A Libertarian Dream of America
by Larry Sechrest
In 1963 Martin Luther King electrified the nation with his "I have a dream" speech. His words that day constituted superb oratory, but questionable philosophy. On this anniversary of Reverend King’s birth I wish to say that I have a rather different dream for this nation.
I dream of an America in which the rights of the individual shall be held sacred--- regardless of that person’s sex, color, or political and religious beliefs. An America of which it can truly be said that no individual will ever be sacrificed for the "common good" or the "betterment of his fellow men" or for "national security considerations" or for any other of the multitude of excuses dredged up by the collectivists of the world.
The social goal will not be that espoused by King--- namely, universal brotherly love. That is both unrealistic and impossible. Love must be earned if it is to be genuine. Love springs from profoundly shared values. Love cannot be a duty, something owed to another. It cannot, therefore, be a reasonable social ideal. I dream of an America in which the ideal is an unfailing respect for the rights of every man to maintain his own life, to promote his own liberty, and to work for and keep his own property. Notice there is no guarantee that you will have property--- only that if you earn it, you can keep it. Mere need will not constitute a valid claim upon the wealth or income of another.
I dream of an America in which the reaction to crime will be justice-- swift, sure, and terrible. An America where women and children can once again safely walk our streets at night.
I dream of an America in which eccentricity is no longer grounds for incarceration, in which private vices are no longer mistaken for public crimes.
I dream of an America in which your body and your mind will be literally your own, to do with as you see fit as long as you do not transgress against others.
I dream of an America unburdened by entangling alliances with foreign nations, free of the neurotic desire to be the world’s policeman.
I dream of an America in which education has ceased to be the political football of demagogues, in which our children’s schools are once again honored as institutions of enlightenment, not exploited as the tools of misguided social policies.
I dream of an America in which you can work where you want, hire and fire whom you want, live where you want, sleep with whom you want, read what you want, believe what you want, and buy or sell what you want.
I dream of an America to which pride has returned, where the "self-made man" is once again a possibility and a reality, not just a remote ideal, where it is widely recognized that the highest form of racial injustice is the welfare state.
I dream of an America to which erudition has returned, where it is well understood that highly-trained technicians can help to make a nation prosperous, but only persons truly educated can make (and keep) a nation free.
I dream of an America to which freedom has returned, where in every heart burns a fierce light, a love of life and liberty, a fire that banishes the shadow of tyranny and blinds the eye of the oppressor--- whether foreign or domestic.
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