My Libertarian Transformation – HuffPost

My Libertarian Transformation

When it comes to politics in the United States, the clearly defined parties are undoubtedly the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. With that said, these are not the only two parties around and given the recent political turmoil, many people are growing more and more curious about other political options. Next to the democratic and republican parties, the most well-known party is probably the Libertarian Party. With that said, while the party is known by name it is often not very well understood. Lets take a look at the Libertarian Party and what it stands for.

One of the most important ideals in America, and perhaps the one most staunchly defended, is that of freedom. This freedom can take many forms freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press being among them but one thing is invariable: the United States of America stands for freedom, and this is something its citizens expect. This idea is one of the core in the Libertarian Party, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining individual freedom. The party believes that individuals should have the right to pursue success and freedom in any way they so choose as long as doing so does not hurt anyone else.

Much like their beliefs regarding personal liberties, libertarians also hold various social ideals that tend to place them on the leftist part of the political spectrum. They believe that the government should not be able to restrict or define personal relationships. Before you believe that this is a clear endorsement of any particular sexuality, however, keep in mind that this belief stems mostly from the idea that the government should not be allowed to interfere in citizens lives. This includes personal relationships, and libertarians tend to believe that consenting adults should be free to pursue relationships that make them happy. They hold the same to be true of things like drug use, which they believe to be a victimless crime.

Finally, another important libertarian ideal is that of a smaller government. To put the issue as simply as possible, libertarians tend to believe that the government should have a smaller reach than it currently does. The government today has too much control and ability to control and interfere in the lives of citizens as well as the countrys business practices and norms. The party often advocates a smaller government that, most notably, does not collect income tax or fund a welfare state.

In todays society, there is often much conversation regarding the future and what our collective societal ideals might look like in a few decades. There is much debate as to whether a liberal or conservative view might be more beneficial moving forward, where the views in question seem to be associated with the Democratic Party and the Republican party, respectively. There seems to be relatively little talk, however, regarding the viability of ideas and concepts related to other political parties. It might surprise you, then, to hear that libertarian ideals seem to already be making a big impact upon modern business.

The Libertarian Party tends to emphasize the importance of civil liberties and capitalism as they relate to the government and interventionism. The basic idea is that the government should take a step back when it comes to regulating and controlling citizens in both the private and public/business spheres. But how exactly do these values fit into todays modern businesses?

One aspect of current business endeavors that clearly reflects libertarian ideals is that of the sharing economy. Partially spurred on by the increasing reliance on technology, particularly mobile apps that are designed to facilitate easy communication, a new wave of businesses has taken over the modern workplace over the past few years. Exploring the possibility of collaboration and sharing, these businesses have created an economy that is essentially based upon the decisions and possessions of individuals. Someone with a vehicle and some extra time, for example, could decide to become a taxi of sorts and earn money from someone without the ability or desire to drive themselves. The same holds true with hospitality options like Airbnb.

Epitomized by businesses like Lyft and Uber, this new wave of businesses seems to be firmly based upon perceived leftist ideas of decentralization and sustainability. It is important to note, however, that libertarian ideals are often at the very heart of this kind of business model. To the free-market libertarian, for example, an economy based between individuals rather than the state or government and an individual is appealing. It seems to promote the idea that the government could and should take a step back and allow individuals to thrive on their own. The sharing economy is a great way to promote civil liberties and emphasize the self-reliance that the Libertarian Party promotes.

What do you think about the sharing economy and the wave of businesses that have sprung up as it has developed? Do you think that the libertarian values present in these businesses are sustainable? For the time being, it appears as though modern businesses will continue to grow in this direction.

The Libertarian Party and Taxes

With all of the attention focused on the two main parties in the United States the Democratic Party and the Republican Party it can be easy to forget that there are other options available. Another party in the United Stats is known as the Libertarian Party, and it has some pretty strong ideas regarding the place of taxes in our economy as well as how much money should be collected.

First and foremost, the Libertarian Party believes that forcing people to give part of their income to the government in the form of taxes is wrong. Instead, they emphasize the importance of ensuring that citizens of the United States have autonomy over their money, their lives, their bodies, and their time. That means that a libertarian government is one that would do away with much of the tax system as we currently know it. But while the Libertarian Party would certainly lower taxes, does that mean that we wouldnt end up paying any at all? Lets take a closer look.

In order to determine what the United States economy would look like under the control of the Libertarian Party as well as how taxes would be affected, it might be most helpful to look at Gary Johnsons recent proposals. A libertarian hopeful for the presidency in 2016, Johnson has many ideas regarding how taxes should and should not be conducted in the U.S. First and foremost, he would have abolished the IRS along with both income and corporate tax. In its place, Johnson advocated the use of FairTax, a proposal that would see services and goods for personal consumption receive a flat tax of 23%.

In order to help offset the regressive nature of FairTax, Johnson would include a prebate used to allow households to consume aforementioned services and items tax-free up until the poverty line. This would help ensure that the family in lower income brackets are not unfairly impacted by the flat tax. In return for this flat tax, income taxes would, as mentioned above, no longer be a thing. Your money would be your own, in other words, aside from paying a higher flat tax on items and services. This kind of tax allocation is touted as being beneficial because it removes economic distortions impacting workplace and professional productivity by forcing individuals to make decisions with their tax status rather than efficiency in mind. This, in turn, would help businesses to flourish as they streamline their processes without worrying about negatively impacting their tax status in the process.

As you can see, the Libertarian Party believes that lower taxes is the best way to ensure economic success for the country and its citizens.

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My Libertarian Transformation - HuffPost