Monday, April 30, 2012

All Hail The Marxist Libertarians!

The Libertarian party always seems to be taking one step forward, then either one step back, or perhaps sideways. The latest insider battle leaves me shaking my head.

There is a minimum charge of $94 to attend the business meeting of the Libertarian Party's National Convention.

Maybe Karl Marx has simply won. TANSTAAFL is an acronym for the phrase attributed to Robert Heinlein, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch". This was adapted very early in the Libertarian Party's life as a slogan. The radicals have been arguing that the LP has been moving away from principle and core beliefs in order to accommodate those weak on core philosophy. Ok, radicals- Are you lining up for your free lunch? Who really is moving away from principle? If you can't live it in something as minor as a $94 floor fee, why can you be trusted to lead a political party by principles, or bigger yet, be elected to office and abide by those principles?

These things cost money to put on, so who should pay for it other than the people who attend? I mean, should the LNC be redistributing wealth? From each according to his ability to pay, to each according to their need?

The crazy thing is, the ones screaming about this measly sum are the so-called radical Libertarians. These are the folks who demand litmus test purity... and they don't measure up themselves.

Yes sir- should be an interesting time in Vegas!


2 comments:

patriot paul said...

It also cost $25.00 to be a membership card carrying Libertarian.

Mike Kole said...

Quite true. I don't mind paying it, but I know others do. I'd rather the LP eliminated the emphasis on membership and focused on more inclusiveness and building coalitions. People don't need to be members to vote Libertarian.

That's another reason to support Rutherford over Hinkle. Current Chair Hinkle believes in having the LP as a membership services organization. That's silly. It's a political party. If he wants to run a member services organization, he should form a supper club or fraternal organization. Rutherford wants to focus on supporting candidates for office, which is correct in my view.