"Libertarian My Ass." Next time a republican tells you he's a libertarian...

[Atman]

Notice how more and more of your republican acquaintances are now calling themselves "Libertarian?" I have a buddy who has been doing so since shortly after the 2004 election, and I'll be forwarding this article to him.

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Libertarian My Ass

By Any Other Name It Is Called Hypocrisy

By Alan Bisbort, Staff Writer

Lately, I’ve heard more people (men, mostly) proclaim themselves “libertarian.” My gut feeling tells me that most of these new “converts” aren’t really libertarian, or that they don’t understand what libertarianism is and that they are really just angry at how far off the rails the Republican Party — their natural habitat — has drifted under the Moron in Chief. They are doing this to psychologically remove themselves from the mess they created by voting for Bush and for, until a year or so ago, blindly voting a straight GOP Party ticket for as far back as they can remember. These “libertarians” are Republicans without the guilt by association or, rather, without the remorse.

By comparison to the utter ineptitude and willful stupidity of the Bush Regime, “libertarianism” sounds smart and sexy, ruggedly individualistic and hardboiled. Famous libertarians include such hardboiled legumes as Ayn Rand, Grover Norquist and Pat Buchanan. “Famous” and “libertarian” don’t live in the same sentence for good reasons. It is a philosophy meant for a fantasy world, a world with, say, 300,000 people in it, tops. At the moment, the U.S. is home to 300 million people, and the planet is teetering under the weight and environmental demands of 7 billion people and both totals are rising daily as the ice caps melt away available land. Libertarianism is an intellectual luxury that a lot of angry Republicans are affording themselves.

What exactly is it about libertarianism that lapsed Republicans find so appealing? After all, libertarianism at its purest is a fairly radical philosophy. Among the beliefs, straight from their official documents: “People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others.” “Repeal all laws that presume government knows better than the individual how to run that person’s life.” “Encourage private sector dissemination of information to help consumers make informed decisions on products and services.” “We oppose all taxation.” “An armed citizenry is essential to a free society.” And so on.

<snip>

To a libertarian, a person is his own free agent. If they were allowed to live by their credo they would have to agree that any person, including their neighbor, can have as many guns and weapons systems as they want and they can shoot them off when they like, as long as they don’t kill your pet dog or children. Libertarians are opposed to all zoning laws. A libertarian believes that if he bought the lot next to your house, he could erect a convenience store, skyscraper, munitions plant or gas station there.

http://www.ctnow.com/custom/nmm/hartfordadvocate/hce-hta-0510-ht20bisbort20.artmay10,0,385186.story?coll=hce-utility-ha-advocate

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[Postman]

1. In a nutshell, it's anarchy.

n/t

Or as Thom Hartmann likes to describe them ...."Republicans who want to smoke dope and get laid" (references to Libertarian's desires to legalize or decriminalize drugs and to legalize prostitution)

[pocoloco]

2. If you want to know what a real Libertarian thinks

check out Charley Reese's Archives at

http://www.lewrockwell.com/reese/reese-arch.html

20 years ago I had to force myself to read him! Not nearly that bad now!

[wuushew]

6. Not all bad

He is completely wrong on global warming and thinking Michael Critchon is qualified to speak on climate change though.

[progressoid]

12. Ok here's what I found on the first article I clicked on...

If I had my way, I'd segregate students by sex, make them all wear uniforms and shave the heads of the boys. Sex and competition in appearance are distractions. I'd put them in a monastic, drab setting so that the only forms of entertainment were their textbooks and their lectures.

How exactly is that Libertarian?

[DURHAM D]

3. I learned here on the DU a long time ago that a

Libertarian is a Republican who smokes dope.

Seems to be true. I always say that to a self-proclaimed Libertarian and he never fails to laugh and admit that it is probably true.

[dajoki]

4. I always felt they were repubs n/t

[treestar]

5. Ayn Rand hated the Libertarians

When it came down to it, she hated anyone who thought for themselves, unlike her, and her closest associates invariably were dropped and never spoken to her again for disagreeing with her on some point. Anyone who disagreed with her was "irrational."

The freepers and fundies do not realize that the Libertarians will also agree that women have the right to choice for abortion, that people may live their personal lives as they choose, etc. and that they will not be signing on for the Fundy Christianization of the U.S. Government.

[Colobo]

7. Libertarianism is anarchy

[Selatius]

8. Libertarianism used to be a term synonymous with liberal socialists/anarcho-socialists

The term was hijacked in the 1950s, and now usage of the term, at least in the US, means somebody who subscribes to a brand of rightwing libertarianism, which in many respects stands in opposition to leftwing libertarianism in terms of neoliberalism vs. collectivism.

My personal philosophy is a form of leftwing libertarianism, but I wouldn't say I am purist left libertarian, as I do believe there is a limited role for government to play. I don't believe the government should legislate who can or can't marry, should be involved in the decision of abortion, or should be involved with religion, and I generally wish to see economic decisions in the economy democratized instead of concentrated in the hands of a few, be they private capitalists or public bureaucrats.

[Canuckistanian]

9. Conservative libertarians should be leading the anti-war movement

I can't think of anything that's more intrusive than a war, imposing on people's right to choose, while simultaneously taxing the citizens to pay for that war.

I haven't heard a peep out of them lately.

[mediaman007]

10. Go here for help...

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

[Autobot77]

11. I've heard many claim to be "independent"

Though when you hear them talk or read their postings its obvious they are lock step with the GOP, but don't want to admit it.

[Monk06]

13. There is no such doctrine as Libertarianism

Libertarianism is a conflation and hence perversion
of two inherently incompatible doctrines: The
Utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and the Economic
Liberalism of Adam Smith

The Utilitarian perverts Adam Smith's advocacy of
free markets 'the invisible hand' of modern free
enterprise with the law of the jungle, "everyman
to himself and to hell with the hindmost".

The greater good derives from each individual pursuing
their own self interest.

John Stuart Mill, the author of "On Liberty" whose father
was an acolyte of Bentham advocated, in Utilitarianism, the
ruthless abrogation of social responsibility for universal
welfare to the whims of private property and charity.

Unfortunately the iron and coal monopolists of nineteenth
century England were great advocates of the principle of
charity but demurred in the everyday application of that
principle when it affected their balance sheet. For them
private charity merely prolonged the demise of a parasitic
lower and unproductive lower classes.

The irony of this doctrine is that the fortunes of the
Utilitarian 19th century industrialists rested on a
large and renewable supply of the 'parasitic' underclass.

Hence JS Mill's essay 'On Liberty' the most reasoned polemic
against modern greed in the En gish Language.

In short JS Mill takes his cue from Jesus Christ, "Do Unto Others
as You Would Be Done By"

http://www.bartleby.com/130/4.html