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fair point. republicans, like democrats, tend toward what is politically expedient in the moment. rather than sticking with general principles.

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Hi Stephen. I share your concerns about the term "libertarian," but I hesitate to try an alternative. Some of the alternatives are several words long, which is awkward; others potentially confusion (liberalism or modern liberalism). Plus, trying something new might generate confusion. But I am always open to suggestions! Thanks for writing, jeff

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I think Thomas DiLorenzo uses “Jeffersonian”.

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I wouldn’t even say conservatives oppose gun control — Trump banned bump stocks & 28 Congressional Republicans voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

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Thank you for today's excellent summary of the differences between liberty and conservatism, but please find an alternative to the term "libertarianism," which sounds like a disease. Liberty is a term that encompasses the principles of limited government, freedom to trade and contract between consenting individuals without geographic boundaries, and freedom of every individual to choose how to live, where to live, whom to love, what to think, what to believe, what to speak, and when and how to die. The belief in liberty carries with it the ethical obligation to eschew behavior that impinges the liberty of others and to apply the least effective force to defend against attacks one's own liberty. The employment of lies, threats, and terrorism in pursuit of personal or political objectives is always inimical to the liberty principle. We who embrace these principles are the defenders of liberty, the partisans of liberty, the sons and daughters of liberty, liberty-ists, or old-fashioned liberals, but please find something better than "libertarians."

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