The Libertarian Way

The “Libertarian Way” to address issues like “Child Poverty”

Originally started by Gene Balfour, on Nov 24th, 2012

I have lived in Canada all of my life [since 1951] and, during this time, I have absorbed the ubiquitous message that we are fortunate to live a country full of caring and compassionate citizens – one that serves and protects every citizen by a broad slate of ‘free’ government programs.

A lifetime bombardment of these messages has produced a powerful mechanism in my consciousness that leads me to quickly and reflexively turn to government when societal issues arise. This reflex has been so heavily conditioned that it feels natural to look to government for answers.

This “government is the answer“ media message has been thick and consistent all of my life. It has been delivered by every form of Canadian media since the days of Pierre Trudeau. For most of us, this pavlovian response to almost all societal problems is the norm.

Many Canadians accept this “Government Way” without challenge because it offers the ‘easy way out’ of any societal problem. It absolves its supporters from taking any direct responsibility for the problem at hand. It is also very seductive because there is no obvious direct connection between the taxes you pay and the specific problem at hand. Therefore, you can free to take the ‘high moral ground’ having convinced yourself [and others] that you have already done your part. Having washed your hands of any culpability, you can also ‘scapegoat’ the government when it fails to achieve a satisfactory problem resolution.

It is no wonder that, when our political leaders tell us not to worry because our hard-earned tax dollars are ‘hard at work ‘ doing all that needs to be done, and that theirs is the best possible solution, it’s a readily acceptable claim. It makes for the perfect salve for a painfully guilty conscience.

I have long ago rejected the salve and accepted the reality that government is rarely capable of delivering the best solution to problems. In addition, I have come to learn that government is the AUTHOR of many of society’s problems.

In is now clear to me that the centralized ‘command & control’ methods that are the “Government Way” can in no way compete with the decentralized and personalized methods used by caring members within healthy and cohesive communities. This latter way IS the “Libertarian Way.”

The ‘other part of me’ that has learned much in recent years instinctively knows with certainty that the “Libertarian Way” is best if I am sincere about wanting to see tangible results for people who genuinely need help. I have come to realize that my attraction to the “Libertarian Way” is the natural response of the caring and compassionate human being that I am. I believe that it is also the natural response of any community member who willingly and energetically cares for people that he/she knows personally – friends, family, co-workers.

My conscience now responds intuitively whenever the lure of the Government Way tries to draw me because I know that the Government Way has failed us in so many ways in the past. I now feel a fleeting shred of guilt and shame every time I see myself lured by the ‘easy way out’. Fortunately “Libertarian Way” comes to the rescue and overpowers this conditioned reflex by drawing me towards a better, prouder path for me to take.

I doubt that I am not the only one in society that has felt this guilt and shame; it took me a long while to recognize its source. As a Libertarian, I hope to convince anyone who has an open mine and a caring heart that the Libertarian Way is the more dignified and personal way to make Canada a better place within which to live and work. It offers a way to help in which we can feel proud and connected to our “fellow man”, and experience first hand the ‘joys of giving’ when we see the results of our efforts.

Of course, the “Libertarian Way” will enable every citizen to feel infinitely more empowered to help our “fellow man” when our tax levels are negligible and more of our personal resources are freed up to care for members of our personal communities in this most responsible and self-affirming manner.

1st Draft

The “Libertarian Way” to address issues like “Child Poverty” I have lived in Canada all of my life [since 1951] and, during this time, I have absorbed the ubiquitous message that we are fortunate to live a country full of caring and compassionate citizens – one that serves and protects every citizen by a broad slate of ‘free’ government programs.

A lifetime bombardment of these messages has produced a powerful mechanism in my consciousness that leads me to quickly and reflexively turn to government when societal issues arise. This reflex has been so heavily conditioned that it feels natural to look to government for answers.

This “government is the answer“ media message has been thick and consistent all of my life. It has been delivered by every form of Canadian media since the days of Pierre Trudeau. For most of us, this pavlovian response to almost all societal problems is the norm.

Many Canadians accept this “Government Way” without challenge because it offers the ‘easy way out’ of any societal problem. It absolves its supporters from taking any direct responsibility for the problem at hand. It is also very seductive because there is no obvious direct connection between the taxes you pay and the specific problem at hand. Therefore, you can free to take the ‘high moral ground’ having convinced yourself [and others] that you have already done your part. Having washed your hands of any culpability, you can also ‘scapegoat’ the government when it fails to achieve a satisfactory problem resolution.

It is no wonder that, when our political leaders tell us not to worry because our hard-earned tax dollars are ‘hard at work ‘ doing all that needs to be done, and that theirs is the best possible solution, it’s a readily acceptable claim. It makes for the perfect salve for a painfully guilty conscience.

I have long ago rejected the salve and accepted the reality that government is rarely capable of delivering the best solution to problems. In addition, I have come to learn that government is the AUTHOR of many of society’s problems.

In is now clear to me that the centralized ‘command & control’ methods that are the “Government Way” can in no way compete with the decentralized and personalized methods used by caring members within healthy and cohesive communities. This latter way IS the “Libertarian Way.”

The ‘other part of me’ that has learned much in recent years instinctively knows with certainty that the “Libertarian Way” is best if I am sincere about wanting to see tangible results for people who genuinely need help. I have come to realize that my attraction to the “Libertarian Way” is the natural response of the caring and compassionate human being that I am. I believe that it is also the natural response of any community member who willingly and energetically cares for people that he/she knows personally – friends, family, co-workers.

My conscience now responds intuitively whenever the lure of the Government Way tries to draw me because I know that the Government Way has failed us in so many ways in the past. I now feel a fleeting shred of guilt and shame every time I see myself lured by the ‘easy way out’.

Fortunately “Libertarian Way” comes to the rescue and overpowers this conditioned reflex by drawing me towards a better, prouder path for me to take.

I doubt that I am not the only one in society that has felt this guilt and shame; it took me a long while to recognize its source. As a Libertarian, I hope to convince anyone who has an open mine and a caring heart that the Libertarian Way is the more dignified and personal way to make Canada a better place within which to live and work. It offers a way to help in which we can feel proud and connected to our “fellow man”, and experience first hand the ‘joys of giving’ when we see the results of our efforts.

Of course, the “Libertarian Way” will enable every citizen to feel infinitely more empowered to help our “fellow man” when our tax levels are negligible and more of our personal resources are freed up to care for members of our personal communities in this most responsible and selfaffirming manner.

2nd Draft

The “Libertarian Way” to address issues like “Child Poverty” I have lived in Canada all of my life [since 1951] and, during this time, I have absorbed the ubiquitous message that we are fortunate to live a country full of caring and compassionate citizens – one that serves and protects every citizen by a broad slate of ‘free’ government programs.

A lifetime bombardment of these messages has produced a powerful mechanism in my consciousness that leads a part of me to quickly and reflexively turn to government when societal issues arise …. such as child poverty. It almost feels natural to look to government for answers. I know that I am not alone in feeling this ‘knee-jerk’, “government is the answer“ response.

Many Canadians accept this “Government Way” without challenge because it offers the ‘easy way out’ ---- it absolves its supporters from taking any direct responsibility for the problem at hand.

The Government Way is also seductive because there is no obvious direct connection between the taxes you pay and the specific problem at hand - hence the illusion held by many that public services are ‘free’.

For those citizens who do understand the connection between our tax contributions and public services, then it makes it easy to convince ourselves [and others] that we ‘have done our part’. Having washed our hands of any culpability, the government can then become a convenient ‘scapegoat’ whenever it fails to meet our expectations.

It is no wonder that, when our political leaders tell us not to worry because our hard-earned tax dollars are ‘hard at work‘ to produce the best possible solution, it’s a readily acceptable claim. It is the perfect salve to soothe our guilty conscience.

I have long ago rejected the salve and accepted the reality that government is rarely capable of delivering the best solution to any problems. What’s more, I have also come to understand that excessive government is often the cause of many of our problems, not the resolver of them.

In is now clear to me that the centralized ‘command & control’ methods that are the “Government Way” are in no way as effective as the decentralized and personalized methods used by caring members within healthy and cohesive communities. This latter way is the “Libertarian Way.” Being community centered, the “Libertarian Way” is fueled by the natural impulse of any community member who cares for people that he/she knows personally – friends, family, co-workers. My attraction to the “Libertarian Way” is because it seems so natural to me as a compassionate and responsible man.

While the lure of the Government Way still beckons occasionally, especially when my plate is full with other responsibilities, I am quick to remember all the ways that government has failed us. The fleeting shred of guilt I feel when I find myself tempted by the ‘easy way out’ is now replaced with a sense of pride and honor as I turn to the more trustworthy “Libertarian Way” and experience the ‘joys of giving’ when I personally witness the results of my efforts.

It is difficult for many of us to imagine living in a Canada with a much smaller government footprint than we have come to know and expect in our lives. The unknown can be frightening.

Today I read “Volunteerism Trumps Taxes” in the National Post [page A19] which describes how the Colorado Springs community of citizens has taken control of its runaway city government spending problem by passing, by referendum, a Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The TABOR, as it is known, strictly controls City Council to prevent it from spending more that it collects in taxes and from introducing new spending initiatives with approval of the citizens. This story is a heartening example of how ordinary citizens will contribute their time and resources to provide needed services on a voluntary basis.

A Taxpayer Bill of Rights is a long overdue feature of our democracy in Ontario as well as Canada. Let’s join together and follow the example of Colorado Springs. Let’s reshape our society by rebuilding community spirit and let’s all take part in becoming Community Champions who, through volunteerism, can radically reduce the need for the size, cost and waste of today’s government institutions. Let’s privatize the services that should never have been part of government in the first place. Let’s enable our citizens to be more engaged in priority-setting and decision-making by creating an online web portal to host a referendum whenever significant changes in government costs and programs are tabled for consideration.

Most important, let’s renew our democracy around our communities. Let’s shed the centralized, statist model of government that has proven to be so ineffective at meeting the needs of a richly diverse, complex and challenge-plagued world in which we all inhabit. This too is a change that is long overdue.