JLI: JOURNAL OF LIBERTARIAN IMPLEMENTATION
Top stories 3 times a year of pro-Libertarians like you clearing the way, and getting things implemented. Send us yours! ...or copy the below articles for events, local papers or websites. Comments subject to edits.
GEORGIA LIBS WIN WAR OF IDEAS
TBILISI, Georgia, October 2008--
Looking at world trouble spots, Tom Krimanovic, a human rights leader in Serbia, summarizes the view: "Don't Send Marines. Send Libertarians."
LIBS ANSWER CALL
Libertarians are answering the call. While politicians trade threats, a more quiet occupation of the former Soviet state of Georgia is underway as pro-libertarian groups there spread not only democracy but the study Libertarian ideas and action tools.
Groups from students to entrepreneurs to legislators are studying and implementing Libertarian ideas, says www.libertarian-program.org , and continuing a process of 'providing the intellectual and citizen activism weapons' for citizens to advance democracy, free markets, intentional communities, and personal freedom. They're also working across borders with Russian counterparts to exert citizen pressure to defuse tensions.
LEADERS PRAISE LIBS
Eminent leaders in the region agree. Libertarians were directly active in undermining the dicatorships and providing a structure that moved policy from supporting friendly dicators to citizen diplomacy for freedom. "The fall of communism would not have happened without Libertarian" tools spreading, said Vaclav Klaus, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic at a recent talk to a libertarian group, www.fee.org in the US.
In Georgia group members are studying works such as the Libertarian satire "Adventures of Jonathan Gullible" (see photo). Others work on a civic action group to get people in public office and further develop Libertarian applications. These include working on consumer issues and better public services with voluntary options such as privatization. Worldwide, many Libertarians are leading a trend that sees the concept of government as being primarily ancharged with defense as unhelpful. For information on citizen-to-citizen action where you can lead, google "citizen diplomacy," "sister cities" or check out www.isil.org
LIBERTARIAN AND 'VOLUNTARY CITY' IDEA SPREADS
SANDY SPRINGS, Georgia USA, July 2008--
As Libertarian concepts of emphasis on rights and voluntary alternatives to coerced government programs spread to non-libertarians and the general culture, another 'radical' libertarian idea has taken hold: Right of Secession of communities coupled with wholesale privatization of public services to firms, non-profits, and civic groups.
LARGE CITY SECEDES, GOES VOLUNTARY
The locality of Sandy Springs outside of Atlanta, Georgia USA was blanketed some years ago with Libertarian outreach materials. While the local Libertarian group in the area of 100,000 dissolved, the ideas continued to percolate. Speakers from the Libertarian international organization, which sponsors www.libertarian-program.org , were invited to talk to local groups or provide reading lists or websites on 'broad implementation of Libertarian or libertarian-direction' ideas, best practices, standards, and areas of proven success.
The locality started a movement to secede, formed it's own city, and created a plan to provatize all city services except public security. Initial city staff was cut to 6 people according to GOVERNING magazine's site, which noted this was the beginning of a new trend. Libertarians have proposed 'voluntary cities' of primarily voluntary and private services and few laws with a wide array of choices, and smaller 'Libertarian Charter' neighborhoods and tows guided by pledged Libertarians who've taken a committment to advance rights and not advcate initiations of force. But it also shows a growing trend of use of libertarian-direction tools "Where people get familiar and ask, why wait for a Libertarian to get elected? Let's get to work," says Brian Bustamante, a consultant and officer of the Libertarian Party of Florida who monitors how Libertarian tools are being driven by citizens in public administration: "The Georgia Libertarian Party was taken completely by surprise, which is good, it means people are taken ownership so Libertarianism is for everybody. I think that in due course we'll see cities go completely voluntary as skills and comfort levels increase."
SCEPTICISM + INVOLVEMENT IN PRIVATIZATON
So far there have been considerable increases in quality, choice, voter satisfaction, and lowering of costs, say Sandy Spring officials, who say they're exploring and 'feeling our way' and correcting mistakes as they go along. Key to success, say officials, are brainstorming sessions with voters to get needs and ideas, open communication, and healthy scepticism in evaluating bids and proposals. To that end, the city has even adopted a motto of " Being Honest, Efficient, Responsive," says the mayor, who notes their website, heavy with citizen participation and rapid response links, is a key tool in promoting "involvement and knowing what's going on." For more key resources to bring these concepts to your area google "Sandy Springs" and "Mayor Galambos" and the bookt "Voluntary City" at www.cato.org
