Phew… not all libertarians have lost their minds when it comes to Wall Street Journal op-eds on green topics.
In an op-ed today, Gabriel Roth of the Independence Institute recommends that states opt out of the federal Highway Trust Fund in order to destroy a mechanism that is being used by the federal government to coerce you out of your car:
To fight climate change, Washington wants you to take a bus.
Roth’s op-ed stands in stark contrast to last week’s embarrasing WSJ op-ed by Alan Reynolds of the Cato Institute in which Reynolds suggested that the feds hike gas taxes to coerce you out of the car of your choice.
Roth gets points not only for understanding that libertarianism is about individual liberty and limited government, but also for suggesting a means of dismantling the federal leviathan.
What Roth is speaking about is exactly what Montgomery County, its County Council members and the County’s Transit Divison and Commuter Services wish to do at the local level. No doubt they’ll be advocating for this BS with our heavily Leftist Congressional delegation.
Well Great!
After Alan Reynolds abomination of a Libertarian position, I’m glad a real Libertarian has chosen to step up.
Folks, ANYTHING that is written into law WILL LIMIT YOUR RIGHTS. What else does a law do besides draw the line between what you can and can’t do? And often where there was no “cannot do” previously. So there is not even any debate that most of the lawmaking our congress is doing is limiting our rights. And for this exact reason, Libertarians are fundamentally opposed to this practice when it is outside of the few fundamental objectives described in the constitution.
So beware of anyone calling themself a Libertarian who is advocating things like CAFE standards or any other form of Green Imprisonment. Such statements are fundamentally opposed to the Libertarian ideal. And unlike the Democrats and Republicans, we have not intention of having our party highjacked by doublespeakers preaching federal ANYTHING as the path to the good life.
GOVERNMENT IS THE PROBLEM. Remember when Republicans used to think that. Libertarians never lost belief in this truth. Those who believe or speak otherwise are not Libertarians.
Praises to Gabriel Roth for setting the record straight on what makes a Libertarian, and what makes this proposed legislation the opressive crap that it is…