Libertarian vs. Libertine

The commenters discussed in my last post give libertarianism a bad name. Over the top arguments like those are why people tend to think that libertarians want a society with no laws where chaos reigns. And that is simply not true.

Being a libertarian doesn't mean having no morals- being libertarian means that you chose not to have your morals- or anyone else's morals- enforced by the law. The law should serve to protect the Lockean notions of life, liberty, and property. Matters of personal choice should be left to individuals. Choices about risk or personal morality should not be placed in the hands of democratic majorities that can restrict the rights of minorities.

Being libertarian doesn't mean having no morals when it comes to drugs, sex, or other personal choices. It just means keeping those personal choices personal.