Libertarians rally support in Indianapolis

Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne and other libertarian candidates at local, state and national levels rallied at Indianapolis' Adam's Mark Hotel Monday. Five hundred attended, and roughly one-third acknowledged the rally as their first Libertarian event.\nMaster of ceremonies Mike Cloud said to the crowd that Indiana is a crucial Libertarian state, housing nearly 10 percent of all the party's candidates, and introduced Browne by defining Libertarianism in a point-blank fashion.\n"We want government so small, they start putting its picture on the back of milk cartons," he said.\nBrowne is the author of several financial self-help and political books, including "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World." He spent much of his speaking time on the subject of income taxes, of which Libertarians favor a complete repeal.\n"In a 'free' country, the government doesn't take 47 percent of the national income. I want you to be free to keep every dollar that you earn," Browne said. "Spend it, save it, give it away as you see fit -- not as politicians will allow after they're done spending what they want."\nBrowne also criticized the words of George W. Bush on the topic of income taxes. \n"George Bush made a really revealing statement in the debates. He said that the 'government should never take more than a third of people's income,'" Browne recited as attendees hissed. "Is he going to show up at your office tomorrow and put in two or three hours for you?"\nBrowne also questioned the status of health care and proposed complete privatization. \n"Health care has run up and out of sight. They tell us it's because health care can do so many things now that it couldn't do thirty years ago. Well, computers can do more things than they did 30 years ago -- why aren't they more expensive?"\nBrowne described Social Security, a campaign centerpiece for Democrats and Republicans, as a crime, which would have landed anyone except government behind bars.\n"Fifteen percent of your income is confiscated from you, and when you retire, it turns out they haven't put one dollar away for your retirement," he said. "So all you can hope for is that they will tax your children and grandchildren at ever-increasing rates to make good on their promise to you."\nOn gun control, Browne said his position is one of principle.\n"You should never, ever be prosecuted for what you own. You should only be prosecuted for the harm you do to others."\nThe 30-year "War on Drugs" is another central issue to Libertarian doctrine.\nBrowne said that if drugs are legalized the country would still have drug problems, but those problems would be localized to individuals instead of affecting the total population.\n"There are hundreds of thousands of people who have never done any harm to anyone else, who are overcrowding our prisons," he said. "Those people should go free."\nLibertarian gubernatorial candidate Andy Horning said he will stay optimistic about the party's future despite abysmal media coverage of the Browne campaign.\n"Maybe we haven't gotten the publicity that Ralph Nader or Pat Buchanan, but we're bigger, we're stronger, we're more significant," Horning said. "I'm getting e-mails from Republican and Democratic (candidates) saying that on Nov. 8, they're becoming Libertarian"