What it means to be MLTN
MLTN stands for Market, Liberty, Traditional, National. You lean towards private property, free enterprise and limited government. You also value tradition, local community and a country that stays independent.
You tend to trust families, churches and small businesses more than distant officials. You may be wary of foreign entanglements. A person's land, work and home matter a great deal to you.
Views you probably hold
- Private property and small business are the base of a free society.
- Government should be small, local and under the rule of law.
- Family, faith and community are the heart of a good life.
- A country should avoid foreign entanglements and keep its own course.
- Taxes and regulation should be light.
What admirers see
- Admirers say it protects the independence of ordinary families and small owners.
- It keeps government close to those it serves.
- It values stable communities and practical self-reliance.
What critics say
- Critics say it can overlook people who cannot get ahead on their own.
- Opponents argue that staying out of world affairs can leave a country weaker.
- Critics say it may resist social change too long.
In history
This shape includes agrarianism, distributism, isolationism, republicanism, Whiggism and fusionism. John Locke's case for property and limited government is a root of the tradition. In the US, parts of the early republic and later conservative movements combined limited government with traditional values. Distributism, from Catholic thinkers, wants wide ownership of small property.