Independents Day

In the late 1980's communism in Eastern Europe was crumbling, not so much because of the Cold War or the might of American military power, but under the weight of its own burgeoning institutions, its economic decay, and its lack of liberty and civic institutions outside of the state. It was dissidents such as Václav Havel and bands like the Plastic People of the Universe (a Czech band largely influenced by the Velvet Underground) that ultimately led to the downfall of the Soviet Union, not bombs or arms races.

Meanwhile, in America freedom to travel on discount airlines or buy craft beer came from an unlikely alliance of liberal Senators, Jimmy Carter, and home-brew enthusiasts like Fred Eckhart, whose A Treat on Lager Beers sparked its own kind of uniquely American revolution here in the states, freeing Americans from the tyranny of watered-down corporate pilsners, and awakening the American palette to a whole new home-brewed experience.

All this and more populate the pages of Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie's new book, The Declaration of Independents, a fun and ultimately positive look at how anti-authoritarianism, entrepreneurship and independence have led to one revolution after another in the way we think about the world, the products we buy, and the jobs we end up getting (or creating for ourselves). The only place where this innovation has not occurred has been in the tired duopoly of American politics, and in the state itself which has done anything but adapt to the new century and the hyper-innovative, hyper-globalized economy that this century has ushered in.

It's a good book, a well-written, easily accessible manifesto on how libertarian ideas and anti-authoritarianism can help change the world, and how they will one way or another, whether we like it or not. Just as importantly, the book is uplifting, optimistic and full of energy. This is no pessimistic rant about how awful the "other guy" is - its a cheerful dismissal of tribalism and monopolistic thinking, in life and in politics. Nor is it merely a stab at the state - the old dinosaurs of corporate America face the same dismal looking future, and only manage to hang on to their advantage through state protection to begin with.

In many ways, the book is a celebration of the sort of lifestyle libertarianism that Reason has symbolized for so long: freedom not just in economics, but in the way we live, who we choose to live with, and the variety of new lifestyles gaining in acceptance. It's a celebration of mutants and individualism, of the many weird and unexpected and fundamentally good ways that America has evolved, from growing acceptance of everything from multi-racial couples to gays to medical marijuana. And while it would be easy to cast a pall over the whole thing by pointing out the many ways the police state and the foreign wars and the various other government abuses have shaped our society for the worse, Welch and Gillespie keep their message upbeat, and I think the book is better for it.

The positive role decentralization, democracy, and choice can play in society - whether we're talking about freedom from Soviet dictators or liberation from overpriced airline tickets - are the predominant themes running throughout the book. There is no big government malaise, but rather a sense that freedom is the natural course of human and social evolution, and that while the forces of centralization and control will always rear their ugly heads, the desire for freedom cannot be stifled any more than love or hunger.

As Tyler Cowen notes, "It’s well written throughout, smart to focus on the areas where libertarianism is strongest, and remarkably for an “ideological” book it never ventures into the absurd or makes indefensible claims." Even if you disagree with some (or many) of the authors' conclusions (and there were a number of places where I draw very different conclusions from the authors, or find their analysis not quite complete.), I think you'll enjoy the book. Where it was the strongest I thought it was quite strong. The anti-authoritarian, irreverent streak running throughout was exactly what's needed in the oh-so-serious, same-old-same-old world of political diatribes. If nothing else, it's a breath of fresh air - which is exactly what we need in our politics right now, too.

Cowen also asks if this is a liberaltarian or libertarian book and he isn't sure. Neither am I (though confirmation bias tells me liberaltarianism!), but I do know that it represents a brand of libertarianism (or liberaltarianism) that this country could use more of, and quick.

The Declaration of Independents is for sale at Amazon.