🚀 go-pugleaf

artm@mcn.net wrote:

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>
> A Libertarian's New Year's Resolutions
>
>     by Harry Browne
>
> 1. I resolve to _sell_ liberty by appealing to the self-interest of each
> prospect, rather than _preaching_ to people and expecting them to suddenly
> adopt my ideas of right and wrong.

Hmm..."sell_ liberty"  - I'd hate to see a supply demand curve for that!

> 2. I resolve to keep from being drawn into arguments or debates. My purpose
> is to inspire people to want liberty -- not to prove that they're wrong.

Indeed, avoid all possibility for discourse which might reveal your policies to
be self-serving and mean spirited. Those are "arguments or debates" that you'll
never win.

> 3. I resolve to _listen_ when people tell me of their wants and needs, so I
> can help them see how a free society will satisfy those needs.

So if I want and need racial separatism and the right to serve *only* fair
haired  neo-Nazis in my Hayden Lake Java hut - will you "help" me to "satisfy
those needs"?

> 4. I resolve to identify myself, when appropriate, with the social goals
> someone may seek -- a cleaner environment, more help for the poor, a less
> divisive society -- and try to show him that those goals can never be
> achieved by government, but will be well served in a free society.

Yes that's it - with no government we'll really get the environment cleaned up
and the poor will have "more help" -lol!

> 5. I resolve to be compassionate and respectful of the beliefs and needs
> that lead people to seek government help. I don't have to approve of their
> subsidies or policies -- but if I don't acknowledge their needs, I have no
> hope of helping them find a better way to solve their problems.

You'll probably want to trim that to, "I have no hope of helping them find a
better way of solving their problems" That's quite accurate.

> 6. No matter what the issue, I resolve to keep returning to the central
> point: how much better off the individual will be in a free society.

Mmm...that's what we call America - nice of you to notice.

> 7. I resolve to acknowledge my good fortune in having been born an
> American. Any plan for improvement must begin with a recognition of the
> good things we have. To speak only of America's defects will make me a
> tiresome crank.

On that we concur.

> 8. I resolve to focus on the ways America could be so much better with a
> very small government -- not to dwell on all the wrongs that exist today.

"Wrongs" you'll not find addressed any better with a "very small government".

> 9. I resolve to cleanse myself of hate, resentment, and bitterness. Such
> things steal time and attention from the work that must be done.

Eminently logical.

> 10. I resolve to speak, dress, and act in a respectable manner. I may be
> the first Libertarian someone has encountered, and it's important that he
> get a good first impression. No one will hear the message if the messenger
> is unattractive.

Good grooming is a plus...maybe you can get BYU to send you on mission too.

> 11. I resolve to remind myself that someone's "stupid" opinion may be an
> opinion I once held. If _I_ can grow, why can't I help _him_ grow?

Yes, that pesky "if" statement lies in the way doesn't it?  Religious
recruiters also face the hurdle of convincing others as to their claimed
"growth".

> 12. I resolve not to raise my voice in any discussion. In a shouting match,
> no one wins, no one changes his mind, and no one will be inspired to join
> our quest for a free society.

Look around you bub - we live in a "free society" - you just want an
unregulated food chain.

> 13. I resolve not to adopt the tactics of Republicans and Democrats. They
> use character assassination, evasions, and intimidation because they have
> no real benefits to offer Americans. We, on the other hand, are offering to
> set people free -- and so we can win simply by focusing on the better life
> our proposals will bring.

A "better life" you've yet to effectuate for us  in even the smallest degree.
Hard to sell the steak when you can't make it sizzle isn't it?

> 14. I resolve to be civil to my opponents and treat them with respect.
> However anyone chooses to treat me, it's important that I be a better
> person than my enemies.

Well round up all the other "better persons" and enjoy that blessed state of
superiority. perhaps Zeus and Odin will save you a seat on Mt. Olympus.

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>
> You are encouraged to redistribute
> this commentary as long as proper
> attribution is given to the author and
> LibertyWire is credited as the source.

And aren't I tempted...

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