Dear All,
Thank you to Chris, Michel E., Phil, and Starchild for their input. I would like to encourage involvement in the Occupy movement in order for libertarian solutions to be introduced. The article I have written appearing below is mostly based on Starchild's "Support/Oppose" list. Obviously, the problems the occupiers are pointing out, as well as the solutions, are way more complex than the little blurb below suggests. However, I believe that some mention of our position is better than none. That is just my opinion , and I would be OK if we decide not to post any "official" position on the website at all. I am volunteering to post the article on the website on Monday.
Regards,
Marcy
"The Occupy Wall Street movement appears to be here for the
long haul; and to have a chance of bringing about significant economic,
political and social changes. The
inclusiveness of the movement allows for participation of libertarians, joining
the Occupiers where there is common ground.
We at the Libertarian Party of San Francisco believe there is an
additional reason for libertarian involvement in the movement – to offer
solutions other than that of bigger and more intrusive government.
Although Occupiers are not in complete agreement as to their
demands (or whether to have any demands at all), their overall message calls
for jobs, educational opportunities, debt relief, reduction in the influence of
corporations, and a more equitable distribution of wealth. It would be difficult to argue against the
desirability of any of these objectives!
The tools of implementation,
however, do leave room for argument. For
example, instead of demanding that the government wield hefty minimum wages, libertarians
might suggest removal of the infinite number of regulations that keep small
business from thriving, competing, and hiring at higher wages.
In summary, we offer the following list indicating what in
the Occupy movement we support and what we oppose.
Support:
Engaging in peaceful freedom of assembly in public spaces. Open, inclusive dialogue, and
non-hierarchical decision making.
Demanding an end to corporate welfare, corporate bailouts, and the cozy relationship between Wall Street
and Washington DC.
Calling for abolition of the Federal Reserve Bank
Oppose:
Destruction of private property. Deliberate interference with commuters or
blocking traffic
Calling for tax increases (government forcibly taking and
redistributing the people’s money).
Forcing
non-government institutions to forgive loans to private individuals.
Encouraging class warfare against the wealthy, since many
legitimately earned their money through hard work."