• 10. Libertarians don’t believe in people helping others. They would leave the poor and unfortunate among us to suffer.

Libertarians are opposed to the initiation of force, not to the distribution of help to those in need. It is the coercive elements of much aid offered by governments that is objectionable to us both in principal and as regards to the prosaic results. We believe voluntary and respectful methods to help those who are in trouble are better than the expensive bureaucratic mess we have today.

• 9. Libertarians are ideological extremists who would abolish government and create anarchy.

There are some libertarian philosophers who argue for a "hidden" order that would present itself in the absence of government, but they do not represent the thinking of the average party member. Libertarian philosophy forms a framework to help in approaching public policy decisions; something that is lacking among Democrats and Republicans. Libertarians pride themselves on reason and practicality. We want to reduce forceful means not undermine legitimate ends of government.

• 8. Libertarians take votes from Democrats and help the far right win.

Libertarians tend to be much more interested in cutting government taxes and spending than Republicans are. It is true that some of our candidates stress issues such as Hawaiian Sovereignty, decriminalization of drug use or prostitution, or support for same sex marriage. In these cases votes may come from more liberals voters. Libertarians don’t run to help or hurt Democrats or Republicans, but to help our community create a better government.

• 7. Libertarians would allow people to do anything they want.

No we wouldn’t. People have a right to defend themselves from force or fraud. Laws against theft, murder, rape, etc need to be enforced. There are also needs for regulating traffic, adjudicating lawsuits, and providing for other services enjoyed by the public as a whole. Where we differ from other parties is in our belief that government authority rests on the principal of self government. If people can’t govern themselves how can we expect them to govern others? A respectful society of self governors should be the real goal of our community.

• 6. Libertarians aren’t patriotic. They oppose our Nation’s foreign policy.

Libertarians believe in a more passive, less interventionist, foreign policy. We focus on free trade and the development of global markets where individuals are free to trade with each other and aren’t forced into nationalist hostilities. We believe the decades of Western meddling in the affairs of the Middle East are what have created our current problems.

• 5. Libertarians don’t see the importance of public morality and they marginalize the role of God in our community.

Many Libertarians are devout and upstanding Christians. It seems odd to us that a savior who declares that His kingdom is not of this world, that it is wrong to judge others, and wrong to attack them, would be upset by a philosophy that opposes the initiation of force to achieve political aims.

• 4. Libertarians take votes from Republicans and help the liberal Democrats win elections.

Republicans have held control of the US Congress for most of the last decade, but Federal spending continues to skyrocket. This is not simply due to increased defense spending. When the Republican Party starts to show some genuine interest in cutting the size and intrusiveness of government perhaps some of the frustrated conservatives who have voted Libertarian may vote Republican. For now no one is holding their breath. Anyone who is serious about stopping the flood of government spending needs to support our party with all their ability.

• 3. Libertarians think its okay for my kids to use drugs.

No we don’t, but maybe you should check out a political party who pays more attention to what you think is okay for your kids than what they do. We believe drug use is a consensual crime and as such should not be prosecuted. The evidence is overwhelming that the government drug laws have not only failed to deter people from experimenting and abusing drugs, they have actually harmed the community by spawning a plethora of drug related thefts, of ever rising law enforcement budgets, and of expanding prisons.

• 2. The Libertarians never win. I want to support a winner.

The quality of life for you, your family, your children, grandchildren and so on, depends on the actions of people working in government today. If you do not support the best public policies with all of your efforts you condemn people today and tomorrow to a reduced enjoyment of their lives.

• 1. I’m not much of a joiner.

Throughout history only a handful of people have stood up for freedom. With out the few freedom loving people like George Washington and John Hancock there would be no freedom for you today. Democracy would be unknown. Everywhere autocratic monarchies and totalitarian dictatorships would hold sway. Yet the greatest threat to a democracy is that a small group of self interested people will take control because too many people of good character were too busy to participate. If you take a minute to think about all the brave men lying in Punchbowl Cemetery maybe you’ll see the virtue in donating a little more of your time to the civic struggle and join our party.

Tracy Ryan, chair of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii, can be reached by email at: mailto:tracy.ahn.ryan@worldnet.att.net

HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com

Guest Commentary...