I’m growing more and more unsure I qualify as a Libertarian

I’m growing more and more unsure I qualify as a Libertarian.  I ultimately don’t care if I’m a “True Libertarian” or not.  I’ll continue to be an ally of the Libertarian movement because I certainly identify with them more then I do either Democrats or Republicans, “Liberals” or “Conservatives”, Occupy Wallstreet or Tea Partiers, ect.  And ultimately more so then I do other Third Parties like the Green Party or the Constitution Party, but I certainly still respect those more then I do either major party.

In theory the Constitution Party should be perfect for me, because I am a patriotic American who thinks the United States Government should have to follow the United States Constitution, in a lot of ways that overlaps with Libertarian ideals, but not always.  Problem is they have too many “Social Conservative” tendencies when it comes to issues like Drugs and Gay rights and Marriage and so on.

Now I know the Constitution isn’t perfect, but that’s why it includes a process by which it can be amended.  There are Amendments I’d like to make to the Constitution, starting with repealing the 16th, but also on issues like Term Limits (for Judges and Senators) and Common Law rights (not all of them are enshrined in the Constitution which surprises people) especially Jury Nullification.  But I would go through the proper procedures to Amend it, not simply ignore it as both Democrats and Republicans do when the Constitution doesn’t fit with their personal agenda.

I identify as a Libertarians mainly because I believe in individual rights.  I believe all victimless Crimes should be legal, each individual person, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or personal preferences should be allowed to do whatever they want so long as it doesn’t threaten the Life, Liberty or Property of another individual.  This makes me “Liberal” on drugs, prostitution and gambling laws, as well as Gay Rights and Marriage, but “conservative” on Gun Rights and Hate Speech laws and Property rights.

Where I differ from a lot of fellow Libertarians is I don’t consider the State to be the only threat to individual rights.  Corporations/Employers and religious institutions can be just as big a threat, even more so sometimes.  If you have the Money and/or charisma you can make your own personal army or police force just as powerful as any state sanctioned one.

So the thing is, to me the State in addition to being restrained from violating our rights, I also believe has an obligation, as the only institution that is owned by the people(or is supposed to be) to protect it’s Citizens from other institutions that threaten their rights. That doesn’t mean I’m like a “Liberal” who thinks the state should provide for us and take care of all of our needs.  It just means I believe other institutions, like other individuals, should be restrained from abusing their power just as the State needs to be restrained.

So when Lew Rockwell said in his recent article.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/03/lew-rockwell/what-libertarianism-is-and-isnt/

Yes, we do believe in unfashionable things like the abolition of antidiscrimination law. If we didn’t, we would not be libertarians.

Well if that’s his definition of Libertarian then I don’t fit nor do I want to.  I do support the Civil Rights act and Voting rights act, though there may be details in them I don’t like.  The Federal Government is given authority on those issues by the 13th-15th Amendments.  To respond to other things in the article, I am a “Feminist” in it’s truest original definition, as I feel all Libertarians should be, we want Women to have the same rights as Men.  Crazy people on the far Left have hijacked the term, so we should try to hijack it back.

There is one other institution that is popular to hate in Libertarian circles today almost as much as the state, and that’s Unions.  But rather then simply being concerned with their abuse of power they become like radical “Conservatives” who think they shouldn’t exist.  I believe in Checks and Balances and Unions are an important check on the power Employers have over their Employees.  One of my arguments for legalizing Prostitution is that I’d like to see Prostitutes Unionize to protect them from Pimps.

I’m also not entirely against Safety Nets like Food Stamps.  But under the 10th Amendment I feel they should be handled by State and Local governments, not a once size fits all policy.

Basically I’m not an Anarchist or an “Anachro-Capitalist”.  True Capitalism means a Free Market, but a True Free Market does NOT mean NO regulations

"There can be no Freedom without the Law"-Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments.

The Regulations the Democrats advocate for aren’t the ones that will solve any problems.  But breaking up Monopolies is important, and yes I know the lame argument that “the Government is a Monopoly” well unlike any corporation it’s supposed to be ran directly by us.  And under the U.S. constitution we do have a degree of competition between the various State and Local Governments.

I am always distrustful of Government, but that’s distinct from wanting to abolish government.