On Being Libertarian (Concise Version)

Let's see if I can make that last post more concise.  Here are some of my political beliefs:

1. I think that the government should stay out of business. There are an awful lot of things that are regulated in business that need no regulation, or would be improved without it. Many people are upset by "legislation by the courts", but I vastly prefer it to "legislation by regulation". First of all, court decisions are the basis of Common Law. "Legislation from the bench" is, in fact, the most concise description of Common Law I know. This gives an opportunity for evidence to be presented, heard, and considered, whereas "legislation by regulation" offers exactly none of that. Regulations are not laws, but have the force of Law. They are created by people who are hired by people who are hired by other people who are appointed by people who are elected yet have no desire to understand or monitor the thing being regulated. And the tighter the regulations are the stupider it gets. By contrast, we can have a simple law: "Do not murder", and let judges and juries decide whether a thing is or isn't murder. We don't need to create endless regulations prohibiting murder by every conceivable instrument and call it a "loophole" when someone is bumped off with a novel weapon. Likewise, we don't need endless regulations to keep things safe in general. Between the courts and the market, the quality of life will continuously improve without micromanagement.
2. I believe in a free market, and that includes the labor market. Without a minimum wage at all, then the effective minimum wage is whatever the market will bear. And if no one will work for you for $7.50/hr, then you will pay higher than that. That's how markets factually work. As an example, Denmark has no nationally mandated minimum wage, but people are paid more because they will not work for less and employers cannot use a minimum legal standard as a crutch in their wage negotiations. But despite the whining of millennials, there are jobs that aren't worth a whole lot, and people who are not yet skilled enough to command the average living wage. They should not be prohibited from marketing themselves and gaining what they can for their skills simply because employers are prohibited from offering what they are worth, and therefore cannot hire them at all.
3. I believe that abortion is murder, plain and simple. And murder harms others, so should be illegal. I believe the science is 100% completely on my side here. If you take samples of the DNA of a mother and fetus to a lab without any further sullying of the information and simply ask if they came from the same person, the answer is a solid "No". Every time. And though you may be perfectly within your rights to kill your own body, that doesn't go for the body inside it. But murder is not a Federal offense except under exceptional circumstances. Such matters should be left to the States, and to the extent that it's conscionable, to conscience. But late-term abortions are unconscionable.
4. I don't do drugs, except sparingly and fleetingly as a means to combat a disease. But if you can't do what you will with your own body, then you don't own it. And if you don't own it, who does? My response to anyone who wants to control what a consenting adult willingly places in his own body is, "who the hell do you think you are?" If they are being completely honest, they cannot escape the fact that the answer is always, "YOUR MASTER". It's perfectly appropriate to tell such an individual to go pleasure themselves with a thistle. I hate drugs, but I despise slavers.
5. I believe that marriage is a sacrament, and is properly described as a union between a man and woman. However, that's a religious opinion, and pursuant to the First Amendment, the Federal government has no business legislating religious affairs. Therefore, to the fullest extent that I feel God instituted marriage, I feel that the Feds have no business in it. None whatsoever. I should not need a "license" (i.e. "permission") from ANY government to get married, and I feel that our Federal government is especially prohibited from granting it. Such things should be left to the States that have not similarly prohibited religious legislation in their own constitutions.
6. I don't give a single shit about your gender, ever. It's not my business. Your biology is another matter. Your local government is free under the constitution to institute laws. It doesn't mean you have to like them. But we are always free to move and associate with like-minded individuals.
7. We have an army for one purpose only. Seriously, they have exactly one job. That job is to defend the borders of the United States. The fact that we also have a Border Patrol is ludicrous. The fact that we have porous borders because we refuse to allow the Army to do its One Job is ridiculous. I am pragmatic enough to realize that we can only maintain our liberties if our voting citizens are those who adhere to just one non-negotiable condition: the acceptance of the principles of our Constitution. Every other thing is completely up for grabs. But if you're allowing hordes to immigrate without that stipulation, you're not a nation.
8. Our foreign policy should be modeled our domestic policy. That is, nations are free to do as they want so long as they don't harm others. When they do harm others, then our general principle should be that the aggressor is at fault. But this is balanced against the rights of other nations to govern themselves, so our actions should be well considered. I personally have no objection to freeing a nation from the rule of a despot, assuming the people want to be freed. But it's silly to do that and then run, or just pay for someone else's security. You want the freedoms of America? Be American. I'm perfectly fine with colonial expansion, so long as it's requested.

Other Libertarians thing differently. Sometimes, vastly differently. That's OK.