Pubdate: Mon, 29 Jul 2002
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL)
Copyright: 2002 News-Journal Corp
Contact:  http://www.n-jcenter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/700
Author: Seth Rabinowitz

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERTARIANS

Ron Hurtibise's front-page article, "Major parties face new challenge: 
Libertarians aim to shake up politics" (July 22), is fair and balanced; the 
quotations were not taken out of context.

As a 26-year-old avid and critical reader of The News-Journal, The Wall 
Street Journal and The Daily Pennsylvanian -- from my alma mater, the 
University of Pennsylvania -- I believe Mr. Hurtibise's rare, unbiased 
prose should be praised. It is common to see slanted efforts even in those 
aforementioned valuable periodicals.

Once and for all, readers can see the only organized and viable "third 
party" in the United States is not focused on the legalization of all 
illicit drugs but rather subscribes to the philosophical tenet that all 
governments swell until they fail, restrict businesses until they are 
unprofitable, take away personal liberties until there are none, and are 
inherently unmotivated and corrupt.

"Programs" created by governments have administrative costs that almost 
always outweigh any benefit. That idea from the article has astounding 
implications for almost any government program of which you can think. It 
doesn't work! Our founding fathers believed these principles and in 
constitutional "checks and balances" to minimize the inevitable failure of 
government. As strong as the Constitution is, the "it's different today" 
attitude and justified fear of 9/11-type events worsen the erosion of these 
core principles.

These are some of the beliefs of the Libertarian Party, and with hope and 
truthful articles such as Mr. Hurtibise's, people may recognize the value 
of having a third party to choose from in an election, let alone the 
Libertarian Party.

SETH RABINOWITZ

Daytona Beach
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