Title: Columnist explains Libertarian choice

     Author: Steve Casburn - Opinion

     Date: 10/26/92

     People get interesting looks on their faces when I tell them
     I will vote Libertarian next Tuesday. Their reactions range from
     scornful to quizzical to amused to excited. Their replies, however,
     can usually be summed up in one word: "Why?" That's what I'm
     here to write about today.

     But first, I want to look at the other three candidates; the
     ones I'm supposed to be excited about voting for. What is it
     that made me actively search through the lesser-known parties
     for an alternative to Clinton, Bush, and Perot?

     * Bill Clinton - Do we really want a President who can't make
     up his mind? I have a whole list of issues on which he has said
     one thing, then another, then another; sometimes he flip-flops
     within a week of his original statement. I'll illustrate this
     with a recent example:

     During the New Hampshire primary, Clinton stressed that he was
     for a middle-class tax cut. Then, later, he waffled, apparently
     to leave himself some wiggle room once he got elected. Then,
     during the third debate, he said this:

     "...even though I disagree with Mr. Perot on how fast we can
     reduce the deficit and how much we can increase taxes on the
     middle class..." Not "if', not "whether', but "how much'. Those
     Freudian slips are a bitch, ain't they, Bill?

     * George Bush - Again, a quick example: Bush said this is an
     election about trust. Then, about a week ago, he admitted that
     he did have some prior knowledge of the Iran-Contra dealings,
     after having vehemently denied for five years that he knew anything
     at all. As one comedian put it, the only thing George Bush and
     Harry Truman have in common is that they're both dead.

     * Ross Perot - He says he's running for President because he
     loves us. He loves one of his daughters so much that he reportedly
     sent a private investigator out to harass and discredit a potential
     fiance. Do we need Papa Perot looking out for us like that? I
     think not.

     When you look at those choices, it's easy to see why organizations
     like "Rock the Vote" have to appeal to paranoia to get students
     out to the polls.

     But "The Three Stooges" aren't our only choices. One other party
     has its candidate on the ballot in all 50 states: the Libertarian
     Party.

     Not many people are familiar with the Libertarians and their
     stands, and that's unfortunate. Libertarian thought has a lineage
     that stretches back to Thomas Jefferson, and libertarian principles
     have been evoked again and again in recent years by Republican
     candidates, many of whom (such as Nixon and Bush) have conveniently
     forgot about them once elected. (Important note: Libertarian
     refers to the party; libertarian refers to the philosophy)

     You might be a libertarian yourself without realizing it. If,
     like me, you are a Republican who can't express his anger at
     Bush in mere words, or if you are a Democrat who hopes against
     hope that Clinton is serious when he repudiates "tax-and-spend,"
     then you might want to think about voting Libertarian this year.
     Ask yourself some questions:

     Do you think the first priority of the defense program should
     be the needs of national defense instead of providing jobs? Then
     think Libertarian.

     Do you think the federal debt and yearly interest payments on
     it are becoming ruinous? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you believe that your public school education was a waste
     of your time and your parents' tax money, and that educating
     children is too important for this to continue? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you believe in free trade? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you think that the IRS is too powerful and intrusive and needs
     to be reined in? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you think that events like excessive logging on federal land
     and deadly pollution by government nuclear plants show that only
     private watchdog organizations can be trusted to protect the
     environment? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you think that the billions of dollars spent on failed attempts
     to stop drugs from entering the U.S. could be put to better use?
     And do you think that it is hypocritical for the government to
     ban marijuana use but subsidize tobacco? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you believe in a woman's right to choose? Then think Libertarian.

     Do you want a change? A real change, not just changing faces?
     Then I ask you to think Libertarian. Think hard.

     How can you get more information on the Libertarian Party? Anyone
     with an OSU e-mail account can send a note to me (scasburn) on
     Magnus, and I'll send you the Libertarian Program. Much more
     importantly, Libertarian presidential candidate Andre Marrou
     will be on campus, at 031 Hitchcock, starting at 5:00 tomorrow
     afternoon. I urge you to go and see him and listen to what he
     has to say.

     A lot of people say that a vote for a lesser-known party is a
     wasted vote, but what they don't realize is that if all we do
     is accept whoever the major parties give us, then nothing will
     ever change. If you vote for mediocrity, you will never get anything
     better than mediocrity.

     We're not even getting the best each party has to offer. George
     Bush is a mediocre Republican and a total disaster for the party
     and the country; I can't vote for him. Bill Clinton is a "B"
     team Democrat who only got nominated because the bigger-name
     Democrats were scared off by Bush's post-Gulf War popularity;
     the Democrats can do better than that.

     And so can we. When you go to the polls next Tuesday, think about
     which party is telling you the truth. Think about which party
     doesn't pander to special interests. Think about which party
     wants government out of your lives so you can live them as you
     think right. Think about the party that believes in action, not
     talk, and the party that is specific about what that action is.
     Think Libertarian, and vote for what you believe in, not what
     you think you can get.

     Steve Casburn is a senior from Benicia, California majoring in
     economics.