Short Answers to the Tough Questions: How to Answer the Questions Libertarians Are Often Asked, Expa

298 Pages·2012·4.4 MB·English

by  Mary J. Ruwart

Short
~nswers
TOoligh
Questions
Expanded Edition
How to answer the questions
libertarians are often asked
J.
Dr. Mary Ruwart
THE ADVOCATES FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT
Cartersville, Georgia
11
Copyright ©2012 by Dr. Mary J. Ruwart
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American copyright conven
tions. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, scanning, or other-except for brief quotations with attribution to the
author, without prior written permission of the author or publisher.
Published in the United States
by the Advocates for Self-Government
269 Market Place Blvd. #106, Cartersville, GA 30121-2235
800-932-1776, [email protected], www.TheAdvocates.org
FIRST EDITION
Published August 2012
Ruwart, Mary J.
Short Answers to the Tough Questions, Expanded Edition
By Dr. Mary J. Ruwart
ISBN 13: 978-0-9754326-6-2
1. Politics 2. Political issues 3. Libertarianism
4. Libertarian Q&A 5. Libertarian FAQ
I. Title II. Ruwart, Mary J.
Cover design and typography by JPL Design Solutions
Manufactured in the United States of America
iii
7his book is dedicated to libertarians worldwide
who are called upon to answer the tough questions
and want to give it their best shot!
lV
ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
of
Healing Our World· The Other Piece the Puzzle (1992, 1993)
of
Healing Our World in an Age Aggression (2003)
Short Answers to the Tough Questions
of
Healing Our World: The Compassion Libertarianism (2013)
ALSO FROM THE PUBLISHER
Libertarianism in One Lesson: Ninth Edition
by David Bergland
Liberty A to Z: 872 Libertarian Soundbites You Can Use Right Now!
by Harry Browne
of
Secrets Libertarian Persuasion
by Michael Cloud
of
Unlocking More Secrets Libertarian Persuasion
by Michael Cloud
Minimum liVtlge, Maximum Damage
by Jim Cox
The Haiku Economist
by Jim Cox
Discovering Self-Government: A Bible-Based Study Guide
by Virgil L. Swearingen
v
Tab1e of Contents
Preface ................................................................................................. vii
Publisher's Introduction ....................................................................... ix
What Is a Libertarian? .......................................................................... 1
What Does a Libertarian Government Look Like? ............................ 13
Restitution ........................................................................................... 20
Roads ........................· . .......................................................................... 40
The Environment ................................................................................. 48
National Defense ................................................................................. 73
Money and Banking .......................................................................... 102
Jobs and Wealth Creation .................................................................. 108
Discrimination .................................................................................. 119
Helping the Poor ............................................................................... 126
Abortion ............................................................................................ 141
Family Values and Children's Rights ................................................. 145
Animal Rights ................................................................................... 154
The War on Drugs ............................................................................. 156
Assisted Suicide ................................................................................. 164
Consumer Protection ......................................................................... 167
Health ............................................................................................... 177
Trade & Tariffs .................................................................................. 182
Gun Control. ..................................................................................... 189
Education .......................................................................................... 193
Immigration ...................................................................................... 201
Local Issues ....................................................................................... 212
Miscellaneous Issues .......................................................................... 220
How to Get There from Here ............................................................ 234
Notes ................................................................................................. 260
Acknowledgements ........................................................................... 271
About the Author .............................................................................. 273
Index .................................................................................................. 275

Short Answers to the Tough Questions Vll
Pref8ce
For most of us, learning about the libertarian ideal was a life
changing event. Our entire perspective on politics and, at a
deeper level, on life itself shifted. We recognized that war and
poverty result from a misunderstanding of how human nature works.
The realization that these age-old plagues can be largely eliminated
by adopting the non-aggression principle results in an incredible
enthusiasm to share the good news with others.
When we try to do so, however, we discover that societal indoc
trination is so strong that our friends and relatives often dismiss
libertarian ideas as impractical, idealistic, or just plain wrong. Very
few of them are willing to give us much time to dissuade them, either.
Yet without a more widespread understanding of how liberty
works in the real world, our society cannot reap the benefits that
freedom can bestow. Our mission, should we choose to accept it,
is to entice our listeners with brief explanations that pique their
interest and encourage them to ask us for more information.
Short Answers to the Tough Questions provides examples to stim
ulate the curiosity of your listeners. These questions and answers
have been compiled from my own experience as a guest lecturer in
schools and universities, as a Libertarian Party candidate, and in
writing the "Ask Dr. Ruwart" column for the Liberator Online, the
free newsletter published by the Advocates.
These "short answers" are compelling because they challenge
the way the questioner views the world. Most people believe that
government is the solution, instead of the problem.
Although short answers can pique their interest, showing
them a different way is likely to require references to how liberty
works in the real world. My book, Healing Our World, cites
Vlll Short Answers to the Tough Questions
hundreds of studies that you can use to show your listeners the
practicality of libertarian solutions. A complimentary download
of the 1993 edition is available at my website, www.ruwart.com;
the 2003 edition is available there and at the Advocates for Self
Government's website (www.theadvocates.org). Throughout Short
Answers, I'll be citing some chapters in Healing Our World that
provide detail beyond the short answers.
Some of the "tough questions" have been combined, paraphrased,
or edited for ease of reading, but the essence and tone have been
preserved. I have included some duplication where alternative
phraseology might be useful. I've also included some questions that
are openly hostile so that you can get a feel for how to handle them.
You'll also find some gems from my readers who have come up with
great short answers of their own.
My answers to the tough questions are far from perfect; however,
most have been "field tested" and work well for me. Ultimately, you
will find your own style and develop your own unique answers if
you are in front of audiences with any frequency. Your unique back
ground and experience will give you insights and perspectives that
are different than mine; these are likely to work better with the
people that are part of your intimate circle.
Readers have asked for more elaboration, so some answers are
longer than others. Feel free to use these answers or reprint them
(citing the Advocates and me).
Finally, please let me know what you think of Short Answers!
You can reach me on Facebook or through my website www.ruwart.
com. Visit the Advocates' website (w ww. theadvocates.org) for more
communication tips as well.
Whether you use this book to improve your communication of
libertarian ideas or simply to enhance your understanding of how
liberty works, I hope you'll find it inspiring and enlightening.
Mary J. Ruwart, Ph.D.
Burnet, Texas
Short Answers to the Tough Questions ix
Publisher's Introduction
T
he Advocates for Self-Government is proud to present this
new and greatly expanded edition of Dr. Mary Ruwart's
libertarian communication classic, Short Answers to the
Tough Questions.
Libertarians are constantly asked questions on a wide variety of
issues. To answer them effectively, libertarians need short, accurate,
convincing and memorable answers - preferably learned and prac
ticed in advance.
Many years ago Mary Ruwart realized that. She began preparing
such answers for her own use. The results were so dramatic that she
began sharing her short answers with other libertarians, in speeches
at libertarian events.
One of the key missions of the Advocates for Self-Government
is to empower libertarians to become successful and persuasive
advocates for our ideas. So in 1997 we asked Mary to write a regular
column for our free email newsletter the Liberator Online. Readers
were invited to send us questions they had difficulty answering, and
Mary would craft short answers.
"Ask Dr. Ruwart" has since become one of the libertarian
movement's greatest resources. Mary's column has been read by
tens of thousands of libertarians around the world and has been
widely reprinted.
Over the years, the audience for "Ask Dr. Ruwart" has grown -
and changed. As the circulation of the Libertarian Online increased,
questions began coming in not just from libertarians, but from non
libertarians curious about libertarianism. Mary's column now serves a
double purpose: educating the public about libertarianism and helping
libertarians answer those tough questions every libertarian faces.