Wed 8 Jun 2005
We need a new party. A Party that will build a new world. A world of economic prosperity, not just for Americans, but for all mankind. A world where everyone is allowed to live their life as they see fit. To love who they want to love, live where they want to live, worship who they want to worship. A world where petty power hungry bureaucrats don’t dictate how your money is spent or how your property can be used.
We need a party what will export the American Dream to the rest of the world. Not at the barrel of a gun, but by building that shining city on a hill where anyone who wants to build a better life can go, do so, then return home to build a shining city on their hill. We need a party that encourages investment in the resources of developing nations, whether those resources are natural, intellectual, or an abundant supply of people desperate for real jobs.
We need a party that understands that there is one planet, and that to have world peace, there must be a global economy, and that a global government is a necessary outcome of that process. We need a party that understands that freedom is not an end state, it is a process that must always be managed.
We need a party that understands that all mankind is created equal before the law, but that not all mankind is equal in ability.
Our world has changed since the founding of the United States. We have invented the steamship, railroad, automobile and airplane. We have been to the moon, and returned home safely. We have invented the telegraph, radio, and the internet. We have split the atom and cured smallpox. We need a party that understands these changes.
We need a party that will look to the horizon and see the line of ancestors behind us saying, ‘Make my life have meaning.’ And to our children before us saying, ‘Create the world we will live in.’”
June 13th, 2005 at 5:25 am
I received a great book for Christmas, “They Made America” by Harold Evans, author of “The American Century.” I highly recommend it. There’s a lot in it, so I haven’t finished reading it yet (it’s the kind of book one browses instead). It’s about innovation, or practical inventiveness, or inventiveness put to use. Business methods are included, and the last section is on the Digital Age (Gary Kildall is celebrated over Bill Gates). Perhaps the biggest surprise is that many featured were interested in taking inventions to the masses: “A surprising number of these innovators can be described as democratizers making it possible for the whole population to enjoy goods and services previously available only to the elite,” not necessarily to become rich but because they were driven to share inventions and life-enhancing improvements with the greatest number of people (plus their own vanity, of course).
I think, in conjunction with your previous post on property (land) rights, the U.S. system of intellectual property rights (favoring individuals vs. systems favoring large enterprises in other countries or the lack of intellectual property rights in China) has also served us well (although some libertarian purists argue against this system of temporary monopolies established in our constitution), although recent changes such as software patents are of concern (though I hope to take advantage of that eventually).
I’m glad to come across your new blog. Good luck with it! Although I’ve been Libertarian since 1976, I’ve only been active since last year and will give it a shot at reform first (I joined Libertarian Reform Caucus) before seriously considering the hassle of starting up another party.