Comments on: Mero: Why I am a conservative and not a libertarian

By: D Cheever

D Cheever — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:39:00 +0000

I too believe that the past holds important lessons for us and my Conservatism causes me to rely more on the events and results of the past than the desire to try the unknown as a solution without any history of the path having had success. The less government the more freedom and the more freedom the greater degree of agency that we have and life is truly about agency.

By: K Blake

K Blake — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:37:00 +0000

Well thought out, and well said; thank you for presenting this.

By: Garry

Garry — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Excellent distinction between a conservative and libertarian, however, it didn’t cover liberalism. Therefore, I shall add my own comment. I am not a liberal because I am a Latter-day Saint.

My reasons are many – both social and political. However, if liberalism is defined by the Democratic platform, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Eric Holder, then I would have to abandon most of the principles and doctrines of my faith to become one.

By: What is the Definition of Liberty? | Libertas Institute | Advancing the cause of liberty in Utah

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:17:29 +0000

[...] a debate last week at FreedomFest in which I participated, Sutherland Institute president Paul Mero argued for conservatism using the same context-free line from Acton. “For Latter-day Saints and conservatives [...]

By: Matt Piccolo

Matt Piccolo — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:54:00 +0000

Many strict libertarians believe the U.S. Constitution goes too far, that it infringes on the rights of individuals by giving too much power to government. I have heard many of them say this from their own lips. This is one reason among many others that many people in Utah who consider themselves libertarian are not truly libertarian, or at least not as libertarian as strict libertarians. While of course a wide range of beliefs may exist within one political philosophy, most strict libertarians also believe government is unnecessary and most often overreaching in anything it does.

By: Matt Piccolo

Matt Piccolo — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:54:00 +0000

By: Eric Greene

Eric Greene — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Mero: I am not a libertarian because I don’t believe that government is evil, or even a necessary evil. As a Latter-day Saint, I understand that “governments [are] instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that He holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and in administering them, for the good and safety of society.”

Response: Libertarians believe that the Constitution is inspired, and therefore the government that it creates as an appropriate and inspired means. Government that oversteps the boundaries as inspired by God is not appropriate, and therefore evil. What you leave out is this scripture in D&C 98:

6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the aconstitutional law of the land;
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.

What you leave out, Mr. Mero, is the fact that our government has not followed constitutional principle in modern times, and therefore whatever “fat” or “excess” that comes from the government not following constitution is evil. Libertarians rightly believe that the overstep of the government bounds of the constitution is evil, as you should also.

By: Eric Greene

Eric Greene — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:41:00 +0000

By: Going off the rails on a crazy train | Sutherland Daily

Going off the rails on a crazy train | Sutherland Daily — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:10:09 +0000

[...] At the kind invitation of a friend, Mark Skousen, I participated in FreedomFest 2012 at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas last week. I joined two other Latter-day Saints to debate the topic “Should Latter-day Saints be conservative, liberal or libertarian?” My able opponents were Connor Boyack, a young man from Lehi, Utah, defending the libertarian position; and Rory Reid from Las Vegas (who probably tires of hearing his name inevitably followed by “the son of Harry Reid”), defending the liberal position. My defense of the conservative position can be found here. [...]

By: nm_lonewolf

nm_lonewolf — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:15:00 +0000

Governments are institutes of God?!
Wow! I am libertarian because I believe it is your right to preach whatever you want, in-credible as it may be.
“The commonwealth seems to me to be a society of men constituted only for the procuring, preserving, and advancing their own civil interests. A church, then, I take to be a voluntary society of men, joining themselvestogether oftheirown accord.” John Locke