What is Libertarianism ?

Libertarianism is a political philosophy that is based on individual
freedom, choice and responsibility. The fundamental principle is that
all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their
own lives and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose,
so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of
others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite
principle; that government has the right to dispose of the lives of
individuals and the fruits of their labour.

Libertarians on the other hand deny the right of any government to do
these things and hold that where governments exist they must not
violate the rights of any individual, namely:

	(1) The right to your life - libertarians support the
            prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others;

	(2) The right to liberty of speech and action - libertarianism
            opposes all attempts of government to abridge the freedom of
            speech and press as well as government censorship in any form;

	(3) The right to property - libertarians resist all government
	    interference with private property such as confiscation,
            nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the 
            prohibition of robbery trespass fraud and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual
rights, libertarians oppose all interference by government in the
areas of voluntary and contractional relations among individuals.
Individuals must not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property
for the benefit of others. Individuals should be left free by
government  to deal with one another as free traders; and the
resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection
of individual rights, is the free market.