Reading a recent quote from Dr. Bryan Caplan a professor of economics at George Mason University I was wondering if libertarians truly are elitist. Here is the quote from Dr. Caplan, “In a modern democracy, not only can a libertarian be elitist; a libertarian has to be elitist. To be a libertarian in a modern democracy is to say that nearly 300 million Americans are wrong, and a handful of nay-sayers are right.” I am pretty sure I agree with this quote. What really is interesting is how the libertarian view seems to be the best of both worlds (economically conservative yet socially liberal). However, the mainstream does not seem to embrace this viewpoint and writes off libertarians as crazy or nuts. I use to think Republicans were into cutting spending, lowering taxes, and having a strong defense system. However, after President George W. Bush I really don’t understand how this is the Republican message. Libertarians want to have a balanced budget, low and fair taxes, and not be at war. Yet people still seem to think that this ideology of setting things free can be dangerous.
Dr. Caplan’s quote is very true since libertarians are telling everyone else they are wrong (expect for libertarians). This is most likely why the libertarian party isn’t very large. It would be hard to get elected if you told everyone else they are wrong. Most elected officials get elected because they perform favors or tell people they can assist them in some form. With the growing deficit, political unrest, and a continued war the libertarian party might see a rise in membership since the Republican and Democratic Party have had issues. Can anyone say Ron Paul?
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