The third annual International Students for Liberty Conference, held at American University this past weekend, didn't have any big-name senators, celebrities, or former presidents speak. It didn't have thousands of attendees, and it was not held at a ritzy hotel. Party politics at the conference were almost non-existent, and lobbyists didn't sponsor any closed-door receptions for attendees.
Started in the summer of 2007, Students for Liberty is a student-run organization that describes itself as a “nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a unified, student-driven forum of support for students and student organizations dedicated to liberty.” Liberty, of course, means different things to different people. Many students at the conference were clearly inspired by Congressman Ron Paul's bid for President in 2008, preferring to discuss the pitfalls of the Federal Reserve System and the problems with America's far-reaching foreign policy. Others suited up in shirts blazoned with images of Austrian economic heroes Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard, a sight absent from most college campuses. Many students openly expressed that they want no part of the political process, but others boosted the method of advancing individual liberty through politics.
The closest the conference came to politics was through an address by Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, known for his customary vetoes of legislation during his tenure from 1995 to 2003. Johnson, a libertarian-leaning Republican, carefully avoided speculating on whether or not he would run for president in 2012, preferring instead to discuss his Our America Initiative, a 501c(4) organization dedicated to small government. The tax status of the project allows it to raise unlimited funds, fueling speculation of Johnson's presidential ambitions.
Other speakers included Russ Roberts, professor of economics at George Mason University. Roberts spoke at length on the roots of the ongoing financial crisis, placing more than a little blame on government bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for facilitating the moral hazard that has encouraged bankers and investors to make risky loans. In a serious show of nerdiness, Roberts showed off his hilarious new project to the audience, “Fear the Boom and Bust,” a seven-minute video pitting libertarian hero Freidrich von Hayek against John Maynard Keynes in a rap battle (which comes highly recommended). Of course, Hayek's lines shook the room with applause, while Keynes' prompted boos and hisses.
Panels throughout the conference gave students to the chance to hear from experts from a variety of organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the ACLU, the National Taxpayers Union, and the Institute for Humane Studies. The keynote speaker was Ed Crane, President of the libertarian Cato Institute and a founder of the Libertarian Party.
Perhaps most valuable from the International Students for Liberty Conference were the tips and strategies that students exchanged for organizing on campus. Anyone that has held an event on U-M's campus knows how difficult it can be to work out bureaucratic logistics, deal with unexpected problems, and most importantly, make sure that students show up. Students for Liberty provides a variety of resources for students interested in starting up a liberty-based group on campus, but nothing beats strategizing with students from around the country in person.
For libertarians turned off by the pointless drama of Republican Party infighting evident at the much-larger Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which will be held next weekend in Washington, the third annual Students for Liberty Conference was a breath of fresh air. No doubt some students left thinking the best strategy to advance individual liberty going forward is to promote the academic and philosophical underpinnings of libertarianism. Others expressed that student government and supporting limited government-oriented candidates for office is a more worthwhile endeavor. Yet there is one thing every attendee agreed on: the government should be smaller.
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