Early Adherence to Libertarian Ideas Leads to Political Activism

Editors note: Yahoo News asked young libertarian-minded voters to share why theyre drawn to the either the Libertarian Party or to libertarian political principles in general. Heres one first-person account we received this week.

FIRST PERSON | For me, the interest in politics started in high school. I had a Political Science teacher who was a liberal Democrat, and directly across the hall was our Economics teacher, who wouldnt reveal his political convictions to students. In between classes, they would have friendly arguments back and forth while we walked by. Our teachers may not have realized it, but many students picked sidesand I later learned that the side I picked was libertarian.

My economics teacher let me borrow some books about the Austrian School of economics, which promotes free markets. As I read those books, something clicked. It often seemed like the books elaborated on ideas I'd already held. That was the inception of my passion for promoting free market economics.

I believe that liberty has proven to be the most effective way to improve quality of life for people of all economic classes. Today we hear so much about progress and moving forward, but the policies promoted by people using these slogans achieve the opposite effect. It is not progress to expand the size and scope of government. It is not progress to centralize power. The idea that a small, elite group of people can make more informed decisions than individuals about their lives is an ancient one, and it has been proven time and time again not to work.

By comparison, liberty is a young concept. It isn't a coincidence that in the past 300 years weve seen more progress (real progress equating to higher quality of life) than in all prior years combined. Yet, most politicians advocate more centralized control and less individual libertypolicies that are directly antithetical to the cause of the (relatively) recent enormous economic boom.

The simplicity of the free market system allows all individualsnot just the elitesto thrive. The most essential element to a free market system is the idea that you keep what you earn. Without this simple concept, economies wither and die. Unfortunately, government keeps getting bigger and bigger. Every expansion of government takes a little bit of liberty from individuals.

In 2007 a friend of mine told me that there was a guy running for president that he thought Id like. My response: I doubt it. That guy was Ron Paul, and he turned out to be just as committed to economic liberty as I am. Dr. Paul's candidacy further inspired me to do all I can to advance the principles of sound money, free markets, and individual liberty. I got involved with Young Americans for Liberty, which grew out of Paul's 2008 campaign, and I've been engaged in political activism ever since. YAL's training made me a more effective activist, leading to my work as a Field Director on Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

I'm now 25, and Ive been focused on working within the political system to advance these ideals. I still believe that they resonate with everyday Americans. I think most people would agree that we should follow the Constitution. I think most people agree that they deserve to keep what theyve worked hard to earn. I think most people believe in taking personal responsibility for their defeats and enjoying their successes. And I think that consensus is what will ultimately put us on track to greater liberty and better lives.