Questions? Sure, every libertarian gets asked questions about
the freedom philosophy. But few libertarians have been asked as
many questions, by as many people, as many times, in as many
forums, as Harry Browne.
During his 1996 and 2000 Libertarian Party presidential
campaigns, Harry participated in over 1,000 radio and TV
interviews. He attended countless press conferences, editorial
board meetings, and debates. At all those events, he was peppered
and strafed with questions. He was quizzed and interrogated. He
was verbally grilled and sautéed.
Remarkably, Harry rarely seemed to be at a loss for words. No
matter how tough, hostile, or offbeat the question, he had a
smooth, well-thought-out, persuasive answer. Now we know the
reason why.
In his new book, Liberty A-Z: 872 Libertarian Soundbites
You Can Use Right Now, Harry shares his personal file of
arguments and answers to almost every question that any
libertarian will ever be asked. As he explains in the
introduction, Harry compiled these soundbites during his two
presidential campaigns. Answers would pop into his head during
interviews, and he would later write them down, tweak them,
improve them -- and then memorize them, to be used again and
again. (Harry didn't stop after the campaign; there are also
soundbites about topics as recent as 9/11 and the war in
Iraq.)
The title, Liberty A-Z, is no misnomer. The book
literally starts with A (Abortion) and ends with Z (Zero, flat
tax rate of). In between, Harry addresses a Balanced Budget,
Campaign Finance, Defense and the Military, Education, Federal
Spending, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Jobs,
Libertarianism, Morality, National Interest, Oil, Pornography,
Quotas, Republicans, Social Security, Terrorism, Utopian
Thinking, Victimless Crimes, Welfare, Young People -- and
hundreds of other issues. If Harry missed a major topic (other
than the letter X), I didn't notice it.
Harry's persuasion techniques are as varied as his topics.
For some issues, he uses facts to convince. For others,
metaphors. Or historic parallels. Or aphorisms. Or questions. Or
humor. (For example, when asked how big government should be,
Harry says: "I want a government small enough to fit inside
the Constitution.") Philosophically, a majority of the
answers are permeated by Harry's futilitarianism -- the idea
that government doesn't work, and that turning to politicians
for solutions will never be as effective as relying on
individuals, charities, non-profits, and communities.
In Liberty A-Z, Harry doesn't confine himself just
to specific issues. One of the most useful sections of the book
discusses what he calls Fall-Back Positions. In it, he offers
"all-purpose" answers to give if you are asked a
question about a topic you know little about, or if you are
pressed about an apparently "successful" government
program. One example of Harry's fall-back answers: "You
may feel this program does something good. But does that justify
forcing other people to pay for it? If the program is so
wonderful, why couldn't you entice people to support it
voluntarily?" Good stuff.
A confession: There are a handful of soundbites in the book
that didn't impress me. In a few cases, I think Harry used
weak arguments, or cited a flimsy set of facts, or recycled his
"government doesn't work" argument once too often.
But do you know what? It doesn't matter. For every soundbite
I didn't like, there were a hundred I did. For example,
here's Harry on the dangers of marijuana: "No one ever
died from smoking marijuana, but millions of people have died by
believing politicians. So why is marijuana outlawed while
politicians are still legal?"
As this quick overview probably makes clear, there are dozens
of good uses for Liberty A-Z. For a libertarian candidate,
it's an indispensable reference tool, to be consulted before
any interview. For libertarian spokesperson, it can furnish new
arguments and ripostes. For libertarian writers, it's a
brainstorming tool, to be used before penning an op-ed or letter
to the editor. For a newcomer, it's a good general
introduction to libertarianism. For an old-timer, it's a
fast, comprehensive reminder of why you're already a
libertarian.
Answers? Every libertarian has his or her personal answers
about the freedom philosophy. But few libertarians have crafted
as many ingenious, persuasive, and eloquent answers as Harry
Browne has. Liberty A-Z is proof of that -- no question
about it.
