Our best letter last month came from John in Mecklenburg County:

Government narcissistic sociopathy is as prevalent today as in days of yore. Social media (anti social media in my mind) has consciously pulled back the thinly veiled curtain.

The elites run that game, their ill-gotten booty made public more readily now, and the glimmer in their eyes the pride in their conquests.

Half the world hates what half the world does every day. Half the world waits while half gets on with it anyway.

The bipartisan ruling class have perfected platforms to move the needle as they wish, and to normalize comfortableness.

In what Constitutional amendment does it guarantee us the right to be comfortable? It is but a warm bromide for complete control, something the comfortably numb can’t feel.

The carnage, sadly, shall be witnessed in generations to succeed us.

For the Libertarian stead, the ongoing conundrum is, how to stay relevant in this, while not caving to ideals.

To me, Libertarians can borrow from Victor Frankl, who poignantly said, "There are only two races. The race of the decent and the race of the indecent."

John Wise
WiseChoiceConsulting, LLC

Our best letter last month came from Steven in Forsythe County:

With a homicide rate of about 5 per 100,000 (lower than in the 1970s and 1980s), 99.99% of Americans did not die from gun violence in recent years; Americans are 10 times more likely to die from unintentional injuries than from homicide. 99.999% of school children are not killed in school shootings; 100 times as many children are killed in auto accidents. People are emotional and respond to stories; we're not designed to analyze big numbers. When people use one anecdote to convince others why we should have guns for protection or get rid of guns for protection, it may seem convincing, but the argument may not be as strong as it seems.

I have Libertarian tendencies and don't think the government needs to tell people how to live their lives. I don't think changing gun laws are going to make people appreciably more or less safe. I do think that being a role model is an appropriate way to try to influence others. I think our country would have a greater positive influence in the world if we focused more on being a good role model and less on using guns and violence to influence life in other peoples' countries. 

As far as I am concerned, you should decide for yourself whether having a weapon that could protect or injure you or a family member is something you want to keep around. I don't have guns; I don't need guns to feel safe in America.

Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Forsyth County
Registered Libertarian

Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Social Sciences & Health Policy
Wake Forest School of Medicine