Am I a Libertarian?

[Wolseley]

After having been a member of the Green Party for 10 years, I recently switched my party affiliation to Libertarian. I seem to consider myself more of a Left-Wing Libertarian. Here is what believe, which leans Libertarian in most aspects:

1) No Tax Dollars for Public Arts/Cultural activities.

2) No Tax Dollars for Corporate Welfare.

3) The only duty of Government is as follows: - Operate all Utilities (Water, Wastewater, Gas, Electric).  Collect and Levy Taxes with the consent of the governed. National Defense. Manage our Natural Resources.

4) I agree with all the Libertarian Party Platform (http://www.lp.org/platform) except items: 2.2 and 2.3.

I also believe that the current Libertarian Party has been "hijacked" by Right-Wingers with little voice left to those in the Left-Wing of the LP.

Thoughts?

[Charles M.]

I don't think there are any hard fast rules in these things.  Suggesting that the government must run utilities would certainly put you out of the libertarian mainstream.  Why do you specifically call that out?  I mean, why utilities and not food distribution, health care, or even roads?

What are the other two items?  I don't have the LP platform memorized.

What right wing elements are currently bugging you, I mean issue wise?

[Neil]

Perhaps Wolseley meant to say regulate utilities, instead of operate. Regulate is acceptable in moderation with most Libertarians.
Subsidies and technical assistance to corporations is essential to get some kinds of desirable changes such as getting off foreign oil, but a few libertarians are opposed even to research grants and would call it corporate welfare.
Some libertarians would delete manage natural resource which can be a broad concept. Other libertarians would add several items, but define them narrowly. I suppose hijack may be so and necessary as right wing extremist are more attracted to libertarian than even moderate liberals and progressive.  Neil

[Paul Birch]

Perhaps Wolseley meant to say regulate utilities, instead of operate. Regulate is acceptable in moderation with most Libertarians.

Not really, unless you mean regulate in the sense of enforcing laws against fraud, breach of contract, etc..

Subsidies and technical assistance to corporations is essential to get some kinds of desirable changes such as getting off foreign oil, but a few libertarians are opposed even to research grants and would call it corporate welfare.

Most libertarians would oppose all subsidies and most research grants (with the possible reluctant exception of some defence contracts).  A free market in energy would rapidly eliminate excessive reliance upon foreign oil, without any need for subsidies or technical assistance to corporations.