Kerfuffle by KicsterAsh on DeviantArt
Recently there has been a kerfuffle going on in the political campaign. In different ways it involves both Hillary and Trump. And, it has me frustrated because it is a kerfuffle that is based on pressure outside the law. What do I mean?
Well, Hillary has been being pressured to release her full health records, while Trump has been being pressured to release both his full health records and his full taxes. On both sides of the political aisle, there are strident cries of how the public needs to know in order to make an informed choice. Of course, on both sides there are the deliberately false-faced spokespeople who—either smoothly or stridently—present plausible scenarios of tax fraud and deathly illnesses. All the scenarios presented are there for the sole purpose of requiring the candidates to do something they do not have to do: release personal records. And, that is where I have a serious problem.
I have a bit of a libertarian streak in me. Libertarianism is not either liberal or conservative at its root. Its opposite is authoritarianism, not a particular political party. You can have libertarian-leaning Democrats and Republicans. Libertarian-leaning people may not agree on the role of the government in healthcare, on the minimum wage, etc. But, they do agree that they are against unnecessary government intrusion and/or unnecessary private intrusion. Thus, both a libertarian-leaning Democrat or Republican may be against mandatory workplace drug testing on the grounds that such testing ought only to be done on reasonable suspicion and is otherwise an unnecessary and unwanted invasion of privacy. Drug Rehab Treatment is the next step to ensure safety and well being. Many libertarian-leaning people are against neighborhood associations because what was originally meant to be local neighborhood groups that would help stabilize areas and self-manage matters such as neighborhood compliance with lawn-mowing ordinances, etc., has often become a series of petty dictatorships in which even allowed matters are forbidden by the neighborhood association.
In other words, the principle of most libertarian-leaning people is that it should not be required unless necessary or unless it shows a very high utility for society. Again, that does not mean all libertarian-leaning people agree on what shows a very high utility for society or is necessary, but the basic principle is to maximize individual freedom as a higher priority than societal controls.
This is where Clinton and Trump enter. There is no law requiring that a candidate release either their health records or their taxes. In fact the practice of releasing taxes did not even arise until the mid-20th century and a little later for health records. Both Clinton and Trump have the right to refuse to release records, and I fully support both of them. In fact, I hope that they both keep refusing all the way through the election. I hope that they set a precedent that—despite all the high-sounding arguments—individual privacy is more important than the curiosity of the media and political operatives. The public does NOT have a right to know about what are protected individual records under law. Because, you see, what is in the law is actually the direct opposite of the claim to a “right to know.” The law specifically names both taxes and health records as documents protected from public release. In other words, the law supports the right of Clinton and Trump NOT to release their archives. I fully support that. Both we and the media need to know that our rights are protected against precisely the type of pressure and specious arguments and speculations that are being used against the candidates.
I like my privacies. I bet if you think about it you do too. But, if you support shaming people into giving up their privacy, then—regardless of any claim you might make—you are no libertarian-leaning person. More than that if you support shaming people into giving up their privacy, do not be surprised if you begin to lose yours. Remember that drug testing only started with truck drivers, and a very few “crucial” employees. Now it is an intrusive procedure that keeps being pushed out to more and more circumstances. If you look around, you will see how many of your rights to privacy you have given away over the last 40 years. When I was first a young adult, I could not be strip-searched in order to get on a plane. Back then a police officer could not simply stop and frisk based on a “feeling.” No airplane captain could refuse me a seat simply because he/she did not like my looks, even after I had gone through a security check. I have been required to prove my citizenship several times during the last 10 years. I never had to prove that once I was drafted and for the next 30 years. I could go on, but you have lost many freedoms. Do not let the kerfuffle over Clinton and Trump lead you to lose a couple of more.
I almost agree with you…almost. Where it comes to health information, I am in 100% agreement (imagine healthcare workers agreeing on that lol). There are very few health issues that would actually inhibit a person from fulfilling the duties of President…as we have seen over the years with the men elected. I honestly feel some of this health “crises” nonsense is misogynistic in that women are so much weaker than men. There is no need to release anything more than that…for both. Where I disagree with you is on Donald Trump’s taxes. This man has never been in office and does not seem to have a grasp on the nuances of foreign policy and even basic government. The only qualification he lists is his supposed “business acumen”. We have nothing to evaluate as to whether or not he is a good businessman at all. His financial records do not give the information for the people to determine whether he is good at what he does. Based on all outside information, he is NOT a successful businessman. He is deeply in debt and since no American banks will loan to him anymore, he most likely is deeply in debt to foreign nations-more specifically, is it China or Russia? We have no way of knowing if he pays any taxes at all or if he is lying about his charitable contributions. My opinion is that there is definitely something worth hiding or he would release them. After reading the Newweek article this week, I am very concerned about many conflicts of interest and yet, our law does not limit the President in conflicts. The Vice President, the Cabinet members, members of Congress all have to live under conflict of interest laws…not the President. That makes it imperative that we as a nation know who he is beholden to, especially after all his glowing praise of Putin.