Progressive Libertarians

I am a libertarian.  Unfortunately that means I get lumped into the same category as Glenn Beck and the Tea Party.  Let’s be brilliantly clear about this: they are not libertarians, they are paranoid hatemongering xenophobes.  It’s rather like thinking Fred Phelps is a good representative of Christianity.  I have very little in common with these opportunistic douches, and I would like to see the Libertarian Party stand up and publicly disavow them, but unfortunately the Party has largely been kidnapped by carpetbagging Republicans.  See the Cato Institute for a better example of libertarianism.

In fact, many old school libertarians are what would be called "classical liberals".  Classical liberalism is different from modern social liberalism.  Classical liberalism (see advocates the right of non-interference (from other individuals, businesses, and government) with personal liberty.  Modern liberalism states that individuals have a right to certain benefits.  

Libertarianism is fundamentally based on the naïve belief that people are capable of independently making intelligent and rational choices in their own lives.  Unfortunately this is demonstrably false in the United States in 2010 (see the mortgage crisis).  The political landscape, the way government has evolved in the last century, has created a society which, in certain segments, is not capable of doing this; either because they do not have the opportunity to choose in the first place or because they cannot make a good decision when they do get the opportunity.  For that reason, there has to be a safety net for those who need it.  As a political movement, therefore, libertarianism should be directed to seeing how we can help those segments of society who are not capable become capable.  This is going to require a really hard look at why people do not have the education, the jobs, the opportunities they need to become successful.  This is a fundamentally different philosophy than the two major parties currently operating in the United States who put band-aids.  It is progressive because it advocates change (contrary to popular belief progressive and conservative are attitudes, not political stances).  By the way when did "progressive" become anathema to the Faux News crowd?  Theodore Roosevelt founded the Progressive Party, and he was a Republican.

So, please, Republicans.  You're not Libertarians, Libertarians are fundamentally opposed to your stances on same-sex marriage, immigration, drugs, and foreign policy just to name a few.