All Things Expounded

There is in Washington  a tendency to see libertarianism as a flavor of public-policy soda, or just another grab bag of policy proposals, ones that emphasize free enterprise and personal liberties as opposed to bureaucratic regimentation.

This perspective is seriously flawed, and it has dangerous consequences. Imagine if Moses had sought the advice of Washington policy experts when seeking some means of freeing the Jewish people from Egyptian captivity.

They might have told him that marching up to Pharaoh and telling him “let my people go” is highly imprudent and pointless. The media won’t like it and it is asking too much too fast. What Israelites need is a higher legal standing in the courts, more market incentives, more choices made possible through vouchers and subsidies, and a greater say in the structure of regulations imposed by the Pharaoh.  Besides, Mr. Moses, to cut and run is unpatriotic.

Instead Moses took a principled position and demanded immediate freedom from all political control–a complete separation between government and the lives of the Israelites. This is my kind of libertarian.

The Left, the Right, and the State by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., Mises Institute, 2009, p.20