A great American has gone on to the hereafter this week as Harry Browne; the Libertarian Party candidate for President in 1996 and 2000 has succumbed to Lou Gehrig’s disease this past week. He was 72 years old.
In a time when I was still slightly jaded as to the view of the world in which I live, I thought that I was a Libertarian and actually voted for Browne in the election of 2000 along with 384,430 other American voters.
I no longer consider myself a Libertarian, shortly after 9/11 disagreeing with the lp’s views on the war in Afghanistan and the war on Terror, I realized that my values, while somewhat Libertarian leaning, were not in line with the parties.
I still however, hold Mr. Browne in high regard as a great American thinker, a great economist and a champion of a smaller Federal government. While I disagree with his viewpoints on foreign policy, homeland security and immigration, he had some excellent ideas for Social Security reform, and for lessoning the size of the federal government.
During Mr. Browne’s time as a candidate, he made the Libertarian party the only 3rd party that was worth paying any attention to. RIP, Mr. Browne.
