A Libertarian wish list for 2016
To the Times: Here are a few things Libertarians wish for in the New Year:
Passage of Pennsylvania state Sen. Mike Folmer’s Voter’s Choice Act. Pennsylvania’s ballot access laws are among the worst. They have allowed the major party duopoly to monopolize our government for nearly a century. History shows when given the option, voters will periodically elect new parties. It is time we gave them that choice.
It’s time to end decades of meddling in the Middle East which have fostered ill will toward our country. At least one CIA anti-terrorism expert believes that once we quit meddling in the region the people of the Middle East will shift their focus toward local affairs. It’s worth a try. Let’s bring our troops home. If not, we should at least pick a side. At this point, it’s no longer clear who we are fighting. We appear to be battling ISIS on one front while backing them on another.
It is time to audit the Federal Reserve. Article 1, Section 8 of our Constitution states that Congress shall have power “to coin money, regulate the value thereof.” In 1913, Congress delegated that authority to the Federal Reserve, a quasi-private entity controlled by bankers that is neither federal nor a reserve. Bills have been introduced since 2008 that would require a full audit of this institution. Without regular audits, the Federal Reserve is accountable to no one.
It is time for us to reduce our prison population. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world. One reason for that could be our society’s acceptance of imprisoning citizens for non-violent, victimless offenses such as drug offenses, prostitution, gambling, vagrancy, and homelessness. These offenders have harmed themselves and their loved ones more than others. Rarely does anything good come from imprisoning these people.
Lastly, more legislative gridlock would put us at ease. That’s the only thing that slows government growth and the decline of citizen’s rights that come with each new law. Any harm people experience from gridlock serves as evidence of an over reliance on government.