Libertarianism Defined and Frequently Asked Questions

[dead0man]

I agree with most of this, with a few exceptions.

Shouldn't libertarians support gay marriage?

No, libertarians should not support gay marriage or any other type of government marriage, government regulation of marriage implies the ability on the part of the government to single out for harm married couples, which the government in fact has done and does.

Yes, but the state does get into the marriage thing now, gay people want to get married, I say let 'em.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Yes, but I have a hard time sitting by and watching asshat leaders kill their asshat peoples with air power and armor.  Plus, I love seeing obvious bad guy get what he deserves.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Yes, as soon as the entire world is ran by libertarianish governments then the borders can be ignored, until then, nations need borders.  We should make it easier to import temporary workers when we need them and easier to let quality people in permanently.

[dead0man]

Agreed on both counts.

[dead0man]

Is libertarianism reconcilable with state bans on corporal punishment in the home a la in Sweden?

yes

You must be logged in to read this quote.

yes

[dead0man]

What about violence to protect someone else?

yes

[dead0man]

It would depend on the libertarian in question.  I for example don't mind protecting the defenseless.

[dead0man]

So, if a libertarian was President in 1941, would he or she not go to war with Germany?

I would hope so, since Germany declared war on the US first.

[dead0man]

Again, it would depend on the libertarian.  Most would probably approve of his handling of it (ie, letting almost a million people die for no good reason even though we could have fairly easily turned that into a few tens of thousands of deaths (many of those bad guys that instead are still alive, being dicks)).  I like helping though....if I can.

[dead0man]

Well, to be fair to everybody who didn't respond (everybody in the world), the argument in your first paragraph was lame (meaning it wouldn't happen and to think it would or even could is a bit nutty) and then you said you were going to "stretch the argument further" and I stopped reading.  Other people may have had the same thoughts.

[dead0man]

Do you really think you could convince ALL employers to agree to anything, especially something as unlikely as alcohol prohibition?  The only way they could get it done, even in a political environment more favorable to it at any time before or since, was to force the government to get involved.  I'm not sure why you would want to use that as an argument.

[dead0man]

I understand what you're saying, I just think it's amazingly unlikely to happen.  Governments do a much better job at banning things and altering behavior "for the greater good" than any cabal of businessmen in tall towers ever could dream of doing.

[dead0man]

what I am arguing is that that this is an inevitable consequence of free markets- because free markets paradoxically encourage conformism towards a goal of behaviour - whatever behaviour is suitable to the market.

I'm not seeing why that would be the case.

[dead0man]

Does it even matter what I say?  But ok...seems to me capitalism gives one a lot of choices.  We don't have 4 flavors and 2 brands of salad dressing, we have 34 flavors and a dozen brands.  How is that going to lead conformity?  In controlled economies everybody is driving the same sh**tty cars or they import them from capitalist places if they are in the Party.  Out here in Freedonia, you have what seems like thousands and thousands of options, from the very small to the very large, from the opulent to the most bare bones thing you can imagine.  I don't see how having more options in everything we buy or entertain ourselves with would lead to conformity, maybe you can "elucidate" me on why you think it would?

[dead0man]

Does it even matter what I say?  But ok...seems to me capitalism gives one a lot of choices.  We don't have 4 flavors and 2 brands of salad dressing, we have 34 flavors and a dozen brands.

Is that a necessary good thing...

Well it's not necessary, but it is certainly a good thing, how could it not be a good thing?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I never advocated a controlled economy on the Soviet or Third-worldist type model.[/quote]How much you want?  PRC levels?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You are talking about consumption, I'm talking about behaviour.
[/quote]Ok, are you ever going to elucidate me on how the free market is going to make us all the same?