This month's Letter from the Chair

As state chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, I have a message in our monthly newsletter. To subscribe, go to this section of our LPColorado.org website. Here is this month's contribution:

====

I was at a Nuggets game with two liberal friends recently. One of them said, “being a libertarian is really trendy right now.”

She commented on how people are fed up with the two party duopoly and are looking for an alternative.

Our challenge, as registered Libertarians, is to make sure the trend grows and becomes permanent.

I believe the best way to grow the movement is to find common ground with our statist friends, and explain why we agree on a given issue. From there, apply that agreement to other areas. For instance, with a leftist, we can agree that the government should not tell people what they can do in the privacy of their own home with other consenting adults. The common ground is that the government has no business dictating our private lives.

Then expand that concept. If they agree that our personal lives should be left alone by the state, ask them if anything is more personal than our health. If so, shouldn’t the state stay out of that, too?

They will likely sputter and say, “Well, that’s different.” Ask them, “Why is it different?” They’ll likely say something like, “socialized medicine is for the public good.” You might mention that the facts and history don’t back up that assertion, but for the sake of argument, you’ll accept their premise.

Remind that that social conservatives think homosexual behavior and medical marijuana are bad for society and banning them is “for the public good.” The reason they are both wrong, the left and the right, is that they see the use of government force to compel certain behavior as legitimate. It is not.

Don’t expect them to have a “Eureka!” moment and immediately see the light. But the idea has been planted and the concept of freedom will simmer in the back of their heads.

For instance, my liberal friend was commenting on the arbitrary and silly liquor laws we have in Colorado. I made the offhand comment that if some have their way on health care, the same people that made those silly and arbitrary liquor laws will be deciding what kind of doctor you can see and if you should get certain medicine.

She didn’t immediately renounce all statism and join the LP, but I could see the light go on in her head. She understood.

And understanding is the start.

Let freedom ring.