This is the place to ask questions about an issue and get a Libertarian point of view from Icenine.

I'll go first.Where do Libertarians stand on public education?And what could they do to decrease the number of children in the classroom?

DAYUM the edit
[This message was edited Thu Nov 7 7:14:28 PST 2002 by 4LOVE]

There is also the issue of the elderly and healthcare.
How do we make it affordable so a person who worked all
his life doesn't have to lose their house when they get sick
in their retirement years?

4LOVE said:

I personally think that the solution for the school problem is not simple at all, and I don't necessarily believe that the Libertarian idea will work very quickly... maybe in time.

The Libertarian Party platform on schools includes:


Support a true market in education -- one in which parents and students would not be stuck with a bad local school, because they could choose another.


Implement measures such as tax credits so that parents will have the financial ability to choose among schools.


Provide financial incentives for businesses to help fund schools and for individuals to support students other than their own children.


Eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, which spends billions on education and educates no one. The growth of this agency and its numerous regulations is a major reason for runaway costs in American schools.

Crap I just started a thread on education re: libertarianism without realizing what was going on in here...sorry! :blush: I put a redirect link over there...here's a question posed by 4LOVE:

4LOVE said:

[This message was edited Thu Nov 7 8:08:22 PST 2002 by teller]

4LOVE said:

Here is the Libertarian position on healthcare:

Health Care & Health Costs
President Bill Clinton has brought the need for health care reform to the front of the political agenda. There is no doubt that our system is in crisis.

Twenty years ago, health care was a $42 billon per year industry. Today, health care costs Americans more than $2 billion per day, more than 14% of our Gross Domestic Product. These soaring costs are putting enormous financial pressures on American businesses, forcing thousands of small businesses to reduce or drop benefits for their employees. Moreover, health care costs are an increasing burden to already strained family budgets. At the same time, nearly 35 million Americans lack health insurance.

But President Clinton's proposals for socialized medicine are worse than the disease. The Clinton plan would increase costs, destroy jobs, impose broad new taxes on the American people, and lead to the rationing of care.

The only health care reforms that are likely to have a significant impact on America's health care problems are those that draw on the strength of the free market. The Libertarian Party has developed a comprehensive proposal for health care reform that will reduce health care costs, while extending access to care.

The Libertarian Party believes there is a better way. Our five-point plan is as follows:


Establish Medical Savings Accounts. One key to controlling health care costs is strengthening the role of the individual health care consumer. As part of this process, an individual should be exempted from taxes on money deposited in a Medical Savings Account (MSA), in the same way that he currently pays no taxes on deposits to an IRA. Money could be withdrawn from an MSA without penalty to pay medical expenses. This would increase consumer responsibility, while increasing access and controlling costs.


Restructure tax policy. As a second consumer-based reform, taxes should be restructured to establish equity in the treatment of employer-provided health insurance, individually purchased health insurance, and out-of-pocket medical expenses. All health care expenditures should be 100% tax deductible. This will add a measure of fairness to current tax policies that penalize the self-employed, part-time workers, and employees of small businesses, while subsidizing health care for the most affluent in our society.


Deregulate the health care industry. There should be a thorough examination of the extent to which government policies are responsible for rising health costs and the unavailability of health care services. America can help lower health care costs and expand health care access by taking immediate steps to deregulate the health care industry, including elimination of mandated benefits, repeal of the Certificate-of-Need program, and expansion of the scope of practice for non-physician health professionals.


Replace the FDA. The Food and Drug Administration is clearly an unnecessary burden on the American health care system. There is no evidence that agency offers Americans any real protection, but there is massive evidence that it is causing great harm -- driving up health care costs and depriving millions of Americans of the medical care they need. The agency should be abolished and replaced with voluntary certification by a private-sector organization, similar to the way Underwriters Laboratories certifies electrical appliances.


Privatize Medicare and Medicaid.The current Medicare and Medicaid systems have clearly failed. Costs are skyrocketing. Patients are receiving second rate care. And, providers are being shortchanged. The time is ripe for drastic reform. The federal government should begin to restructure the system to give Medicaid and Medicare recipients more flexibility to purchase private health insurance.

What about election reform?Seems you have to have access to millions to even be considered.Look at the senate races all the millions spent on campains is the same money that can be used to cure our ills.What does the Libertarian party say about this?

4LOVE said:

The Libertarians wants to end all government funding of all political parties... they also want to pass legislation that will allow all parties to be placed on ballots. The Republicans and Democrats use tens of millions of tax payer dollars to fund their campaigns for office every election and I think that it is very wrong that they do that. Political fundraising should be done privately and should not be provided by the taxpayers.

The Libertarian Party wants to see an immediate end to campaigning on taxpayer's money.

There are also problems with third-party candidates not being allowed on televised debates... this is another area where Libertarians would like to see a change.

It seems that the media and government are geared toward a goal of keeping a two-party system.

TheMax posted his opinion on the Democratic and Republican positions on certain issues yesterday... I have added my take on the Libertarian stance on these issues as well:

Guns

• D - there are too many
  
• R - everyone should have one.
• L - Gun ownership, in itself is not a crime. Criminals will get guns illegally even if guns are outlawed.
  

Religion

• D - freedom FROM religion is as important as freedom OF religion
• R - religion (and ONLY christianity) is the fourth branch of the US government
• L - All citizens should be free to believe in any god or religion that they want and they should also be free NOT to believe. Religion should never influence the government or any legislation.

Environment

• D - protect what's left of it
  
• R - it's ours to do with whatever we wish; after all, that is god's plan isn't it?!.
• L - Turn control of public parks over to naturalist organizations such as the Audabon Society or Nature Conservancy. The government is the largest polluter of all.

Racism

• D - we're the party of civil rights legislation, and there's a lot more to be done.
  
• R - others have the green party, can't we be the white party?
• L - Libertarians support the rights of all people equally.

Homosexuality

• D - our brothers and sisters, and they need full legal standing and constitutional protection.
  
• R - we don't believe in "special rights," especially for those "sinners."
• L - Libertarians want to repeal all laws that set out to restrict sexual activity and relationships between consenting adults. The government has no right to tell citizens what to do with their personal life as long as they are not infringing upon others.

Economic advantage

• D - encourage enterprise for the disadvantaged, affirmative action, and tax breaks for the poorest.
  
• R - tax shelters and tax cuts for the wealthiest will stimulate the economy, even if it bankrupts the nation. If the rich pay fewer taxes, think of all the goodies they'll buy - see, everybody wins!
• L - Eliminate all government subsidies, downsize government and cut taxes. Allow citizens to keep more of THEIR OWN money. The Democrats and Republicans seem to think that they are doing you a favor by letting you keep any of your money.

Bump!!