As you no doubt already know, the FCC will vote next week on what to do about the rules that currently govern the ownership of media outlets. As many of you know, I'm a somewhat ardent small-'L' free-market libertarian, so you might think you've got a pretty good idea of my opinion on the matter. I had assumed as much and not bothered to comment here, but recently a couple of people who should know better have assumed that I was in favor of relaxing the rules, as it looks like will probably happen. Far from it!

Why I Am A Libertarian
The reason I call myself a libertarian is because I distrust people. If all people are equally untrustworthy, which scares you more: a single person, or a group of people? All else being equal, the correct answer is "a group of people," since a group of people has more power than just one person. If one person attacks you physically, you might have a chance of defending yourself. If a gang of people attacks you, you're pretty much done for, unless you've got something that gives you more power. Since I believe that all people are essentially untrustworthy because of my Christian beliefs, I prefer a system of government that keeps power out of the hands of any one person as much as possible. If you don't share my theological view, consider Lord Acton's statement that "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It doesn't matter how noble a soul is put into a position of power, that person will be constantly tempted to take advantage of others.

This belief shapes my view of government. I want as small and powerless a government as possible. The question for me is: how is small "possible"? Many libertarians stop here, for some reason limiting their philosophy of power to a consideration of government. I do not, but apply the same standard to every area. I want not just government to have as little power over me as possible, but also corporations and other private citizens. I believe that this desire is actually true of most people, though not all have necessarily thought it through.

For a simple example, I do not want anybody to have the power to kill me. So I have no problem with giving the government power to restrain people bent on such behaviors. The police department has various rights that I do not, because those rights are needed for them to exercise their responsibilities to prevent crime as they can. At a higher level, and perhaps less obviously, The FCC should have as much power as is needed to prevent unscrupulous companies from taking advantage of me. No more, but no less. I believe that the FCC is currently trying to relax the rules too much, and is failing to exercise their power to act as a check and balance to large media conglomerates.