Who is a libertarian?

The one thing all libertarians agree on is that...

The focus should be on ELIMINATING or at least REDUCING as much as possible the level of aggression that is legally and socially permissible.

When presented with a social problem, the libertarian’s FIRST and primary question is…

Will the proposed solution involve threats or the initiation of force, or will it rely on persuasion and perhaps even reduce the present level of initiated violence?

This is because libertarians, more than any other political philosophy, are concerned about the means that are used to achieve an end.

The libertarian has a Mental Lever in mind, that tells him or her…

• it’s wrong to initiate force to achieve social goals; persuasion and voluntary cooperation are better.
• acts of coercion are very likely to cause more harm than good.
• threats and actual, initiated violence violate the conscience and happiness of individuals.

All of this thinking is packed into the Golden Rule concept known as the Non-Aggression Principle. Libertarians use an empathetic approach. Thus it’s no surprise that…

Libertarians can share your social concerns! They can be intensely concerned about health care, education, homelessness, terrorism, and violence on the streets. He or she can and often does agree, that there are indeed social problems. And problems need solutions!

And while the libertarian will often be ready to join you in creating those solutions, he/she will be just as concerned about the means you propose to use.

In other words, the libertarian is critical of statist programs — because these schemes initiate force.

The libertarian will want to take direct, peaceful, voluntary action to solve the problem. They will not want to wait while you lobby Congress. It’s both inefficient and rude to pass a law compelling submission to one master plan. To enlist libertarian support, you’ll need a more empathetic, cooperative solution, that still leaves room for other people to try their preferred solutions.

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What is aggression or initiated force?

Initiated force is what justifies defensive force.

What do libertarians mean when they talk about aggression or initiated force? Initiated force is like throwing the first punch. But it’s more than that. It includes using threats of violence to gain submission.

Criminals do this without trying to justify it. But the most adept gangsters — politicians — make excuses. They claim their terrorism is needed to achieve indispensable goals. Notice how twisted this is. You would never try to achieve good ends by….

• Pointing guns at people
• Threatening to cage people
• Shooting people for resisting your good intentions

But that’s exactly how politicians use the “gunpoint proxy” you give them.

• They act in your name, if not at your direction
• Their “policies” threaten violence
• You must obey and pay, or armed agents will harm you

Politicians hide this brutality behind weasel-words like “public policy,” “national security”, “unintended consequences” and “collateral damage.” But the victims are real. We aim to zero-out this harm. Widespread acceptance of the Non-Aggression Principle will encourage people to…

• Look for the gun behind every State action
• Feel empathy for the victims
• End initiated force

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What is the Non-Aggression Principle?

The Non-Aggression Principle (NAP) is THE core libertarian idea. It says — Don’t aggress or initiate force against anyone, personally or politically.

It means:

• Do not use force except for defensive purposes.
• Let each individual live as he/she wills, provided he/she permits the same to others.

Libertarians want a world where force is used only defensively — no aggression!

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Who’s afraid of Imran Khan’s Pakistan? Almost everyone.

There is much in Khan to be afraid of. During his poison-tongued, invective-laden campaign, he pushed his supporters to the verge of war with news channels that criticized him. He has suggested that those who opposed him were “agents” of Pakistan’s archrival India and the “international establishment.”

He has supported a draconian blasphemy law that has led to at least 69 vigilante killings since 1990. Day after day on the campaign trail, he started fires and fanned flames, calling upon his followers to suspend disbelief and vest faith in conspiracies. And for someone who has for decades asked Pakistan’s young people — 64 percent of the population is under 30 — to join his revolution to overthrow the corrupt old political order, he has been much too quick to partner with turncoat politicians, Islamist hardliners and power-hungry soldiers.

Many have pointed to Khan’s mild-toned victory speech of July 26 to suggest that he was capable of grace and gravitas. But the fact is that his call for a more open, responsible foreign policy, even overtures to India and Afghanistan, ring hollow in the backdrop of years of peddling isolationism. His constant pandering to the religious ultra-right during the campaign and increasing support of conservative ideals suggest there is little reason to believe he is the person to lead Pakistan out of the clutches of extremism.

If he has indeed come into power with the help of the military, and there is much evidence that he has, then it is likely that the military will want its pound of flesh. He will need its help in finding allies and cutting deals, and the military will want even more space to control foreign and economic policy (with a 1.1 trillion rupee defense budget out of a total budget outlay of 5.9 trillion, no one cares more than the Pakistan army about what happens to the economy).

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Govt imposes duty on cheese, mobile phones and 568 other products

The government has not even spared Christmas trees and baby bicycles from the levy of duties, also describing these items as luxury.

The development came despite the fact that all such measures have failed to yield the desired results in the past.

Out of 570 tariff lines, the FBR has introduced duties on 80 items for the first time. Those are live animals, meat, fish, eggs, paper and paper board, motorcycles, bicycles that will now be subject to 5% to 10% of duties, according to the FBR.

On the remaining items, the FBR has significantly increased the duties. Some of the items are fish frozen & fish fillets, cheese, curd, fruits and nuts, juices, tobacco, motor cars.

Read more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1827517/1-govt-notifies-duties-570-products/