Liberty Maven

Often during political debate, conservatives point to the ninth and tenth amendments and point out that in order to be Constitutional a particular issue should be “left to the states” (i.e. it is not a legitimate function of the federal government.  That’s all well and good, but does that necessarily mean that all such issues should be handled by the states?  Bill Barnwell, in an article on LewRockwell.com, points out that “Libertarianism, on the other hand, isn’t just happy with ‘handing it back down to the local level.’” because federal monstrosities will just end up being local monstrosities.

One of the reasons that libertarianism is a superior political philosophy compared to mainstream conservatism is that it is consistent, logical, and orderly. Not only that, but its ramifications, if allowed to run their logical course, affect much more than just the highest levels of government. They apply to the lowest levels as well.

Many modern federalist conservatives make a lot of noise about “big government” on the national level. The reasoning goes that such and such law must be overturned at the federal level and returned to the state or local level where it belongs. Once there the local officials can do as they see fit, even if that means a local version of the original federal monstrosity. The implication, however, is that while the federal monstrosities are bad, local and state ones aren’t so bad. Or they are at least more tolerable.

Libertarianism, on the other hand, isn’t just happy with “handing it back down to the local level.” Libertarianism isn’t just content with ending big intrusive government on the federal level. It seeks to rid the states, cities and towns of the same type of philosophical power-binges and authoritarianism that exist on the federal level.

And what better place to find big, intrusive and arrogant government than on the local level? This isn’t just the case in big cities, but medium and small towns as well with their built-in good-ol’-boys networks.

Continue reading this excellent article at LewRockwell.com.