Why I became a Libertarian

Ever since I was a boy, I have been interested in history. Military history, Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, The Age of Exploration, etc... But of all the times in history, no period in time interests me more than the War for American Independence. The only other event that would rival it would be World War II and that largely draws from talking to veterans such as my grandfather who seved as a medic in Burma, great uncle who was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge, and a number of others who have told me their experiences.

I would read the history textbooks in class and we would talk in general about the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, and other events of that time. However, I wanted to know more. So, I would walk down to the library and read more books. I began to admire the accomplishments and failures of the men we come to know as the Founding Fathers. One man in particular was Thomas Jefferson. I can't pinpoint exactly what was appealing about him. Perhaps the fact that he penned the Declaration of Independence. Maybe it was his superb writing or maybe how he was able to make his writing come alive by arrangement of words and speaking from the heart. Perhaps it was simply his passion for freedom. Then again, this is a universal trait. We may not know what we are looking for or want, but we do seek it.

As a first time voter in 1994, I registered as a Republican. I voted pretty much a straight Republican ticket because they were the party for smaller government and getting the bureaucrats out of our lives. Or so I thought. Over the next six years, they didn't reduce the goverment in scope or power, but actually increased it. Even more so than William Jefferson Clinton. The Republicans may be for "smaller" government in some areas, but not others. The Democrats are the same way. Just they had been doing it much longer. Over this past year, having not been crazy about Gore at all and wasn't too high on George Bush, I started to check out the other parties. I went to the Natural Law Party website, Green Party, Reform Party, etc... I knew what I was looking for, but none of the parties represented what I was looking for. I was watching the O'Reilly Factor in April of 2000, when Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne made an appearance. He actually sounded like someone different. Someone who didn't talk about how the government was going to help you, but how the government by getting out of unconstitutional matters, you could actually help yourself and others. I decided to check out the Libertarian website and their platform. Bingo! This was the party I was looking for. Liberty itself is a way of life, but sometimes we have to organize and organizing politically is the best way to achieve our goals. I however wasn't going to make a final decision until after the Presidential debates(for the two that were allowed to debate). They both talked the same talk, so I knew I wasn't going to vote for anybody in Gore or Bush. I had already voted against Clinton and Bob Dole in 1996. This time, I was wanting to vote FOR someone.

By mid October I had made my decision and was going to vote for Harry Browne. I can say I didn't waste my vote. I also did a search on Yahoo for the Libertarian party and to find out more about the local organizations. Over the past six months, I've been more involved in politics than ever before. Turns out the Republicans breaking their promises was a blessing in disguise. It inspired me to actually get involved and do something as small as it may seem. I've written letters to the editor,taken part in tax rallies, and have been going to local meetings.

I guess I've always been involved starting back when I was a kid reading about the Founding Fathers and the Bill of Rights.