SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

by ISHMAEL REED

The Libertarian presidential and vice presidential nominees, Gary Johnson and William Weld, are drawing votes from the Democratic nominee for president. This is because members of the Millennial generation, voters under 30, who believe that the Democratic nominee and the Republican nominee are equally evil, are casting a protest vote for the Libertarians.

I know the feeling. Given the record of the Clinton administration on mass incarceration, the eradication of Glass- Steagall, which led to bank speculation that has cost middle class families billions in lost assets, I vowed that any Black person who voted for Clinton should have their head examined.

That was before the Republican Party nominated Donald Trump, whom I view as the greatest threat to Black progress since Andrew Johnson restored the Confederacy. This is an unpopular position among middle- aged White progressives, the ones who gave us Richard Nixon, George Bush and Ronald Reagan, but they don’t have to worry about being stopped and frisked or their families deported.

One poll reports that Millennials view Civil Rights as at the top of their concerns. Have they read the Libertarian platform about Civil Rights? One plank in the Libertarian platform reads:

“For voluntary dealings among private entities, parties should be free to choose with whom they trade and set whatever trade terms are mutually agreeable or members of private organizations retain their rights to set whatever standards of association they deem appropriate, and individuals are free to respond with ostracism, boycotts and other free-market solutions.”

Does this mean that Blacks have to return to lunch counter sit-ins? Another plank indicates how Libertarians view the social safety net. They want to end Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and Welfare, which benefit Whites mostly.

“Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become even more charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in this realm.”

Do Millennials want their grandparents subsisting on cat food or stealing medicine from pharmacies?

Even more disturbing is the Libertarian view of global warming. For them the government shouldn’t be involved in putting curbs on the polluters. If you don’t like what corporations are doing to the environment–sue them. Put your lawyer up against theirs. Former governors and senators.

“Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights and responsibilities regarding resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Where damages can be proven and quantified in a court of law, restitution to the injured parties must be required.”

According to The Washington Post, some of the Millennials are for Trump, who believes that global warming is a hoax. The Libertarian view isn’t much better.

One doesn’t have to be a Chicken Little to heed the report of some scientists that we are approaching the point of no return. Scientists recently reported that the globe is the hottest since it’s been in 120,000* years. Maybe instead of calling the under 30s Millennials, we should call them Extinctionists.

The Libertarians would eliminate all of the agencies that assist consumers, the Federal Food and Drug Administration, the Consumer Protection Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Finally, some of the under 30s are being lured to the Libertarian Party because their position on social issues is hands-off. Maybe they’ll distribute free pot.People won’t be confined to the missonary position. But for an old fogey like me, their platform sounds like the same old Calvin Coolidge Laissez- Faire capitalism.