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Burke free to consider Libertarian options

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Racing/ News/ Burke Free to Consider Libertarian Options 13:35 Kempton Park 13:40 Uttoxeter 13:50 Doncaster 13:55 Stratford 14:05 Kempton Park 14:10 Uttoxeter 14:20 Doncaster 14:30 Stratford 14:40 Kempton Park 14:45 Uttoxeter 14:55 Doncaster 15:05 Stratford 15:15 Kempton Park 15:20 Uttoxeter 15:30 Doncaster 15:40 Stratford 15:50 Kempton Park 15:55 Uttoxeter 16:05 Doncaster 16:15 Stratford 16:25 Kempton Park 16:30 Uttoxeter 16:40 Doncaster 16:50 Stratford 17:00 Kempton Park 17:05 Uttoxeter 17:15 Doncaster 17:20 Stratford 17:35 Uttoxeter 17:50 Stratford 14:25 Tramore 14:55 Tramore 15:25 Tramore 16:00 Tramore 16:35 Tramore 17:10 Tramore 17:40 Tramore 11:20 Scottsville 11:55 Scottsville 12:15 Kenilworth 12:30 Scottsville 12:50 Kenilworth 13:05 Scottsville 13:25 Kenilworth 13:40 Scottsville 14:00 Kenilworth 14:10 Scottsville 14:30 Kenilworth 14:45 Scottsville 15:05 Kenilworth 15:20 Scottsville 15:40 Kenilworth 15:55 Scottsville 16:15 Kenilworth 17:26 Philadelphia Park 17:43 Tampa Bay Downs 17:50 Aqueduct 17:53 Philadelphia Park 18:05 Keeneland 18:15 Tampa Bay Downs 18:19 Philadelphia Park 18:20 Aqueduct 18:35 Keeneland 18:44 Tampa Bay Downs 18:47 Philadelphia Park 18:50 Aqueduct 19:05 Keeneland 19:12 Tampa Bay Downs 19:13 Philadelphia Park 19:20 Aqueduct 19:35 Keeneland 19:40 Hawthorne 19:41 Philadelphia Park 19:47 Tampa Bay Downs 19:50 Aqueduct 20:00 Sunland Park 20:05 Keeneland 20:07 Philadelphia Park 20:10 Hawthorne 20:17 Tampa Bay Downs 20:20 Aqueduct 20:25 Sunland Park 20:34 Philadelphia Park 20:35 Keeneland 20:40 Hawthorne 20:47 Tampa Bay Downs 20:50 Aqueduct 20:50 Sunland Park 21:00 Turf Paradise 21:01 Philadelphia Park 21:05 Keeneland 21:10 Hawthorne 21:15 Tampa Bay Downs 21:15 Sunland Park 21:20 Aqueduct 21:30 Turf Paradise 21:35 Keeneland 21:40 Sunland Park 21:41 Hawthorne 21:50 Hastings Racecourse 21:50 Aqueduct 21:50 Tampa Bay Downs 22:00 Turf Paradise 22:05 Sunland Park 22:05 Keeneland 22:12 Hawthorne 22:19 Hastings Racecourse 22:21 Tampa Bay Downs 22:22 Aqueduct 22:30 Turf Paradise 22:30 Sunland Park 22:40 Keeneland 22:43 Hawthorne 22:48 Hastings Racecourse 22:55 Tampa Bay Downs 22:55 Sunland Park 23:00 Penn National 23:01 Turf Paradise 23:14 Hawthorne 23:15 Keeneland 23:17 Hastings Racecourse 23:21 Sunland Park 23:27 Penn National 23:32 Turf Paradise 23:45 Keeneland 23:45 Hawthorne 23:47 Hastings Racecourse 23:47 Sunland Park 23:54 Penn National 00:00 Mountaineer Park 00:00 Remington Park 00:03 Turf Paradise 00:05 Sam Houston Race Park 00:13 Sunland Park 00:15 Charles Town 00:17 Hastings Racecourse 00:22 Penn National 00:25 Mountaineer Park 00:26 Remington Park 00:31 Sam Houston Race Park 00:34 Turf Paradise 00:43 Charles Town 00:47 Hastings Racecourse 00:49 Penn National 00:50 Mountaineer Park 00:52 Remington Park 00:56 Sam Houston Race Park 01:03 Turf Paradise 01:10 Charles Town 01:15 Mountaineer Park 01:16 Penn National 01:17 Hastings Racecourse 01:18 Remington Park 01:23 Sam Houston Race Park 01:37 Charles Town 01:40 Mountaineer Park 01:43 Penn National 01:44 Remington Park 01:49 Sam Houston Race Park 02:04 Charles Town 02:05 Mountaineer Park 02:10 Penn National 02:10 Remington Park 02:15 Sam Houston Race Park 02:30 Mountaineer Park 02:31 Charles Town 02:36 Remington Park 02:37 Penn National 02:41 Sam Houston Race Park 02:55 Mountaineer Park 02:58 Charles Town 03:02 Remington Park 03:07 Sam Houston Race Park 03:20 Mountaineer Park 03:25 Charles Town 03:28 Remington Park 03:33 Sam Houston Race Park 03:52 Charles Town 03:54 Remington Park 03:59 Sam Houston Race Park 04:20 Remington Park 04:46 Remington Park Doncaster Kempton Park Stratford Uttoxeter Tramore Kenilworth Scottsville Aqueduct Charles Town Hastings Racecourse Hawthorne Keeneland Mountaineer Park Penn National Philadelphia Park Remington Park Sam Houston Race Park Sunland Park Tampa Bay Downs Turf Paradise Doncaster Kempton Park Stratford Uttoxeter Tramore Kenilworth Scottsville Aqueduct Charles Town Hastings Racecourse Hawthorne Keeneland Mountaineer Park Penn National Philadelphia Park Remington Park Sam Houston Race Park Sunland Park Tampa Bay Downs Turf Paradise

Epsom Derby. Click here to bet.

The son of New Approach was given a supplementary entry for the Investec Derby just before he made his debut on Tuesday.

Karl Burke, whose wife Elaine trains the colt, immediately named the York's Group Two trial on May 16 as the target for the half-brother to Godolphin's Group winner Prince Siegfried.

It is possible Libertarian may run again to give him more experience, but opportunities are limited with the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown on April 26 seen as the only realistic option.

"He's come out of it great, we're happy with him, " said Burke.

"I'm not sure what we do with him next. He's in the Dante and that's probably where he should go.

"He was so green at Pontefract, you'd like to think you could get another run into him.

"The owner is looking at another race for him and the only race he can really go for is the Group Three at Sandown on April 26, which would give us time to go for the Dante, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do."

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Burke free to consider Libertarian options

Is Bitcoin just a libertarian fantasy?

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The digital currency's wild fluctuations in value have skeptics saying "I told you so"

Bitcoin has been on a wild ride this week. The once-underground digital currency peaked in value at $266 per virtual coin, and then plunged to $105, causing one of the biggest Bitcoin exchanges, Mt.Gox, to temporarily halt trading.

The fact that prices eventually leveled out is proof to some that Bitcoin is a resilient, feasible form of currency. To others, like Slate's Eric Posner, however, the last week shows that it's nothing more than a libertarian fantasy. (Confused? Check out our Bitcoin explainer here.)

SEE MORE: Is Windows 8 killing PCs?

Bitcoin appeals to tech-savvy libertarians, Posner argues, because of its anonymity and lack of oversight:

Fundamentally,Bitcoinunites futuristic left-wing internet anarchism the fantasy that the web can provide the conditions for agovernmentlesssociety with the cave-dwelling right-wing libertarianism ofgoldbugswho think a stable money supply can be established without government involvement. It is proof for both that government is not needed for much, or at all. [Slate]

SEE MORE: Are smartphones getting too big?

Libertarians wouldn't necessarily disagree. (You can, in fact, currentlymakedonations to the Libertarian Party in Bitcoins.)In Libertarian News, Michael Suede defends the recent fluctuations:

There were some banking panics that took place prior to 1933 (much like the Bitcoin exchange panics we see today), but the only times America experienced a major depression under the gold standard were the periods when the central bank monkeyed with the money supply (something that wouldnt be possible under a 100 percent reserve privately run gold standard). [Libertarian News]

SEE MORE: Is Foursquare a dud?

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Is Bitcoin just a libertarian fantasy?

Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks at UNM about federal spending, debt

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Former New Mexico governor and 2012 presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party Gary Johnson believes that the U.S. should cut a whopping 30 percent of its federal spending.

Johnson, a UNM alumnus, said in a speech in Woodward Hall on Monday that the government should cut or eliminate funding for dysfunctional sectors for a more efficient system. He said the country should be more mindful of its budget.

Money for me has always represented one thing, which is freedom, Johnson said. The government doesnt have the answers. The government ends up being more of a problem than of a solution.

The event, which was part of Johnsons Our America Initiative, was sponsored by The Federalist Society of UNM and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Johnson said that instead of imposing income and corporate taxes, the government should implement a fixed 28 percent consumption tax on the entire nation. He said this will give people more control of their money, and it will be harder for people to avoid paying their taxes. He said he also would abolish the IRS, which he said gets unnecessary federal funding.

Johnson proposed that the federal government should have an annual audit of expenses to make sure that every dollar it spends goes to the right place.

Johnson said he wants to dissolve the departments of homeland security and of education because they are inefficient. He also said he wants to slash military funding.

We need to stop with our military interventions, he said. That seems to be our answer for everything. We dont have a department of defense; we have a department of offense. Were killing innocent civilians in other countries and were wondering why the world doesnt like us.

Jim Gray, who ran for vice president alongside Johnson last year, also spoke at the event. Gray said the U.S. has about 1,000 military bases around the world, and that the federal government could eliminate 80 percent of them to operate more efficiently.

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Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks at UNM about federal spending, debt

Will The Future GOP Be More Libertarian?

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., shown speaking at a meeting of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 19, is promoting libertarian ideas as a way the Republican Party can be more inclusive.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., shown speaking at a meeting of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 19, is promoting libertarian ideas as a way the Republican Party can be more inclusive.

Republicans don't often make high-profile speeches at Howard University, one of the country's most prominent historically black schools. But on Wednesday, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will talk to Howard students about how his party can be more inclusive.

Paul believes one answer is libertarianism and party leaders are starting to think he might be on to something.

When Paul's father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, ran for president in 2007, the Republican establishment treated him a bit like the wacky uncle in the family. In the middle of two expensive wars, Ron Paul's libertarian ideas of small government and personal freedom didn't really align with party leaders.

"They don't stand for these ideals anymore," Ron Paul said on NBC's Meet the Press. "I represent the Republican ideals, I think, much more so than the individuals running for the party right now."

Over the next several years, Americans grew tired of war. The economy tanked. The debt grew. President Obama's stimulus and health care programs ballooned the size of government.

All of that opened Americans up to more libertarian ideas. In 2010, Ron Paul's son Rand won election to the Senate as a Republican on what he called a "Tea Party tidal wave."

"We've come to take our government back!" he said.

A Libertarian Moment

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Will The Future GOP Be More Libertarian?

Libertarian Ron Paul speaks in Oberlin

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OBERLIN A spirited full house greeted former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul in Oberlin Colleges Finney Chapel on Sunday evening as a part of the colleges Convocation Series.

Paul, known for his strict interpretation of the constitution, limited government intervention and support of free market capitalism, came through Oberlin on a speaking tour to give a lecture, Liberty Defined, from Pauls 2011 book of the same name.

We now have accepted this notion that the government can solve all problems, Paul said on Sunday. You just have to remember that when the government gets involved in trying to improve your personal and social life when they want to get involved in how you spend your money, invest your money, take care of yourself economically they can only do that at the expense of personal liberty.

The retired congressman enthusiastically extolled the virtues of small government, limited regulation, personal property rights and the resurgence of an ethos of government that promoted individual liberty protected equally for all people.

Paul served 12-terms Republican congressman in Texas. He decided against a 13th congressional bid in 2012 to run for president on the Republican ballot in November.

With a crowd of primarily college students, Paul emphasized his commitment to a younger generation of citizens.

Ive been asked by (Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov): Whatre you doing these days? I lobby for liberty by going to the campuses of Americans who are interested in liberty, Paul said.

The lecture was sponsored by the Oberlin College Republicans and Libertarians and funded primarily by the Ronald Reagan Political Lectureship Series, a yearly series sponsored by Oberlin College alumnus Steven Shapiro featuring speakers from the center-right of the political spectrum.

Nick Miller, college senior and president of the Oberlin College Republicans and Libertarians, contacted Paul in January after his congressional term ended, with the hope of bringing him to campus before Miller graduate in May.

Its been kind of dream of mine for a long time (to) have the leader of the Libertarian movement come to Oberlin, Miller said of the event. Pauls never really a nonstarter for anybody.

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Libertarian Ron Paul speaks in Oberlin

No, The Actual Libertarian Movement Didn’t ‘Go Nuts’ — It’s Just The One Inside Bill Maher’s Head

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During his HBO show last Friday, Bill Maher dedicated four minutes to bashing libertarians for having ruined libertarianism. The comedian lamented that even though he himself once identified as a libertarian, the movement has morphed into this creepy obsession with free-market capitalism based on an Ayn Rand novel called Atlas Shrugged.

I didnt go nuts; this movement did, he concluded before launching into a series of cartoonishly reductive descriptions of what he thinks are the ultimate libertarian ends.

All in all, Mahers rant was actually pretty funny. Despite stereotypes to the contrary, we libertarians do love a good send-up from Parks and Recreations parodic anti-government hero Ron Swanson to a mock tourism advertisement for Somalia, the libertarian paradise. But throughout all the libertarian bashing, Maher showed his hand a bit: Despite once calling himself a libertarian, he revealed that he really does not have a grasp on what the movement/ideology actually represents.

For starters, the fact that he somehow believes libertarianism was ever a movement not predicated on a belief in free market economics is astonishing. The ideology never morphed into a free-market obsession, as he believes. In fact, the study of markets has always been a fundamental part of the movement, from the Austrian school of economics (F.A. Hayek, Ludwig von Mises) to the Chicago school (Milton Friedman, Gary Becker).

When Maher declared himself a libertarian back in 2001, Salon declared it a joke, noting that only a handful of his beliefs (specifically in the social issues realm) overlapped with libertarian ideology. His staunch support for the expansion of government over guns, education, business, etc., were all in direct opposition to what libertarians generally believe and yet, somehow, he bizarrely believes to this day that the movement left him.

Ultimately, it seems what Maher thought libertarian meant is actually what liberal is supposed to mean. American liberals are supposed to support the social issues and civil liberties causes he extols, yet they never fully commit when in power. Maher was never a libertarian; just a staunch liberal. As Reasons Nick Gillespie notes: For better or worse, a Venn diagram of Maher and libertarianism is going to show a huge amount of overlap on things. And thats a welcome fact. Libertarians and honest liberals will always get along on civil liberties; but well just have to respectfully disagree on economics.

As for the Ayn Rand jokes: What a cheap, easy way to broadstroke a whole movement. But Maher should know better: Ayn Rand is not the be-all-end-all for libertarians. Even she hated libertarians, describing them as hippies and anarchists, while blasting the movements inability to stick to her absolutist mentality on a variety of issues. Today, many of her most devoted acolytes are war-hawks who shrug the libertarian association.

While its safe to say a plurality of libertarians read Atlas Shrugged and became introduced to the concept of limited government via her awful prose, there are plenty of us who dont invoke her name in every conversation and arent the biggest fans of her obsession with the ubermensch. Her work is a decent introduction, but by no means a bible.

On a related note, another misunderstanding of Mahers: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is not and never has been a part of the libertarian movement. Reason magazine regularly pans his budget proposals that pay lip service to fiscal restraint, but really only cut the rate of increase and dont balance the budget anywhere in the near future. He is also an outspoken social conservative, unafraid to use legislation to back that up. And during the Bush years, Ryan was a proponent of the bailouts, TARP, an expanded warfare state, and Medicare Part D.

At one point during his monologue, Maher painted a dystopian vision in which entitlements are eviscerated, human skeletons shit in the river, and pollution is rampant. What a goofy way to invoke the most extreme possible goals for his strawman version of libertarianism. Opposition to expansive government social programs does not mean total anarchy or zero regulations. The lefts favorite strawman is to paint libertarians as people who want the poor to suffer, the air to fill with smog, and the wealthy to cackle their way to bank but, in reality, we just believe the economy functions better with a lighter touch.

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No, The Actual Libertarian Movement Didn’t ‘Go Nuts’ — It’s Just The One Inside Bill Maher’s Head

Libertarian Party vows to challenge CT lawmakers that backed gun law

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The Libertarian Party of Connecticut is opposing Connecticuts new gun law and says elected representatives that voted for it can expect Libertarian challengers in the next election.

The bill imposes substantial limitations on the right to keep and bear arms as well as imposing large costs on law-abiding citizens who wish to buy and sell weapons peacefully, said Joshua Katz, a Westbrook resident who is the partys secretary. It punishes those who seek mental health counseling, which, far from keeping us safer, will simply discourage people who need help from getting it.

The Libertarian Party is known for its small-government philosophy. It has run candidates in Connecticut with limited success.

The party says that politicians who voted for the law have abandoned their commitment to transparent, accountable government, and should expect to face challenges from Libertarian opponents in their next election, the party said in an April 5 press release.

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Libertarian Party vows to challenge CT lawmakers that backed gun law

Commentary: Libertarianism Is America’s Last Best Hope

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Editor's note: Yahoo News asked young libertarian-minded voters to share why they're drawn to the either the Libertarian Party or to libertarian political principles in general. Here's one first-person account we received this week.

FIRST PERSON | My name is Nancy Hernandez. I'm 33 years old, and I am probably on the Department of Homeland Security's terrorist watch list. I live in a small city called Van Buren, which is located on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. I've lived in this area most of my life, and I love it here.

I am also a staunch constitutionalist. As a result, though I'm not registered with the Libertarian Party, I have very strong libertarian leanings. I believe in the right to the right to bear arms, personal liberty, small government, and free enterprise. I believe that more government is never the answer to any problem that our nation is facing, and I believe that the current size of our government is a hindrance, rather than a help, to our economy. It is also a massive threat to personal liberty, and the U.S. Constitution.

There was a time when I was blinded by the words of the two bigger parties. In fact, until recently, I was a registered Democrat. It was inevitable that I changed my registration.

On July 4, 2009, I took my first real steps toward libertarianism. I realized how much it angered me that Independence Day had become nothing more than an excuse to party and light fireworks. Few people even stop to think about what the holiday actually symbolizes. This anger resulted in an open "Letter to America," which later resulted in a book called "Letters From an American Woman," (which can be found at Createspace.com) that I co-authored with my best friend.

The process of writing this book included a great deal of research that made me even angrier. I uncovered legislation, introduced by both Republicans and Democrats, that is designed to strip liberties and grow government. For instance, many people know about the Patriot Act, but how many of you have actually read the text? Then there is Presidential Directive 51, signed by Bush 43, which gives the president unprecedented and far-reaching powers.

Also of concern is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. There are many more, and I cover some of them in my Yahoo! Voices article, The Coming U.S. Revolution. I discovered the true extent of the nation's current financial problems, and the extent to which our legislators are willing to go to deceive the American public.

Since writing my book, I pulled my children (ages 5, 11, and 14) out of public school, took steps toward going "off the grid," such as buying a generator and building wind turbines, started a garden, and I have begun stockpiling food. There are those who have begun calling me a conspiracy theorist, but I disagree. What I am is an American citizen who has done her homework, done incredibly in depth research, and I have reached intelligent conclusions. Our government is collapsing in upon itself, and our only hope as a nation may very well rest with the Libertarian Party.

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Commentary: Libertarianism Is America's Last Best Hope

The Libertarian Case for Life

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April 5, 2013|10:43 am

But, instead of focusing on the panel's extremely important topic, the moderator, Students for Liberty Co-Founder Alexander McCobin, decided to use his time to advance his libertarian ideal of legalizing gay marriage. He was especially inflammatory when he kept comparing traditional marriage supporters to segregationists. At one point, frustrated that we weren't talking about the real issues, I blurted out, "Is this the gay marriage panel?" I felt, as did much of the audience judging by their applause of my interruption, that McCobin was abusing his position as moderator to steer the conversation in only one direction.

CPAC has some serious explaining to do to its sponsors, the organizations that paid thousands to participate, for asking McCobin to moderate this panel. He has a history of being a pro-gay marriage, throw-conservatives-under-the-bus speaker and even led off his lengthy opening diatribe by announcing that he was not a conservative. This should not have been a surprise a simple Google search shows that McCobin has publicly advocated against the role social conservatives have played on the right and has even accused those of us with different beliefs to be "intolerant."

Over and over and over again during the panel, McCobin tried to make the point that conservatives must "fall in line" with libertarians and drop social issues because they are losers with generations X and Y. Yes, this generation has some libertarian tendencies, but not on everything, and certainly not on abortion.

In fact, Gallup pollsprove that this is the pro-life generation, polling more pro-life than our parents. Modern technology has a lot to do with this fact we've seen our brothers and sisters in the womb during our moms' ultrasounds, we've Googled "abortion" and seen the ghastly results of the "procedure," and we've seen what abortion has done to our friends and families first-hand.

Abortion is an issue that libertarians seem to differ over, but I would argue that libertarians should be against abortion.

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The heart of libertarianism is liberty of the individual, especially an individual's right to not be harmed by the actions of another. One's right to life is central to this-without it, there can be no liberty at all. The fact that the state is actually sanctioning abortion, the destruction of an innocent individual, should make it even more egregious to libertarians.

Human life begins at conception. That is an undeniable scientific fact. But in Roe v. Wade and its companion case Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion through all 9 months of pregnancy, the Supreme Court inserted itself as the final arbiter of what human life is and what it isn't. This government intrusion on the laws of nature and inherent inalienable rights is an injustice against the individual and an injustice against one is an injustice against all.

With legal abortion, the state discriminates against citizens based on a policy that creates two tiers of human beings: a superior class with rights and an inferior class without rights, based upon physical location.

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The Libertarian Case for Life

EAST WINDSOR: Libertarian questions debt

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EAST WINDSOR A local East Windsor resident questioned state and federal debt before the Township Council this week.

We are in a lot of debt as a state and as a country, Sean OConnor said.

However, the resident was asked to wrap it up frequently during Tuesdays council meeting. He spoke during the public comment session.

When Mr. OConnor introduced himself, he also said he was running for the state Assembly in the 14th District as a Libertarian.

Mr. OConnor also spoke about fascism in the government Tuesday night.

I am wrapping up, said Mr. OConnor. I want to make it clear that this is a priority (the debt) and Im hoping to rouse some excitement maybe and Amen or a yay, I agree because I cant stand down until somebody says they support this.

Mr. OConnor continued with his comments on how astronomical the debt is.

But sir, I must ask you to wrap it up, Mayor Mironov said after approximately six minutes into his public comment session.

However Mr. OConnor continued.

The mayor then again asked Mr. OConnor to wrap up his comments.

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EAST WINDSOR: Libertarian questions debt

First Person: My Libertarian Realization

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Editor's note: Yahoo News asked young libertarian-minded voters to share why they're drawn to the either the Libertarian Party or to libertarian political principles in general. Here's one first-person account we received this week.

FIRST PERSON | Although I have only considered myself a libertarian for a little over a year, I have never been more certain about one of my personal beliefs. This realization came about as a result of an equal level of disillusionment with both major parties.

Ever since I became interested in politics at a young age I had associated myself with the Democrats, mostly due to my strong opposition to the Republicans' social conservatism and interventionist foreign policy. However, when I began college almost two years ago, I realized that not only could I not continue to associate with a party that held completely opposite views than mine in terms of fiscal policy, it became apparent that the Democratic Party was not the party of peace that it had so proudly claimed to be, particularly during the 2008 presidential election.

The turning point in my ideological conversion came about in early 2012 when I began following the presidential campaign of Ron Paul. I disagreed with Paul on several social issues, however I felt that he was the only candidate with ideological integrity who truly believed the words coming out of his mouth. I was particularly drawn to not only his steadfast non-interventionism, but also his unwillingness to appease the religious right by taking strong stances on social issues. When Ron Paul said he would end the wars immediately, I believed him. When he said he would keep the government from meddling in our personal lives, I believed him. For the first time, I legitimately trusted a candidate for public office.

When Paul's candidacy came to an end, however, I found myself an even better option in Gov. Gary Johnson. Running on the Libertarian ticket, Johnson not only echoed my support for fiscal conservatism and military non-interventionism, he was also a social liberal, expressing support for marriage equality and an end to the war on drugs.

As a 20-year-old San Jose, Calif., resident, I can honestly say I have never agreed with someone more completely than I agree with Gary Johnson and I was proud to mark his name on my first presidential ballot.

Sometime between the Republican National Convention and the general election, it became apparent to me that the so-called libertarianism being pushed by those attempting to infiltrate the GOP was not libertarianism at all -- the more appropriate term would be paleoconservatism, or as some prefer, constitutional conservatism. At this point I realized that liberty could no longer be pursued via the two-party system and the Republican Party was certainly not the appropriate vehicle. I am now a proud member of the Libertarian Party; I believe it will best serve liberty through education, electing candidates to local offices as well as causing the two major parties to change their positions through spoiling state and federal elections, thereby effecting the implementation of libertarian policies.

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First Person: My Libertarian Realization

Young ‘Little-L’ Libertarians Choose Principle Over Power

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Gauging the clout of libertarian politics in the United States depends a great deal on whether you capitalize the letter "L."

There are "Big-L" Libertarians-those registered with the Libertarian Party and represented by Gary Johnson in the 2012 election. The former New Mexico governor secured 1,275,950 votes, or nearly 1 percent of the national vote, a statistically insignificant figure but a record for Libertarian candidates nonetheless. Numbers at state levels are relatively small, too. Take California, for instance: According to Feb. 10 data from the secretary of state's office, 109,636 voters-or 0.63 percent-are registered with the party.

Then there are the "little-L" libertarians-those who aren't necessarily registered but tend to adopt libertarian-tinged philosophies and talking points. Their numbers grow depending on how wide you cast the net. The Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, illustrated that idea in 2010: The more liberally you define libertarianism, the more people you can count. To wit: Fifty-nine percent of respondents to a Cato-commissioned poll dubbed themselves "fiscally conservative and socially liberal;" forty-four percent said they were "fiscally conservative and socially liberal, also known as libertarian." That's a huge numerical difference from registration figures.

Anecdotally, fervor has risen for both libertarian and Libertarian candidates, especially among younger voters. Consider the passion for Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who won a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March, and for his father, Ron Paul, in the 2012 primaries.

To glimpse into how small-government principles have drawn those young voters, Yahoo News asked libertarian-minded Americans to share their stories. Here are excerpts from first-person accounts they wrote this week.

Libertarian thought a source of optimism

Piyali Bhattacharya with Ron PaulIn high school, Piyali Bhattacharya had a bleeding heart-she says she was a "very proud and outspoken liberal"-and questioned U.S. involvement in wars and believed in free health care and education for all. She re-evaluated those political leanings in college when she found "Google Ron Paul" scribbled in chalk on a sidewalk. Now 24, she works for Young Americans for Liberty, a nonprofit organization in Washington D.C.

In her words:

Less than ten minutes of research confirmed that I had found a candidate whose stances resonated with my own on nearly every issue. But more importantly, this man had been consistent for years about the importance of civil liberties, of a limited, constitutional government, of free market Austrian economics-and just how far politics and policy in America had strayed from those tenets," she writes.

War is still unpleasant when we are engaged in unconstitutional, unsustainable, and costly foreign intervention. I still believe in the rights of women and homosexuals-not because they belong to those groups, but because they are individuals and should be treated as such. And my bleeding heart hasn't hardened, but a deeper understanding of free market economics had led to the knowledge that limiting government and encouraging private charity are the best way to help those in need.

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Young 'Little-L' Libertarians Choose Principle Over Power

Libertarianism Is a Stance, Not a Political Party

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Editor's note: Yahoo News asked young libertarian-minded voters to share why they're drawn to the either the Libertarian Party or to libertarian political principles in general. Here's one first-person account we received this week.

Imagine a man almost $57,000 in debt. You walk up to this man an ask him what his plan to get out of debt is. He stands there for a minute, shrugs his shoulders, sticks his hands in his pockets, and says he's going to cut his $4,300 yearly deficit some in order to reduce the problem. That's right: he's going to slow down (slightly) the rate at which he descends deeper into debt!

Now multiply this man by 300 million, and you have a nearly $17 trillion debt with a $1.3 trillion deficit. Sound familiar? This is where the United States currently stands (information publicly available) as of 2013. (2011 deficit data and March 30 debt data).

When I did this math for myself at North Georgia College ad State University in Dahlonega, I became a firm fiscal conservative. As I plunged into early adulthood, I realized that my status as a debt-free citizen helped me to avoid the financial pitfalls of my parents and many of the previous generation. I believed that the government should be equally frugal with its monetary policy, and this placed me firmly in the libertarian camp. I've identified as libertarian for approximately eight years.

Libertarians don't espouse a large-party platform, nor do they have a coherent, party-like ideology. The only central tenets are less government and more individual freedom. When I realized that my desire to see our government make itself debt-free would require vastly smaller spending and more individual responsibility, I realized that my views were libertarian ones.

The issue I have with the overly broad Republican and Democratic parties is that, in their attempt to win elections, they attempt to satisfy everyone by putting politicians into power that will expand all forms of spending including defense and social programs. This runs counter to my vision of a debt-free nation, which I believe is the correct path to prosperity.

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Libertarianism Is a Stance, Not a Political Party


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