One of the major risks to any important idea or concept, especially in relation to one of life and thought in a complex society, is dilution. The term “libertarian leaning” means nothing, but that phrase is certainly dangerous in that it is purposely used in order to dilute, weaken, and marginalize the real meaning of the word libertarian. So what does being libertarian mean?
First pure and honest libertarians believe in the non-aggression principle. Therefore, libertarianism as a political philosophy means that so long as a person does not in any way harm another or their property, and does not infringe on their liberty, and no aggression or force is initiated, then he should be left alone. This is the essence of pure libertarian thought, and it is not negotiable.
Of course, to understand the premise just described, one has to be aware that in order to embrace this thinking, certain assumptions need to be made. Those assumptions include a belief in free markets where all are able to participate in any activity whatsoever without any restriction or regulation, and any earnings produced by those efforts are theirs to keep. In other words, no theft by government in the form of taxation is warranted. The tax state should be immediately dismantled. This means that all government welfare has to end, and all government programs and supported corporate partnerships have to cease. This would include eliminating all government education in public schools and colleges, all health and medical control or assistance, including Medicare, Medicaid and the like, and any government retirement scams. All commerce whether state, interstate, or internationally based should not be the business of government and therefore privately controlled. No “public” land should remain in government hands. In fact, any government involvement or interference in any private matter should be disallowed. There can be no laws enforced by the state concerning moral behavior, as that is up to the individual to decide so long as no other is harmed. So every drug law would need to be abolished immediately. In addition, the only force that could be supported against another would be limited to actual self-defense, which means that no U.S. wars overseas could be prosecuted.
This is obviously not inclusive of every restriction that should be placed on government; it is only a very short list. But in order to understand real libertarianism, it is imperative to understand that libertarians believe in all peaceful activity without restraint. State interference in any peaceful activity is an assault against liberty, and should not be allowed.
This brings us back to the asinine term “libertarian leaning.” This is a worthless description, and in fact is a complete bastardization of the language. It is not meant to illustrate any genuine belief system, it is simply meant to diminish the real meaning of libertarian. If one can lean one way or another and be considered libertarian due to that incorrect assessment, then the philosophy itself becomes meaningless.
Many libertarians today are willing to accept anyone who agrees with them on a single particular issue, even if it is temporary. Hence the term “leaning.” It is a very weak position to be sure, but one that is becoming much more prevalent among so-called freedom advocates. One of the more stark examples of this concerns the chameleon-like president, Donald Trump. His positions change by the minute, so when he “leans,” one has to be quick to jump on board. That was the case with Syria, and his feeble, no, non-existent plan to withdraw all troops and stop the war against Assad and Syria. Of course it never happened, but libertarian types were gushing with enthusiasm and praise over Trump nonetheless. He must have been “leaning” toward libertarianism. How ridiculous. Of course, stopping the war in Syria would be a wonderful thing, but at the same time warring everywhere else, threatening world ending nuclear war, prosecuting murderous wars by proxy, committing daily tyrannical acts, and ordering by fiat devastating sanctions on several other countries, does not a libertarian make.
It is not possible to lean into libertarianism. One either believes in unrestricted freedom and liberty or not. Obviously, there are very few true libertarians, and if they were honest defenders of freedom, they would also have to be anarchists in the sense that no government can exist where freedom and liberty are the desired goals.
This writer is not attempting to belittle those who have strong beliefs in liberty, but to expose those who would attempt to weaken their position through the use of language. It is imperative for those real libertarians to not compromise on core positions, and to not accept false prophets.
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