On why I am a libertarian

Or something like it.

No more drug war wasn't the inducement to the party (for me)... but it's certainly become a major selling point just as how dumb this idea has been. Economically, philosophically, socially, culturally (that middle class 'fuck you' shunt onto the poor) just dumb all the way around. "The first one's free" of course does seem to get other people thinking about the subject of basic liberties. Most people need something tangible, a product or service the government will not let them buy.

I needed two things: freedom of religion and freedom of speech. I had huge problems with the very existence of the FCC and its regulatory power over broadcasts and I had big problems with the Christian right and my perception, somewhat correctly borne out over the years, that it had captured the Republican party and rendered it useless to my purposes (generally economic). Since I was not seeing a whole lot of difference between the two major parties to begin with, not liking one meant that I needed to look outside the box. And that's how I stumbled into it. It fit neatly with a lot of political philosophy that I had grown up with (classical liberalism from Mill or Smith or even Russell at times, fleshed out later with Hayek and Friedman), but it also resolved a lot of economic and social questions with a sort of "let that slide" attitude that I find appealing for most things. If it doesn't affect me (or anyone else) at all, why should I want it controlled? If it doesn't harm especially. So that's where it comes from.

The fact that I am now duty bound to bring up the stupidity of making cocaine illegal for people to distribute and consume by having selected that philosophy as a credible source does not seem to bother me very much. Even if it seems to annoy millions of other Americans.

(Incidentally, this is very much like this... )