Speaking for myself, I’m more of an idea guy, less of an action guy. I’m taking action in my own ways that I see are in line with my own interests. For example, I’m in the process of writing my own programming language whose ultimate purpose is to enable easy access to cryptographic data stored on online servers in a way that is streamlined, yet open source. My primary purpose for the language (how it benefits me) is to act as a resume item that I hope will one day set me apart from the pack.
I’m a big believer that the individual’s interests and the interests of society naturally align. If the “action items” that we devise are incongruous with the simple pursuit of self-interest, they’re obviously doomed to failure from the outset. So, the key is understanding what individual interests people could be pursuing but aren’t either due to lack of insight, mental blocks, lack of organization or capital support, etc. and then fill in what is missing.
In terms of direct action towards political change, I don’t see how a person can do better than donating to the LvMI, popularizing Austrian economics, popularizing Ron Paul, and devising money-making ways to do these things (e.g. bitbutter’s crowd-funded animations are a perfect illustration). Haven’t you been watching the news for the last couple years? Haven’t you seen people shaking protest signs that say “END THE FED” on them, in mass numbers, all around the country? You don’t think that the LvMI is the single entity most responsible for this?
Also, I think it’s important to note that just because something doesn’t superficially appear to lend support to the liberty movement, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t support it anyway. This is the invisible hand. And I think that there are a lot of commercial or semi-commercial activities - web programming for cash, DJing and mixing in night clubs for cash payment and tips, even Bitcoin mining - that are chipping away at the cracks in the dam.
Granted, we’re not yet to critical mass but the only route to real change is through the masses changing the minds and attitudes. Politics is a hopeless game. It’s been played a million different ways and always with the same result: “Send me to Washington so I can clean house!” “Sorry, I had to compromise in order to get things done.” “We need this bill in order to protect American workers from greedy capitalists sending our jobs overseas.”
So, we just need to keep building toward critical mass (changing hearts and minds). 10% is not enough. 16% is supposed to be the magic number but I don’t think it would hurt to try get 20% of the American public at least aware of the problems with the Federal Reserve system and get them - after the famous Aaron Russo documentary - Mad As Hell about it. Perhaps we could use an End the Fed PAC toward this end, a group whose sole purpose is to raise money, get anti-Fed people elected and twist the arms of the remaining members of Congress to end the legal tender status of FRNs (and any other regulatory favors given to FRNs) and free gold and silver of capital gains taxes.
One of the things that might also be good is an educational outreach specifically directed toward the wealthy - I think there are more individuals who could become “libertarian angels” like Peter Thiel is - they just haven’t given any thought to the matter. I know that charity organizations will sponsor programs to go to social galas and attempt to glad hand the wealthy and attempt to attract their attention to donating to various kinds of charity. Promoting liberty doesn’t sound like charity but it really is the most philanthropic thing that I think a person could spend their money on, so perhaps we just need people to go out and create a message that explains liberty in terms of philanthropy.
And so on. I’m not opposed to political action, I am just firmly convinced that there’s no way in hell we’re going to elect ourselves out of this mess. Sooner or later, the system will have to undergo something at least as upending to the present social order as perestroika was to Soviet Russia.
Clayton -