Libertarian International Organization

LIO Advisor Dr. Milton Friedman travelled the world to advance the LIO poverty reduction approach.

LIO Libertarians have led the way in efforts focused on actually abolishing systemic poverty by increasingly sane and voluntary measures, not just creating another coercive program that becomes a political soccer ball.

A negative income tax capturing government efficiencies, spread of freer markets to combat oppression and raise prosperity partu cularly at the local level such as farmer's markets, and a pilot trust fund to provide a permanent income are the 3-pronged approach LIO advisors used to reduce poverty and coercion...but much remains to be done following the greatest poverty reduction program in history. The prongs were Libertarian-oriented or direction initiatives meant to lay the foundations of a better voluntaryt approach;

1. Prior to board appointment, Nobelist Milton Friedman proposed a "negative income tax" that would cut bureaucratic inefficiencies and, capturing improvements be used to provide a stable basic income. In time the program would be peeled away into  separate local public trusts and true social insurance  voluntarily funded to end poverty forever. The concept has created in the US the Earned Income Credit and similar programs in many countries, ending humiliating poverty tests and make work programs as are again being proposed in the UK by the extremne right.
2. A pilot permanent fund trust was proposed by LIO co-ordinator the then young Michael Gilson-De Lemos, and after championship by Friedman was adopted upon motion of Libertarian legislators in Alaska. The Fund provides a regular income top each Alaskan funded from public property, and is independent of the government despite several takeover attempts. Similar voluntary sovereign funds are in place in other countries. In addition, moves to restore personal pensions and trust funds--such as in the US simplified trust law, removal of perpetuity blocks, and promotion of arrangemnents such as Keough and IRA plans--have resulted in great wealth for many people even despite the recent downturn, including pilot social security personalized arrangements in countries such as Chile.
3. Friedman criss-crossed the world meeting with officials to champion freer markets starting at the local level with simple farmer markets, combined with lower tax rates and red tape. He also advised LIO honorary board members in the set up of the educational Atlas think tanks to train young advocates. China, India, the former Soviet Union, many former Latin and African dictatorships,  and many formerly poverty stricken countries have advanced with rises of national income in multiples, and a pressure for more rights and better services by the growing middle class and educated professionals.

Much of course remains to be done: including promotion of completely voluntary and hence de-politicized permanent funds to end taxation not dependent on any one resource and to promote stable services run by the users, and also guarantee a meaningful basic income no matter what. Increasingly, people can take matters in their own hands with IRA type and other arrangements invested in not just stocks but a range of assets, in turn of improving performance as inane regulations are targeted.

Shortly before his death, Dr. Friedman said to us: "Libertarians, especially LIO supporters and advisors, led the non-partisan effort to crush poverty with the tools we had and provided many new ones. Coercive government programs create a vicious circle, we a way out. Communism, the welfare state, be-responsible conservatives and all the rest perpetuated and deepened the problem, we're ending it. The reverse is often unjustly charged, but I did my part, I know what happened, and I'm proud of it. So there."

RESOURCES:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earned_Income_Tax_Credit
• Why Pay Taxes?  at http://www.bestsyndication.com/2005/A-H/gilson-mike/092705-user-fees-taxes.htm and Alaska Fund History: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22alaska+permanent+fund%22+%2B+%22dick+randolph%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
• Atlas Foundations: http://atlasnetwork.org
• LIO longstanding committment noted: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5t6Nhw38EdEJ:www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Libertarian-International-Organization+%22alaska+permanent+fund%22+%2B+libertarian&cd=52&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
• CATO Social Security project: http://www.cato.org/research/ss_prjct.html