The always entertaining P.J. O’Rourke has some reflections on the recent FreedomFest in Las Vegas (DailyBeast). Much of the piece is good fun (as one might expect). But O’Rourke does end with an important question that has bedeviled libertarians for quite some time: how do you make the leap to mass politics? In O’Rourke’s words:
people love to hear what libertarians have to say until those people go into the voting both. Then limitations on the size, power, and expense of government start to get personal.
According to the Census Bureau, 49 percent of Americans receive some kind of government benefits. And political scientists Suzanne Mettler and John Sides of The Century Foundation (which is liberal-centrist) say that if you throw in everything that can be construed as a government benefit, e.g. mortgage interest deductions, 96% of Americans are on the take.
What would be a good yard sign for a libertarian politician?
Vote for _______ He Can Give You Less
“Make Sure Not Much Happens Ever” isn’t a catchy slogan. As O’Rourke notes: “I suppose we could infiltrate the government and do nothing. But federal employees, at the V.A. for instance, seem to have that base covered.”
PILEUS 
As libertarians, we know that when government becomes smaller, in the overall scheme of things, everything will become cheaper and safer, and thus we become richer and happier when government fades away.
Like this story:
Detroit Retirees Vote To Cut Their Own Pensions
Check out this article at http://politix.topix.com/story/13188
It will happen, especially, when the failures of government catches up.
How ’bout: “We won’t play golf on your dime”?
Or the truth: “Cutting out the middle man” (Which is what the Federal government is on most of these “benefits”: Our own money given back to us after the Feds take a “handling fee.”)
Reblogged this on Utopia – you are standing in it! and commented:
What would be a good yard sign for a libertarian politician?
Vote for _______ He Can Give You Less
Vote for Bert, He will cost you less.
Sorry I should have explained, Bert represented me in Oz for many years, and campaigned against the tariffs that were hurting his electorate.