Libertarian: You may be one of us
When I tell people that I am a libertarian, a few common responses are blank stares, chuckles or references to Ron Paul.
Yes, Ron Paul does cause many blank stares and many chuckles, but there is more to libertarianism than what most Americans believe. (Insert Ron Paul meme here).
Libertarianism, to many people, is a foreign idea. When broken down, though, many Americans hold similar values to us Ron Paul-like folk.
A libertarian is simply someone who defines him or herself as socially liberal and economically and politically conservative. The hinges of libertarianism are based on liberty and free will.
According to a Pew Research poll in 2014, about 11 percent of Americans said “libertarian” describes them well.
Twelve percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 said the term describes them well.
The future of the libertarian movement is Americans-especially our generation-realizing that they agree with the views the United States were based upon.
Libertarianism isn’t as strange as it may seem; it’s actually very simple. It’s all based on freedom.
Here are a few statements a libertarian is likely to agree with: I do not smoke marijuana, but I think it should be legal.
I am straight, but I think homosexuals should be allowed to marry.
I am neither rich, nor poor, and I am against the redistribution of wealth.
I am an American, and I’m weary of a government that thinks it’s more important than the people it’s supposed to be serving.
If you agree with these statements, you’re probably a libertarian. You just don’t know it yet.
And once you start to figure it out, the libertarian party may become something more than just Ron Paul.