Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch Present The Declaration of Independents

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Reason editors Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch introduce their new book, "The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America," with a multimedia presentation in the Hayek Auditorium.

"In a world where our [political] choices are limited to John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi, the survivors envy the dead," they write. But that's not the world they actually see. They argue that despite our stunted politics, despite national bankruptcy, despite the war on drugs, revolutionary innovators have changed our world over the past 40 years: Vaclav Havel and the Plastic People of the Universe, Herb Kelleher and Southwest Airlines, Tiger Woods and the breakdown of categories, the personalization of media, and much more. It's just politics that is resisting freedom and choice. And now millions of voters are trying to break out of stagnant political choices. Gillespie and Welch see a "future so bright, we gotta wear shades."

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• reasontv
• reason
• cato institute
• libertarian
• libertarianism
• declaration of independents
• politics
• economy
• debt
• war on drugs
• political choice
• nick gillespie
• matt welch
• david boaz

[999qoou]

awesome



[Madfoot713]

@mtanousable I think they have been doing that, it's kind of cool how how Paul's campaign has mended some of the wounds. :D I saw Nick Gillespie on C-SPAN yesterday, and he was objective about Ron Paul, but overall favorable.

[mtanousable]

@Madfoot713 I agree. Instead of focusing on differences, we should be focusing on points of agreement. Separated into groups, libertarians have little sway, but if the focus is on the vast gulf between libertarianism and the standard big-government policies of the "Republicrats", the message gains more sway. Instead of rebelling against the "Ron Paul Revolution", Cato and Reason should be embracing it, and debating the more minor specifics once it, hopefully, gains widespread acceptance.

[Madfoot713]

@RepublicConstitution It's useful to follow the money, but I think the Koch connections are overblown. It's annoying when liberals do it, and it's still annoying when misesians talk about it. I think it's a philosophical difference, and a legitimate one, where the Kochtopus is more Randian and sympathetic to foreign intervention, while the Rockwell crowd is more socially conservative and religious (paradoxically - since Rothbard was an atheist).

Me? I'm glad Mises and Cato both exist.

[djstorm75]

Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch go suck more Koch-Cock. (pronounced khaak-khaak)

[RepublicConstitution]

The only problem I have with CATO and Reason TV affiliated types is that they are closely connected with the Koch's and they ALL tend to downplay to role of Dr. Ron Paul. There is a division within libertarianism with the CATO types being a bit more neo-con/pro-war and the Mises Institute/Lew Rockwell/Murray Rothbard group being staunchly anti-war and anti-monopoly.

[daPlumber702]

@possumpistol The drug war wastes more money, takes more people out of the workplace -hence wasting more money- etc etc you've heard the arguments.. It IS without a doubt one of the top things that must be addressed for us to fix the budget and government growing beyond it's means. It might even help the war angle seeing as how many wars today are fueled by an illegal drug trade. Were those drugs legal, the ones going to war with the money made from selling them would have to find other means.

[possumpistol]

if the 'drug war' was not a huge part of libertarianism during a time when other issues are so much larger TARP/spending/war/empirebuild/­debt ceiling/big gov/etc, more folks would be willing to listen/moral issues would follow/think?/ I applaud that Libertarians understand & believe the laws in the US Constitution/ we are a republic, not a democracy/Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves F Nietzsche/SELF: responsibility+reliability+suf­ficiency=Self respect

[rumco]

@boredmonkey29 I avoid paying taxes as much as I can. Nor do I consume taxes purposely. Regional, non-English website(s) dedicated to Austrian School and market anarchism.

[boredmonkey29]

@rumco "Pay less taxes" meaning you pay taxes. What websites?