LIBERTARIAN TIMES – ISSUE #11, JUNE 19, 2009

LIBERTARIAN TIMES – ISSUE #11, JUNE 19, 2009





Editorial





This week’s issue of LT is sent from Luxembourg, one of the richest countries in the world (on a per capita basis) and also taking a big hit from the global crisis as it was and still is a major financial centre in Europe. Also in Europe, last week one of Germany’s largest department store chains declared bankruptcy and the struggle is on to save some 43,000 jobs.



Still, many people believe that the worst of the crisis is behind us and recent stock market gains and rises in commodity prices have reassured people that we can look forward to a “recovery”. Talks by the Russian Finance Minister at the G8 Finance meeting in Italy have even given the US Dollar a bit of a (short-term) boost. Oil came close to a 9-month high at 72-73 USD per barrel. Gold is still in the 900 to 1000 USD per ounce range.



The election result in Iran, where I have worked occasionally for the past 4 years, was a disappointment and it reminded me what Bill Bonner said, that governments are “50% fraud and 50% larceny”. Sad but true! However, the events following the announcement of the election result also demonstrate the desire for Liberty of a large part of the population, especially the younger generation. At the time of writing, protests were continuing and that is an encouraging sign.



Thanks to all of you who responded to the last issue of LT on Collaboration. A small band of “collaborateurs” is now ready to work together for economic gain and for the cause of Liberty. This also means that the objective of this newsletter, which was to gauge the “temperature” of the Libertarian Community or Diaspora in light of the global economic crisis, has been achieved. This may well be the last or penultimate edition of LT but after that it is time to switch to a new platform and concentrate on the collaboration ventures. The Libertarian Times was never meant to be an end in itself and there are many excellent publications available on the Net that report objectively on how the crisis is unfolding.



My greatest concern has been the reaction of governments to the crisis and the unprecedented creation of new money to pay for all the bail-outs, stimulus packages and unemployment benefits. Accompanied by falling tax revenues, the only avenue open is to print more money. That the solution to debt is more debt does not make sense and will inevitably lead to a greater crisis than we already have.



The “Economist” magazine said in this week’s issue that “not since the second world war have so many governments borrowed so much so quickly or, collectively, been so heavily in hock”. Anticipated increases in pension and health-care costs will only add to future financial problems. Governments will find themselves increasingly under pressure and may resort to further controls over individual lives, claiming that only complete control over “society” will enable them to “solve our problems”. Sadly, many people, perhaps even a majority, will agree with them.



It is therefore important to ensure that the message of Liberty and the warnings against government dictatorship go out to as many people as possible. Only an “awakened” population can prevent government from taking over completely and dictating more and more details of how we should live.



I believe there is a window of opportunity still open for Libertarians to prepare for the above scenario. Ayn Rand said that the “only proper, moral purpose of a government is to protect man’s rights, which means: to protect him from physical violence – to protect his right to his own life, to his own liberty, to his own property and to the pursuit of his own happiness. Without property rights, no other rights are possible.”



Our property rights have already been violated by governments and it will only get worse in future. If governments are not the protectors of our rights, who is or will be? As Libertarians, I feel we have a responsibility to ensure that our rights are protected, not just now and for ourselves, but also for the future and for all freedom-loving people yet to be born. The debt burden that is being passed on to the next generation severely curtails that freedom and we should work to prevent this situation from developing any further. How to do that will require all the collaboration we Libertarians can muster. It is one reason why I have been promoting this concept so much. And I see very little opportunity for individual acts of defiance or even of education to have any significant impact or effect, although I will not discourage such efforts.



However, I am sure we can be more effective if we work together as and in groups, avoid duplication of effort through good synchronization of activities, making good use of the skills, talents, creativity, ideas, knowledge and experience that individual Libertarians possess, and “collaborate” in the true sense of the word, using whatever technologies are available, while we still have time. Time, however, is not on our side and I want to instill a sense of urgency for action.



Thank you to all readers of Libertarian Times that have read and thought about these issues, and a big thank you to all of you who have responded and contributed in some way to making this publication possible. I now look forward to the Collaboration of all those that have indicated that you want to participate in a concrete way. The future focus will be on the coordination and facilitation of collaborative ventures and I will be in touch individually with all interested parties.



The immediate focus will be on the Liberty Camps, the first one of which will start on 25th June in Slovakia. Thanks to any of you who have contributed financially or in other ways to making these camps happen, which are an excellent way to not only spread the message but also to enlarge the “talent pool” of Libertarians across the world. Every individual is of the utmost importance and every individual has something to contribute. Together we can generate the energy and the synergy required for the challenging task ahead of us!



Andy

aeyschen@yahoo.com