In the 1980s, libertarianism grew substantially more popular and gained considerable influence in Republican administrations, though at the national level, the Libertarian Party still fared poorly. However, in the 2000's, libertarian ideas have some influence on other parties; for example, as of late, some Republicans are seriously proposing eliminating the IRS and income tax. Also, George W. Bush's "personal accounts" for Social Security are modeled in part upon "privatization" proposals long supported by some libertarian groups like the Cato Institute as a means of dismantling the welfare state.[1] (http://www.cato.org/new/02-05/02-24-05r-2.html) Other achievements hailed by libertarians in the last few decades include: Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... The term libertarian is also claimed by libertarian socialism. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – Present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... For specific national programs, see Social Security (United States), National insurance (UK), Social Security (Sweden) Social security mainly refers to a field of social welfare concerned with social protection, or protection against socially recognized needs. ... The Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation (think tank) with strong libertarian leanings (despite wide public perception that it is a conservative think-tank), headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is named after Catos Letters, a series of early 18th century British essays expounding the... There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. ...

Milton Friedman

• Many trade barriers have been lifted, reducing what most libertarians argue are unneeded interferences with functioning markets and the right to use one's property as one sees fit.
• The “Contract with America” agenda of the congressional republicans in the 1990s, with its emphasis on lower taxes and government spending, is largely in line with libertarian views.
• Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan have exerted considerable influence over monetary policy in favor of libertarian goals.
• Ronald Reagan popularized libertarian economics and anti-statist rhetoric in the United States and passed some reforms, though many libertarians are ambivalent about his legacy. The libertarian Reason Magazine interviewed Reagan in 1975 and discussed some areas of overlap and disagreement. [2] (http://reason.com/7507/int_reagan.shtml)
• In the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had much the same effect.
• In Costa Rica, the libertarian political party Movimiento Libertario has achieved electoral success at the national level and controls approximately 10% of the legislature.
• Some of what libertarians consider victimless crimes such as sodomy have been decriminalized in the United States (see Lawrence v. Texas)
• Some states and local governments have relaxed laws on marijuana use and medical marijuana, though libertarians argue that the War on Drugs still constitutes one of the greatest threats to liberty in the United States as a whole.
• There are many (self-described) libertarian celebrities and libertarian figures in politics and the media
• Ayn Rand's popularity has greatly enhanced interest in libertarian ideas

Despite these and other victories, most libertarians consider current governments to be very unlike their ideal governments; in the United States, policies like the War on Drugs and the expansion of entitlements like Medicare lead some libertarians to believe that the government is more intrusive now than when libertarianism first gained political influence. Milton Friedman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Barriers to international trade can take many forms, including: import duties import licenses export licenses import taxes tariffs agricultural subsidies non-tariff barriers However, most trade barriers all work on the same principle: the imposition of some sort of cost on trade that raises the price of the traded products. ... The Contract with America was a document released during the 1994 Congressional election campaign by the United States Republican Party. ... Events and trends Technology The World Wide Web was born at CERN Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft... Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (born July 31, 1912) is a U.S. economist, known primarily for his work on macroeconomics and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. ... Alan Greenspan ( older image) Dr. Alan Greenspan, KBE (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve of the United States. ... Order: 40th President Vice President: George H.W. Bush Term of office: January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: February 6, 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: June 5, 2004 Place of death: Bel-Air... Reason magazine is a leading libertarian magazine from the Reason Foundation. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (born 13 October 1925) is a British stateswoman and was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the only woman as of 2005 to serve in that position. ... The Libertarian Movement Party, known widely by its Spanish name Partido Movimiento Libertario is a libertarian political party in Costa Rica. ... A consensual or victimless crime is a crime where all of those involved in the act give consent, and no third parties suffer as a direct result. ... Sodomy is a term of religious origin to characterise certain sexual acts and behaviours as a perversion of the human capacity for union through sexuality. ... Holding A Texas law prohibiting homosexual sodomy violated the liberty under the Fourteenth Amendment of adults to engage in private intimate conduct. ... Cannabis is a plant also known as Cannabis sativa, hemp, or marijuana. ... Medical marijuana refers to the use of marijuana, a form of cannabis as a therapy or prescription drug, most notably as an anti-emetic. ... The prohibition of drugs through legislation or religious law is a common means of controlling the perceived negative consequences of recreational drug use at a society- or world-wide level. ... See Libertarianism Jason Alexander (self-described) Billie Joe Armstrong Dave Barry Sandra Bernhard (self-described) Richard Branson Drew Carey Marilyn Chambers Clint Eastwood Penn Jillette John Laroquette Denis Leary Sam Longoria Bill Maher (self-described) Melanie Tiffany Million Lisa Kennedy Montgomery Mojo Nixon Trey Parker Neil Peart Eric S. Raymond... See Libertarianism Michael Badnarik Art Bell Neal Boortz Harry Browne Ed Clark Richard Cowan Brian Doherty ( Reason) Larry Elder Mark Foley John Hospers Gary Johnson Alex Jones Andre Marrou Russell Means Theodora B. Nathan David Nolan Gary Nolan P. J. ORourke Ron Paul Justin Raimondo J. Neil Schulman L... Publicity photo of Ayn Rand. ... The prohibition of drugs through legislation or religious law is a common means of controlling the perceived negative consequences of recreational drug use at a society- or world-wide level. ... There are several publicly funded health services in various countries called Medicare: Medicare (Canada) is a comprehensive, universal (for all the citizens and permanent residents in the country) public health financing system. ...