Why Libertarian?

With my recent heavy focus on the Geist annexation, I have increasingly been getting questions inquiring on the difference between Republicans and Libertarians.

It was pointed out that as regards local government, because most matters are fiscal matters and not social, Libertarians and Republicans sound very similar.

It's true. On fiscal issues, we do sound very similar. We share talking points on smaller government and lower taxes, on a belief in free markets rather than government, in private property over public control.

As we know, talk is cheap. Action is what matters. Because virtually all of Hamilton County's elected officials are Republicans, you have a good means for testing how the actions of these officials stacks up against the rhetoric.

You already see how it fails in the case of the Geist annexations. The all-Republican Fishers Town Council is eager to grow government by adding to its corporate limits. It is eager to raise taxes on a targeted group of citizens. It is willing to run roughshod over the right to self-determination. Libertarians oppose these actions.

In the next few days, I will show other places Republicans' actions run contrary to their rhetoric, at the local level. For fiscal conservatives who are increasingly disillusioned with local Republicans, the Libertarian Party is a viable option, unlike the Democratic Party, because unlike the Dems, Libertarians believe in smaller government and lower taxes. The difference is, we mean it.