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Words Do Have Meaning

By on February 16, 2011 in News
Words Do Have Meaning
Co-Authored By Guy McLendon & Jeff Daiell
In writing about her novel, Anthem, Ayn Rand said she did not want statists to have this excuse, once a police state had America in its grip, "But that’s not what we meant!"

In some cases, frankly, a totalitarian state is the goal for advocates of statism.   Such advocates for tyranny are not likely to embrace libertarianism simply because our arguments are persuasive.

But in other cases, advocates for more government control honestly believe that they are working on behalf of Human Rights.  Such individuals may be influenced by reason.

However, winning them over requires that we first dispel the myth that their policies advance Human Rights.   To do that, we must clarify in their minds what a Right is and is not.   Pursuant to that, we suggest the following wording be added to the LP National Platform.

Proposed 2012 Plank:

3.5 Rights and Discrimination
Libertarians embrace the concept that humans have inherent rights.  We reject the theory that a natural right can ever impose an obligation upon others to fullfill that "positive right".  Government should not deny or abridge any individual’s rights, nor enhance privileges, based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs.
 
 Current 2010 Plank:
3.5 Rights and Discrimination

We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should not deny or abridge any individual’s rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs.