A Terrible Bind - Local Government's Dilemma over the Use of Federal Funds

Posted: Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Among the various tiers of elective office in America, the ideals of liberty are probably best represented right now at the local level. Especially since the surge and coalescence of the liberty grassroots around Ron Paul's 2008 presidential run, liberty activists have moved themselves onto county boards, city councils, school boards, and other positions of leadership within their communities.
There is among them, as among the liberty movement generally, agreement on an exceptionally specific set of guiding principles. We have all come to realize how crucial an unbending commitment to the rule of law is to civil society. We are all strong proponents of individual liberty, sound money, and non-interventionism.

Having a set of solid, orderly principles often affords us the luxury of not having to wring our hands over discrete policy issues. For example, our non-interventionist and constitutionalist principles caused virtually all of us to quickly oppose the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But there are a few issues out there that, apparently, do not so easily submit themselves. Take the abortion question. The liberty movement does seem to be dominantly pro-life, on the grounds that one of the serious jobs of government is to protect each individual's right to live. But a notable number of committed liberty activists believe that the government has no business preventing a woman from terminating her pregnancy. They cite their devotion to individual liberty to justify their position on this policy issue.

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