“Sometimes the libertarian label seems like a liability for people who are both (1) serious about substantially reducing the scope of government, and (2) actually are in a position to have enough influence to do so. At times there is little distinction, as far as public perception goes, between libertarians and libertines, who just want the government to quit harassing people who want to live non-traditional lifestyles. So self-proclaimed libertarians get lumped in with the dope smokers and gay rights groups. Not that there’s anything wrong with that … but it can be a distraction from the broader goal of limiting the scope of government. Sometimes libertarianism is associated with anarchism.” (11/05/09)