BE AGAINST DEMOCRACY

 

The Biggest Mistake Libertarians Ever Made

I think the biggest mistake libertarians ever made was to think "anti-statism" was the way to go instead of "anti-authoritarianism." The state is how liberty is ESTABLISHED, and how rights are brought from the imagination into reality. To date, there is no other way to do that. The abuse of such is authoritarianism, and yes is also potentially the greatest threat to liberty and human rights.

However, before the state brought rights into reality, there was nothing more than claims and wars over those claims.
 

No state, no liberty. No liberty, no libertarianism.

Dear Libertarians

 To my friends who are finally leaving the Libertarian Party: the Democratic Party is the largest anti-fascist coalition in history, and has never been more libertarian on matters of personal liberty. The vast majority advocate well-regulated capitalism, a good safety net, and progressive taxation. That combo has in fact produced some of the most free societies in history

Most are anti-interventionist and they are divided on trade. Most want more immigration, and some even scratch the libertarian position.

As a libertarian Democrat, I just helped, in small ways, Democrats legalize cannabis here in Connecticut. For years Libertarians cried, but we Democrats delivered. It felt good to win one for liberty.

Fellow libertarians, the Libertarian Party is no longer the place for us. The fascist Republican Party is literally the opposite of us. Now is the time to choose the lesser evil, and find out, as I did, that the lesser evil is pretty damn good.

Can You Name One Successful Libertarian Country? Sure.

 

Lambton Harbor, Wellington, New Zealand

Thom Hartman asks: Can You Name One Successful Libertarian Country? This clearly shows, at the very least, the failure of libertarian messaging, and the importance of clear semantics.

Can you name one successful libertarian country?

If you mean minarchism, which isn't actually libertarianism as such, but rather one rather shallow, ideological, right wing strain of libertarianism, then none.

But if you mean maximizing economic and individual liberty, ALMOST ALL OF THEM.

Most of the most successful countries on earth generally have the most freedom -- are the most "libertarian."

According to the Human Freedom Index, these are the most libertarian countries: New Zealand, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Estonia, and Germany and Sweden (tied in 9th place).

I would say they're pretty successful (Honestly not sure about Estonia yet -- noobs). While not a direct correlation, there is enough correlation between liberty and success to imply at least partial causation.

That's practical, pragmatic, real world libertarianism and its effects.

Anyway, libertarianism is not really what Thom is implying, but right wing ideological libertarianism has crashed and burned in part on what he is describing, and that rotten shell of Randian/Hayakian thinking is another piece of the puzzle of what wrecked the right and helped create Trumpism.

This thinking was promoted by people like the Kochs giving money to every right wing cause, and helped foster the libertarianism-to-fascism highway.

It has been promoted by the LP, and is partly why they see little difference between the neo-fascist Republican Party and the social democrat Democratic Party.

People are just not communicating and are just not looking outside of their own bubbles.

Right Here, Right Now

 

For me, it's never been about left or right -- it's always been about authoritarian or libertarian. Right here, right now, the left is more libertarian than it's ever been, while the right is more authoritarian than it's ever been. Therefore, until this changes, it is obviously time for libertarians to ally themselves with the left, and oppose the right.

The left, from AOC and Bernie to Biden and Manchin, all want well regulated capitalism, a good safety net, and more progressive taxation. That combination has literally produced the most libertarian societies on the planet, as per the Human Freedom Index.

The right -- all of them -- want to end democracy and replace it with white supremacy, gangster capitalism, no safety net, and a police state to keep the rabble in line.

Right here, right now, there's a real difference. All decent humans need to unite against the right and for liberal democracy.

Libertarians for Joe Biden

Never have Republicans been more authoritarian, and never have Democrats been more libertarian. The LP has thankfully picked someone less qualified than Trump to be president, so there's no reason to support their candidate. Real libertarians are voting Democrat this time around.

Libertarians for Joe Biden facebook group


Libertarians for Joe Biden facebook page

What About The Roads?

What about the roads?

I like to say, "We'll see." For now, let's shrink the state to a more reasonable level...at least let's become the most free country on earth according to the indices.

Let's deregulate the economy to the levels of Denmark, New Zealand, Canada, and Hong Kong, bring banking to someplace like Switzerland, maybe look to the Swiss and Singapore for our health care issues, cut defense, end mass incarceration, change the war on drugs from the mad Jihad that it is into to a medical problem that it ought to be, and so many more things...and yeah, let's get taxes as low as we can get them, and start switching them from intrusive invasions of privacy like the income tax, to fees for services and things that are already regulated through commerce law.

Things like that are my priorities. After we've solved all those problems, then I say we can worry about the roads.

For now, let's just not spend infrastructure money on boondoggles, and who better than Libertarians to know a boondoggle when we see one?

The Christian Label

As is often the case around Easter, in between the debate about whether Jesus came out of an egg when he was resurrected, or the bunnies announcing the good news....there are several misconceptions I keep seeing about Christians and Christianity.
People seem to mean "right wing evangelical Christianity" when they say Christian. That kinda sucks, because mainstream Christians aren't all that conservative, and there are even a decent amount of moderate and progressive evangelicals.

Religious labels are hard -- maybe harder than political labels -- and there are progressives, liberals, libertarians, liberaltarians, conservatives, conservatarians, anarchists, and whateverists, in just about every denomination, and non-denominations as well.
All, that, plus just about every denomination has members who are ready to split over some issue they dissent on. The melting pots bubble over and form new soups and stews of ideas and spiritualities. It's actually quite beautiful.

Anyway, I think it's good to remember we are in weedy territory, and to be careful with sweeping generalizations. I know I have to remind myself a million times a day about this.

My Globalism

My globalism -- or, the word I prefer, internationalism -- assumes everyone follows their own interest. It doesn't discount nationalism....it just creates a transnational superstructure for transnational interests.
It just means you want universal rights, slavery outlawed everywhere, global protection of the global environment, freedom of the seas, universal trade, open currency exchange, and rule of law between nations instead of the current anarchy and semi-belligerence.
It means pressuring China through economic means to stop treating their workers like crap, in exchange for greater net growth. Other, smaller countries as well.
I don't know anyone anywhere who is seriously pushing for global tyranny. There are no Lex Luthors.
I don't know anyone serious who is seriously pushing for global socialism. Liberal democracy and capitalism are really the only games in town, now.
My internationalism is really just a continuation of how I see the challenge begun by people like Madison, Jefferson, and Paine.

(Art by Alex Ross)

Penn Jillette on Democracy

Welcome to Oz, Where the Liberal Democrats are Libertarians!

I am extremely excited to see the Liberal Democratic Party of Australia win one seat in the Senate. Warm congratulations go out to David Leyonhjelm, who made a great and libertarian speech on the floor on July 9th. Check this out:

For more info on the Australian Liberal Democratic Party, here's an article from The Spectator:

h/t Real World Libertarian

Libertarian Jesus

Jason Brennan, "Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know"

Terrific interview with Jason Brennan.

Tom Woods: The Libertarian Speech I Would Deliver to the Whole Country

Why did the libertarian cross the road?

Politicians kiss babies...

Conan O'brien: Ron Paul is the Clear Winner

Miss Me Yet?

Ron Paul Speaks Out: Media Blackout, Economic Freedom, Intellectual Revolution

The Vast Libertarian Conspiracy