Libertarians and the Federal Government

Political Ideology

My political ideology is based on my reading of the early Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. When I read these papers I realized that the way our country works today was really shaped by events back then during the days of the founding of the country's constitution. I used to be a Constitutionalist and identify with the libertarians led by Ron Paul, who pushes to uphold the Constitution. But after reading the Anti-Federalist Papers, I realized that the Constitution itself was never really a good thing: it was essentially designed to take power away from the states and place it in the hands of a central government, an idea promoted by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers (Federalist No. 6, n.d.). The Anti-Federalists viewed this as a violation of the freedom and autonomy they had just won from England in the Revolutionary War (Brutus No. 1, 1787). If the Constitution proposed by the Federalists were to pass, the states would hand over their autonomy to another authoritarian power like the one they had just escaped. After reading the Anti-Federalist papers I realize I don't align with any party today and do not view the current state of politics as anything but a gross expression of totalitarianism and dictatorship.

This ideology impacts me in the sense that I do not choose to participate in politics; I do not vote and I do not offer support of candidates. However, I will admit that I would like to see Donald Trump win the election as he comes across as an outsider and a threat to the Establishment, and the Establishment is something I would like to see fall. It is the this Establishment that has been around for a long time; and although it has changed hands through the years, its edifice was erected thanks to those Federalist ideals promoted in the adoption of the Constitution.

For future political success, I think my anti-federalist ideology could only really work if the federal government was completely abolished. The United States should go back to a loose federation, with each state adopting its own laws; this might make things difficult for trade -- but trade is only difficult because the world has become so corporatist where profits come before people. My ideology puts people before profits and so should discourage the corporatist culture. If trade hurts corporations, then people may have to resort to doing without the luxuries that corporations supply them. This may actually be good for people as they would be required to become more self-reliant, more communal in terms of buying locally.