Libertarian movement
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The libertarian movement consists of the various individuals and institutions who have historically advanced the ideas and causes of libertarianism. Though difficult to pin down exactly what institutions and people fit in most libertarians will accept to be part of "the movement" (with exclamation marks).
[edit] Main libertarian institutions and their relationship
The libertarian movement consist mainly of the post modern institutions defending liberty. The US Supreme Court is for example not part of the libertarian movement. Border cases are institutions like the Wall Street Journal that some would classify as within and others would say is outside the movement.
The movement is today most prominently represented by some of the major Think Tanks and institutions.
- Cato Institute
- Atlas Foundation
- Foundation For Economic Education FEE
- ISIL
- Mont Pelerin Society
[edit] Growth of libertarianism
In the 1980s, libertarianism grew substantially more popular and gained considerable influence in Republican administrations, though at the national level the Libertarian Party still fared poorly. However, in the 2000's, libertarian ideas have some influence on other parties; for example, as of late, some Republicans are proposing eliminating the IRS and income tax. Also, George W. Bush's "personal accounts" for Social Security are modeled in part upon privatization proposals long supported by some libertarian groups like the Cato Institute as a means of dismantling the welfare state.[1] Other achievements hailed by libertarians in the last few decades include:
- Many trade barriers have been lifted, reducing what most libertarians argue are unneeded interferences with functioning markets and the right to use one's property as one sees fit.
- The “Contract with America” agenda of the congressional republicans in the 1990s, with its emphasis on lower taxes and government spending, is largely in line with libertarian views.
- Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan have exerted considerable influence over monetary policy in favor of libertarian goals.
- Ronald Reagan popularized libertarian economics and anti-statist rhetoric in the United States and passed some reforms, though many libertarians are ambivalent about his legacy. The libertarian Reason Magazine interviewed Reagan in 1975 and discussed some areas of overlap and disagreement. [2]
- In the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had much the same effect.
- In Costa Rica, the libertarian political party Movimiento Libertario has achieved some electoral success at the national level and controls approximately 10% of the legislature.
- Some of what libertarians consider victimless crimes such as sodomy have been decriminalized in the United States (see Lawrence v. Texas)
- Some states and local governments have relaxed laws on marijuana use and medical marijuana, though libertarians argue that the War on Drugs still constitutes one of the greatest threats to liberty in the United States as a whole.
- There are many (self-described) libertarian celebrities and libertarian figures in politics and the media
- Ayn Rand's popularity has greatly enhanced interest in libertarian ideas.
Despite these and other victories, most libertarians consider current governments to be very unlike their ideal government; in the United States, policies like the War on Drugs and the expansion of entitlements like Medicare lead some libertarians to believe that the government is more intrusive now than when libertarianism first gained political influence.
