorized/libertarians-and-the-constitution/#comment-22945 I agree, Unfortunatly what we the people support now doesn't matter. I think if given straight facts the vast majority (if not the total) population of America would gladly join the liberal-constitutional front. Unfortunatly "We the People" no longer underdstand anything other than what we are fed, be it true or not. We trust our polititions, which was our first mistake. We don't trust ALL polotitions, just the ones who we feel fall into one of the two distinct catagories of "Democratic or Republican" "Liberal or Conservative". We act as sheep and don't know half of the true politics of the people we support. The people with the real power to change our government from powerful to limited power, is said government, these same people aslo are the only ones who understand the politics of the people residing in it. And it would not be in their best interest to limit such things as taxes and advocate such things as individual freedom and the peoples role in the federal government, this would take away not only their power, but their money too. I am fully insupport of the constitution, i agree with everyone one of its fundemental laws, but the average american can't name five. The real problem isn't that the government is getting to powerful, but more fundemental than that, its that the people don't know enough to have a voice in it. If we fully understood (if everyone did) then there is n way that we could let this controll continue, we are not diliberately being kept in the dark, most people don't care if they feel comfortable. We have a huge problem on our hands, and i don't think we'll ever solve it. Not with our seemingly innate boredom with politics. I agree, Unfortunatly what we the people support now doesn’t matter. I think if given straight facts the vast majority (if not the total) population of America would gladly join the liberal-constitutional front. Unfortunatly “We the People” no longer underdstand anything other than what we are fed, be it true or not. We trust our polititions, which was our first mistake. We don’t trust ALL polotitions, just the ones who we feel fall into one of the two distinct catagories of “Democratic or Republican” “Liberal or Conservative”. We act as sheep and don’t know half of the true politics of the people we support.
The people with the real power to change our government from powerful to limited power, is said government, these same people aslo are the only ones who understand the politics of the people residing in it. And it would not be in their best interest to limit such things as taxes and advocate such things as individual freedom and the peoples role in the federal government, this would take away not only their power, but their money too.
I am fully insupport of the constitution, i agree with everyone one of its fundemental laws, but the average american can’t name five. The real problem isn’t that the government is getting to powerful, but more fundemental than that, its that the people don’t know enough to have a voice in it.
If we fully understood (if everyone did) then there is n way that we could let this controll continue, we are not diliberately being kept in the dark, most people don’t care if they feel comfortable.
We have a huge problem on our hands, and i don’t think we’ll ever solve it. Not with our seemingly innate boredom with politics.

]]> By: Barry Goldwater on conservatism and "doctrinaire" liberals - Firing Line (1966) - Page 4 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/libertarians-and-the-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-22434 Barry Goldwater on conservatism and "doctrinaire" liberals - Firing Line (1966) - Page 4 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:52:33 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/uncategorized/libertarians-and-the-constitution/#comment-22434 [...] Re: Barry Goldwater on conservatism and "doctrinaire" liberals - Firing Line (1966) Libertarians and the Constitution | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty [...] [...] Re: Barry Goldwater on conservatism and "doctrinaire" liberals – Firing Line (1966) Libertarians and the Constitution | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty [...]

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