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Persuasion Power Point #361
by Michael Cloud
Don't Quench Their Thirst with a Fire Hose
When someone asks you about libertarianism, how much should you tell them?
a) Enough to stimulate their desire for more?
b) Enough to satisfy their interest?
c) More than they want to know. Everything you know about libertarianism.
All too often, libertarians act on answer "c." 
We quench their thirst... with a fire hose.
We give them too much information, too fast. They can't absorb it. Can't digest it.
"The secret of being a bore is to tell all you know," wrote Voltaire.
Burying our listeners with information numbs their minds and turns them off.
Drowning them with unfamiliar assertions, ideas, facts, and thinking -- intimidates and overwhelms them.
When "too much" fails, "almost enough" succeeds.
Why? Because "almost enough to satisfy" is "enough to stimulate their appetite for more."
This is the key: Almost enough. Less than enough.
"Less than enough" whets their hunger for more information about libertarianism.
"Less than enough" stimulates their thirst for more.
"Less than enough" arouses their desire to learn more.
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Michael Cloud's latest book Unlocking More Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion is available exclusively from the Advocates, along with his acclaimed earlier book Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion.
In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.
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Unlocking More Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion
Transform your libertarian outreach!
Click cover to see more and order.
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 Ask Dr. Ruwart
Dr. Mary Ruwart is a leading expert in libertarian communication. In this column she offers short answers to real questions about libertarianism. To submit questions to Dr. Ruwart, see end of column.
What happens to farmers if we end government farm subsidies?
 QUESTION: If you remove all farm subsidies, what happens to the farmer when drought or flood hits and he losses his crop for one year?
MY SHORT ANSWER: Like other business people, farmers plan for bad years through savings, insurance, etc. If they fail to make such plans, they suffer the same fate as other businesses operating on the edge — they go under in tough times. They are bought out by someone who manages better. The displaced farmers find an occupation more suited to their particular talents.
Subsidies discourage good management and encourage inefficiency. As a result, consumers pay more for less.
LEARN MORE: Suggestions from Liberator Online editor James W. Harris for additional reading on this topic:
* "Five Reasons to Repeal Farm Subsidies" by Chris Edwards, Cato Institute, May 31, 2013.
EXCERPT: "Why is farming so coddled by the government? It’s a risky business, but not uniquely so. Industries such as high technology, newspapers, and restaurants are very risky, yet they don’t rely on government handouts. Farming faces certain risks such as adverse weather. But high-tech companies are vulnerable to rapid innovations by competitors, and restaurants are vulnerable to changing consumer tastes and intense competition. ... If farm subsidies were ended...a stronger and more innovative agriculture industry would emerge that would be more productive and more resilient in the long run."
* "GOP Hypocrisy and the Farm Bill" By Michael Tanner, Cato Institute, Huffington Post, July 12, 2013. In this op-ed Tanner dissects a federal farm bill and shows the anti-market, anti-consumer nature of farm subsidies — and the shockingly huge conservative support for them.
EXCERPT: "In 2011, the last year for which full data is available, the average farm household had an income of $87,289, 25 percent higher than the average for all U.S. households. And about a third of the farm subsidies go to the largest four percent of farm operators. If you want to see real 'welfare queens,' look no further than Pilgrim's Pride, Tyler Farms, and Riceland Foods."
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Got questions? Dr. Ruwart has answers! If you'd like answers to YOUR "tough questions" on libertarian issues, email Dr. Ruwart
Due to volume, Dr. Ruwart can't personally acknowledge all emails. But we'll run the best questions and answers in upcoming issues.
Dr. Ruwart's previous Liberator Online answers are archived in searchable form.
Dr. Ruwart's latest book Short Answers to the Tough Questions, Expanded Edition is available from the Advocates, as is her acclaimed classic Healing Our World.
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Click cover to check out Dr. Ruwart's latest book!
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One-Minute Liberty Tip
by Sharon Harris
Comparisons: Questions that Make People Think
Government is often inconsistent and unfair. 
By asking the right questions, you can get people to see this unfairness and inconsistency, and lead them to question commonly-accepted coercive government programs.
Here are some examples:
"Why should people who spend their own money on country music be forced by the government to subsidize the tastes of people who like classical music?"
"Why should people who pay their own money to subscribe to newspapers and pay for cable news be forced by the government to subsidize the news preferences of NPR fans?"
"Why should families who are working and scrimping and saving so they can send their kids to a private school that best suits their values be forced by the government to also pay for the education of children of other families, many of whom are better off economically than they are?"
"Why should people who want to teach their kids to play tennis be forced by the government to pay for baseball, football and soccer fields for other people’s kids?"
"Why should people who don’t like sports, or who support other sports besides professional sports, be forced by the government to pay for stadiums and other giveaways to wealthy sports corporations?"
Note: I like to say "forced by the government" so it is clear that force is being used, and clear who is doing it.
To questions like this, you can also point out that many people suffer from these programs. I did that in some of those questions. Here's another example, using the first question above:
"Why should people who like country music — and who, in these difficult economic times, may be struggling to pay mortgages and household bills — be forced by the government to subsidize the tastes of people who like classical music?"
And it’s not just music and sports, of course. Here's a variation:
"Why should people whose intoxicant of choice is marijuana be arrested and imprisoned by the government, while people who prefer intoxicants that are arguably more dangerous, like liquor and tobacco, are left alone?"
"If someone needs a job, and someone else is willing to pay less than the minimum wage to have some work done, why should this private, consensual, and mutually beneficial arrangement be forbidden by the government?"
"Why are some people forbidden by the government to gain work skills by offering to work for less than the minimum wage, while university students are allowed to work as interns with low or even no pay in order to learn the ropes of high-paying professions?"
What other comparisons can you think of that will change your listeners’ minds, open their hearts, and let them see the injustice of government programs through the eyes of those who are harmed by them?
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Sharon Harris is president of the Advocates for Self-Government.
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What's Happening with the Advocates
NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS
ADVOCATES LIBERTARIAN COMMUNICATION EVENTS: Advocates President Sharon Harris will be conducting libertarian communication workshops or giving speeches at these upcoming events:
January 2014: Communication workshop in New Orleans. Place and date TBA.
January 2014: Communication workshop in Kennesaw, GA. Place and date TBA.
February 2014: Communication workshop in Nashville. Place and date TBA.
March 2014: Communication workshop in Colorado. Sunday, March 30, Golden, Colorado, sponsored by the Libertarian Party of Colorado.
Attendees will learn how to dramatically increase their effectiveness at communicating the ideas of liberty.
Email us now if you'd like us to send you further information on these events.
Email Sharon to find out how you can have a communication event near you.
ONGOING
FREE OPH KITS FOR LIBERTARIAN STUDENT GROUPS: Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we're giving our acclaimed OPH (Operation Political Homeless) outreach kits to libertarian student groups FREE — if they simply promise to use them a minimum of three times a year and send us photos documenting their OPH activity. OPH — praised as the best recruiting tool in the libertarian movement -- normally sells for $50.00.
If you're in a student libertarian group, click here for more information on getting your free OPH kit.
JOIN US ON TWITTER: Twitter is the first place to learn about breaking Advocates and liberty movement news, expert communications tips, and exclusive Advocates discounts and specials. (And don't worry — we won't bombard you with tweets. We're keeping it fun, fast, and useful.)
Go to the Advocates Twitter account and click the "follow" button below our picture. Thanks!
JOIN THE ADVOCATES ON FACEBOOK: The Advocates Facebook page offers you a chance to share your ideas on liberty, meet some great people and show your support for the Advocates for Self-Government and liberty. Join us and you'll receive regular Facebook updates on Advocates news, communication tips, and special offers for our Facebook friends.
2014 FREEDOM CRUISES: Advocates Board Secretary and long-time libertarian leader Dr. Ken Bisson invites you to join him for a Freedom Cruise. Enjoy a wonderful trip on a luxury cruiser — at a bargain rate! Great food and fine company. Non-libertarians welcome! On January 26, 2014 the 17th Annual Freedom Cruise embarks: a 7-day Holland America voyage to excellent snorkeling destinations Grand Cayman and Cozumel, with visits to Key West and Half Moon Cay as well, all on Holland America's newest cruise ship! (These aren't Advocates events, but libertarians who have been on past cruises rave about them.) Ken offers two other February 2014 cruises as well. For photos and more details — or to sign up for free, no-pressure, no-commitment email updates — visit Freedom Cruises.
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President's Corner
our precious Bill of Rights.
Record numbers of Americans are embracing a libertarian, non-interventionist, Ron Paul-style foreign policy. 
writing or speaking on a political topic or other controversial topic because they fear it will provoke government surveillance. An additional 11% have seriously considered doing so. 
Welfare State. 
GOV'T THINKS WE ARE IDIOTS: "In 1950, I was 14 years old and applied for a work permit for an after-school job. One of the requirements was to obtain a Social Security card. In bold letters on my Social Security card, which I still possess, are the words 'For Social Security Purposes — Not For Identification.' That's because earlier Americans feared that their Social Security number would become an identity number. According to the Social Security Administration website, 'this legend was removed as part of the design changes for the 18th version of the card, issued beginning in 1972.' That statement assumes we're idiots. We're asked to believe that the sole purpose of the removal was for design purposes. Apparently, the fact that our Social Security number had become a major identification tool, to be used in every aspect of our lives, had nothing to do with the SSA's getting rid of the legend saying 'For Social Security Purposes — Not For Identification.'" — 
wage is that hardly anyone makes it. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics less than 3 percent of all workers take home $7.25 or less an hour and half who do are 24 years old or younger. And the vast majority — 77 percent — of minimum wage earners belong to households that are above the poverty line. So when Fast Food Forward declares, 'We can't survive on $7.25!', the good news is that very few people have to (and to the extent that they do, their income is supplemented by anti-poverty programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, and housing subsidies). Staying at the minimum wage is also usually mercifully short-lived. For instance, between 1977 and 1997, two-thirds of full-time workers had moved on to higher pay within a year." — 
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE:
UH-OH: "Members of the Tea Party gathered outside the White House to demand President Obama's impeachment. The president said he appreciated their views and he is setting up a new website where they can voice their opinion." — Conan O'Brien, Nov. 20, 2013.
