On May 28, 2011, a flash mob appeared at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. Their goal was to dance there as a tribute to the founding fathers, who gave Americans the First Amendment, which protects citizens’ right to freely express themselves. Ironically, the flash mob was met by aggressive park police, who ended up arresting several peaceful participants.
Among the group was famous anti-war activist and news correspondent, Adam Kokesh, who is best-known for being an outspoken Iraq veteran and for his television/radio show, Adam vs. The Man. As Kokesh watched others being arrested, he continued to dance—until one of the officers approached him and threw him to the ground, choking him.
The preceding event was captured on film and eventually went viral, receiving over one million views. This is just one scenario of many in which the American government has restricted the rights of U.S. citizens. Libertarians see this event as a clear violation of those rights—to deny someone freedom of expression.
The United States, which technically is a republic, seems to be going down a strange path: one of less freedoms and more regulation, which sounds more like an authoritarian government according to definition. America has been involved in multiple wars, seen massive numbers of house foreclosures, been forced to bail out major companies, and is facing a growing debt and a growing unemployment rate. America has been through a lot in the last ten years, causing many to contemplate their political ideologies. The Libertarians offer practical solutions to these problems; unlike Democrats and Republicans, they are not afraid to answer these pressing questions. Libertarianism is seeing a revival on the political field in America because the traditional American values of freedom and liberty are at risk.
When people mention “pop culture,” usually the first things that come to mind are music, fashion, and general attitude toward life in a society; however, pop culture goes beyond the material world, finding itself in the realm of ideas, morality, and principles of a society. To fully understand pop culture, it is helpful to observe the political thought and ideology that the society leans toward.
Kerry Howley
Kerry Howley is a writer who has had several of her pieces on politics published; she states, “In an economically free society the culture often shows a group of people who are tolerant, intellectual, and known for averting themselves away from authoritarian policies and laws.”
Libertarians are known as having an individualistic view toward morality and policy; however, they do have regard for society and the communities around them. Libertarians go about their own lives, but also believe in a moral and connected society. Currently the libertarian movement is gaining huge support in America because their economic policy resonates with a growing number of youth. There is going to be many different political ideologies in one country, but there has been a substantial growth in the number of Libertarians—and that is why it is important to focus on this movement and understand why people are joining the cause.
In an article published in the American Conservative, John Glaser writes, “The Students for Liberty campus network expanded from just over 100 groups in 2009 to approximately 430 at the beginning of 2011.”
Young Libertarians are growing at a fast rate; they are appealing to more and more youthful conservatives and liberals, creating an equal ground for both parties. Ron Paul, a leader of the libertarian movement, is being ostracized from the Tea Party movement; he has been labeled by other Tea Party candidates as the “Anti-conservative left within our movement.”
Despite demonization from the mainstream news, the libertarian movement has a positive message of ending corporatism, ending the growing debt, and calling a halt to unnecessary wars. A popular novel that addresses some of the growing problems in America is The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek, which emphasizes the importance of laissez-faire economics. After Glenn Beck supported this novel, it landed a spot on the best-seller list in 2010. Laissez-faire economics supports the idea that economic systems function better when the government does not regulate the market. Adam Smith, known as the “father of classical economics,” advocated Laissez-faire economics and stated that individual welfare is better than a national power.Libertarianism offers a policy of voluntary behavior amongst its citizens; this means that coercion of the citizens by the state would not be allowed. Under this principle, taxes would be very minimal and government would be smaller. Many people on the liberal side of government prefer a decent-sized government with more taxes so it can cover healthcare, roads, schools, and other costs; they believe that stability cannot exist without a big government, so they don’t want to take a risk and see if individuals actually have the power to make a prosperous society. The Libertarians are very cautious when dealing with government; they feel if they let the government get too big, it will begin to transfer rights from citizens to the state. It all comes down to two types of individuals: small-government people and big-government people. The small-government person likes adventure, risk taking, and problem solving; while the big-government person likes to stay at home with the babysitter, worry, and do minimal work.
A majority of taxes in America don’t go toward government programs; they actually go toward paying the interest onthe loans owed to the Federal Reserve. The government is then forced to ask for more loans from the Federal Reserve so that it can pay for government programs. This is not understood by many Americans; but if every American knew about this operation, it would be shut down for its irresponsibility. The truth is that the Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel that is not regulated by the government and therefore has the power to loan the U.S. its currency at interest.
This process leads to an inevitable bubble.
The Federal Reserve will continue to print money, loaning it to the government at interest, and the government will have to take out more loans to pay the interest, because the principle is all that exists in the first place. How can a farmer give someone ten of his signature apples, and ask for twelve of the same ones back? He would have to loanthem more apples so that he could collect. This system is innately dangerous and threatens the stability of the U.S. currency.
Ron Paul
Debates rage regarding the debt ceiling but no one save Ron Paul will mention the disastrous effects of the Private Federal Reserve. Ron Paul wrote in U.S. News Weekly, “Since 1913, the dollar has lost over 95 percent of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy. In its unchecked power to print money out of thin air, the Federal Reserve continues to devalue the dollar while the middle class continue to see their savings eaten away by inflation.”
Dr. Paul is a renowned critic of the Federal Reserve and has gained much support for his stance on monetary policy alone. When a nation is faced with issues, logical solutions should be offered by politicians. Congressman Ron Paul is running for the presidency in 2012, and he seems to be the one candidate who sticks out from the rest of the group. Although he is running as a Republican, he holds libertarian values and wants to change multiple policies in the United States, such as abolishing the income tax, ending unnecessary wars, and moving toward smaller government and more community involvement.
A solution to the Private Federal Bank is to nationalize it, thus giving the government the ability to keep the printing of currency in check. The central bank should abandon its fiat currency in favor of one that is backed by something of real value such as gold, silver, land, water, or any other kind of commodity. This would ensure that in the case of economic turmoil, the currency still has value. The Federal Reserve has trillions of dollars unaccounted for—and there is nothing that the U.S. government can do about it. Current legislation does not give the government power to check the central bank.
Dr. Santiago Juan-Navarro
Amidst all of this chaos, it seems that America is beginning to have a revival, with many citizens wanting to kick out the lucrative central bank and start a more stable currency that is backed by real wealth. The issues that America faces now are similar to what has happened in the past. When America was first discovered, settlers claimed their utopian territories everywhere throughout North and South America. There were many revolutions and regime changes because nobody wanted to settle for the short end of the stick. Dr. Santiago Juan-Navarro is a Spanish professor at the Florida International University who has written an article on the founding of the Americas; according to him, the ruling elite wanted to bring their totalitarian government to the new world but the dilemma was that settlers wanted to live in a free society. Despotism, authoritarianism, and theocracies were fought against diligently by the idealists and supporters of a free society; dictatorships and monarchies were widely opposed, a majority of colonists and settlers being in favor of a republic that respected the rights of all people and an economy that gave everyone an equal chance to thrive.
A multitude of political ideologies come and go every century while philosophers, economists, and politicians incessantly search for the utopian society where everyone can live in stability and prosperity. It is the great challenge of Americans to find the correct political system that will rule the nation and serve everyone equally. The libertarian philosophy seems to be the most capable of producing a free society where individuals are not oppressed. Unlikesocialism, libertarianism promotes the right to private property and fewer taxes. The policies of a libertarian government would promote healthy local governments and education systems, building upward from that standpoint.
Libertarians will have a big role in upcoming elections and debates, as educated individuals strive for the utopian society that every free thinker and intellectual dreams about. The libertarian movement is on the forefront of changing American policies, and reviving the spirit of 1776. Americans are beginning to realize that freedom is a fragile ideology and that freedom for all people isn’t in the best interest of all people. Soon the streets will roar with battle cries, and a demand will have to be met; the people will shout, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
