Reference no: EM131873556

My Political Ideology.

Through taking the quiz I was given the libertarian ideology. I do identify as a libertarian, however there are a few things I would like to touch on. I believe there are many gross misrepresentations of libertarianism. Some of these inaccuracies are "Libertarianism is about being fiscally conservative and socially liberal". Libertarianism has also been labeled as moderate or in the middle of the political spectrum. These views are all false. Libertarianism is inherently far right as Murray Rothbard, who is the father of the American libertarian movement, states a few times in many of his later works. Libertarianism is about property rights and the non-aggression principle which is the entire basis of the ideology. Libertarianism also emphasizes the minimization of state interference in the individual's life. You can be socially conservative and be a libertarian so long as you do not advocate to impose your will on the next man via the state. Many libertarians have very different views socially and that is accepted, as long as, stances on property rights and free markets, or Austrian economics are upheld. Capitalism as a system is important to libertarianism as its basis is in private property, or the "private ownership of the means of production".

There are many factors that have shaped my views over time. I was a conservative before I was a libertarian. Many of my conservative values come from my dad. My dad is a 27 year military veteran who deployed often throughout my childhood. I eventually realized as a conservative, the truth of all of these foreign interventions and how detrimental they are to our interests as a nation. So I became increasingly skeptical of the modern conservative movement, more specifically neo-conservatism. Another socialization factor for my views currently is the actions of both political parties. In regards to my abandonment of conservatism I realized that the Republican Party was doing near to nothing to decrease the size of government. It is usually all lip service they spend and grow government at the same size as the democrats. In further regards to the left I am vehemently opposed to Marxism, and I don't think the Democratic Party lacks any Marxist admirers. Now there are movements within the Republican Party that align much more with libertarianism. Members of the freedom caucus like Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, are two grand examples of actual principled conservatives or you could refer to them as "Paleo Libertarians".

The last factor may be my occupation with the government and understanding how inefficient they actually are and taxes. There is not an actual libertarian that likes taxes. Among libertarians you will often hear the phrase that "taxation is theft". It's a funny little saying and it holds truth, but it has kind of become the meme for libertarians. Taxation is much more like extortion, however I think the word theft makes the saying better, but I digress. I also believe that my research of history has helped shape my views. I truly do hold the principles of what our founders had in mind dear to my heart: life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness.