By Scott Williamson – candidate for Libertarian National Committee Region 4 Representative
A New Year brings resolutions for flatter stomachs, fatter wallets, and healthier lives. As resolutions are made with hope of improving our lives, there is little in the news that seems to indicate a wealthier new year for most people. 2009 ended with a 10% jobless rate and 20 million people collecting unemployment benefits sometime in the past year. Our current two parties in power seem to think the solution is bailouts, government interference in the market, and spending money on a national credit card.
Time and time again it has been proven that government action causes more problems than it solves. Even with the best intentions, when government tries to solve individual’s economic woes they end up making things worse. A good example of this is the State of Colorado’s minimum wage law. Instead of letting the market determine how much people will work for at any given job, the state has set a minimum wage. In an attempt to make sure people making minimum wage are able to keep their standard of living, the state has tied the minimum wage to the rate of inflation.
The government’s attempt to help people has had quit the opposite effect. For the first time since 1938 gave us the minimum wage, those in Colorado will see a drop in their pay check. The states consumer price index fell over the last year, requiring the state to lower the minimum wage.
Even with the best of intentions, government interference into the lives of individuals always ends in disaster. The Libertarian Party has been making this argument since its inception in 1971. We Libertarians stand at a moment in history when millions of voters are waking up to a county they do not recognize. As loss of individual liberties hit a person’s own home, wallet, and life they are more receptive to our message of liberties for all people all the time.
We need to seize this unique opportunity and reach out to antiwar folks who feel resentment toward Republicans and feel duped by the Democrats. We need to reach out to the GLBT community who are, at best used and ignored by the major parties. We need to reach out to those who voted Republican only to see bail outs and deficit spending. We need to reach out to those who voted for change in the last election only to discover that their retirement fund is the only thing that has change in it.
The Libertarian Party needs to reach out to frustrated voters and tell them the best way to receive their individual liberties are to ensure that others have their individual liberties. We need to use this opportunity to use all the tools at our disposal to spread the message of individual liberty. The national party should reevaluate how it is spending the generous donations it receives. In our current time of nationalizing health care and taking over auto companies the voter frustration is at an all time high. We need to embrace this opportunity by making sure our outreach and campaigns are funded. We need to ensure activist in the trenches have all the tools they need to advance the cause of liberty. If we don’t this historic opportunity will pass us by.