I’m sure most people will disagree
I’m just reminded that the difference between most conservatives and the libertarians I know is that the libertarians I know seem to have some grasp of how the world works (even if we differ in our interpretations) and use such knowledge to formulate their opinions, whereas a loud strain of conservative thinkers just spout out opinions as if saying it loud enough makes it so.
Yes and no. Libertarians seem to have a grasp of how the world works when it comes to vice. Not so much when it comes to governing people, foreign policy, or, you know, developing a plan to get their message out.
January 5th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Or win elections.
January 5th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Yeah, some libertarians’ worldviews seem to start and stop at drugs and prostitution.
Incidentally, I’d like to see pot legal and other drugs somewhat decriminalized, but the percentage of people in prison for drug offenses ain’t as high as some people think.
January 5th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
To say it as nicely as I can, the difference I see between liberals and conservatives on the one hand and libertarians on the other is the degree of deference to the social contract and reverence for the majesty of the state. Liberals and conservatives show much more of both than libertarians do.
January 5th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I remember when I was driving from SC to WA, I caught some of a Libertarian radio show, I think while going around KC.
The hosts were advocating outlawing corporations because they were legal fictions created by the government.
The effect this would have on the global economy didn’t really seem to matter to them.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
The Left wants coercion and the Right (the “real” right) wants Liberty. Simple enough? Yes it is– don’t try to confuse it.
Your quote uses a small “l” and response seems to be about the big “L” (one who upholds the ideal of Liberty verses a political party).
Corporations are “legal fictions created by government” in the same sense that a Title to real property is greated by government– The fact that government recognises an institution created by the citizens (good) and the fact that government attempts to run it (bad) are seperate issues.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I share the libertarian bent, and realize that the Libs will never be a viable political party.
It’s hard to organize people who mainly want to be left the hell alone.
January 6th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Liberals obviously believe that everyone except themselves are idiots unable to run their own lives, but that you can turn an idiot into a man so wise as to be fit to run other people’s lives just by giving him a GS salary and putting him behind a government-owned desk. Conservatives believe that you can turn a wise man into an idiot by putting him on a government salary, and have considerable evidence to support this, but most of them also believe that giving that same man a gun and a badge along with his government salary will make him nearly infallible. Small-L libertarians know that large organizations tend to develop internal incentives that do not support their alleged mission; private businesses (corporate or not) must overcome this tendency or lose their customers and go out of business, but it’s nearly impossible to correct a government agency gone astray.
Of course, Libertarians who think they can win an election are 99.9% likely to be just plain nuts.