The Liberty Block is a libertarian publication/activist association. Its staff is comprised of anarchists, libertarians, and conservatives. Collectively, (though we hate that word!) our ideology could be referred to as ‘libertarian’.
What is a libertarian?
How do libertarians differ from Democrats & Republicans? In this article, we will address the 3-way comparison of each ideology’s perspective on personal freedom and the government’s proper role in the economy in a concise, simple manner. Throughout this series, we plan to address the 3-way comparison on every major policy issue.
Libertarians/Anarchists:
Absolute Free Market
Supporting the absolute right to property and the absolute rejection of initiating violence, libertarians believe that a government should play ZERO role in the economy. They believe that all consenting adults should be 100% free to engage in commerce (and any other consensual activities) with each other. This includes abolishing the legal punishments for people who choose to sell any products or services that any consenting adult chooses to buy from them. In addition to upholding the principle of freedom in the economy, libertarians recognize that politicians using tax dollars and laws to subsidize businesses almost always leads to corruption, stunts competition, and harms the industry.
Tiny, Weak, or No Government
Libertarians generally believe that the role of the government should be only to ensure national defense and to SECURE (not to eliminate) the freedoms of the individual. This is essentially the same tiny role that the Constitution outlines for the government. Anarchists believe that no government is legitimate at all, since humans have the natural right to be free. Electing politicians with 99% of the vote, 51% of the vote, or 3% of the vote cannot strip an individual of their natural rights, according to anarchists.
Conservatives/Republicans:
Government-Augmented Economy
Conservatives generally support the idea of a free market, but they also support government intervention in the market in the name of increased prosperity for the US. This intervention comes in the form of tariffs, economic regulation, labor laws, and tax incentives.
Limited Government/General Freedom
Conservatives tend to believe in a constitutionally limited government. The Republican platform condemns the (Republican-controlled) federal government’s use of unconstitutional agencies to create millions of laws that restrict individual liberty. Conservative Republicans seem to believe that people should be relatively free to do what they want, but that the words of God and law are sacrosanct and can therefore justly limit individual freedom.
Democrats/Socialists:
Government-Planned Economy
Liberal Democrats sometimes support the idea of a free market, but they mostly support government intervention and control of the market in the name of increased prosperity and equality for all. This intervention comes in the form of tariffs, strict economic regulation, strict labor laws, cash incentives, and tax incentives. The Democrats’ platformdemonstrates a lot of support for strict government planning of the economy.
Powerful Government/Limited Freedom:
Democrats tend to believe that it is the primary role of government to control society so tightly that it can guarantee that every person prospers and remains safe and healthy. The Democratic Party seems to be moving closer to socialism each election. The socialist ideology generally entails ultra-high taxation, which the government is supposed to spend on ensuring an equal quality of life for every citizen. Many Democrats believe that the government should use taxpayer dollars to hire every single person who wants a job.
