Nicholas Sarwark
LNC chair
Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark made the following statement on foreign aid on February 5:
“When you were a kid, did you ever know an unpopular kid who didn’t seem to have any friends? Did you ever see that kid try to buy friends by giving out candy or gifts to make other people like him? It works for a little bit, because hey, free candy. But as soon as the candy runs out, the unpopular kid still doesn’t have any friends.
“As part of growing up, kids learn that real friendships come from similar interests and mutually beneficial relationships. They take time and energy to build. They can’t be bought, but real friendships also don’t go away as soon as the free candy runs out.
“The Libertarian Party platform opposes foreign aid. Not because we don’t like people in other countries. It’s because we’ve grown up and realized that we can’t buy real friends with free candy. Taking tax money from poor people in the United States and giving it to often corrupt governments in other countries doesn’t bring our countries any closer together, though it may work wonders for the relationships between the politicians on both sides.
“Real friendships between countries are built for free. They’re built
by removing tariffs and taxes that prevent people from trading goods
and service easily. They’re built by removing immigration quotas and
bureaucracy that prevent peaceful people from moving across borders to
find a better life. They’re built by removing onerous visa
requirements that make it harder for individuals to visit other
countries and meet the people there and learn to appreciate them and
their countries.
“The Libertarian Party will keep fighting to break down the barriers to
making real friendships with other countries. The old parties will
keep using your tax money to give out free candy.”
