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How Libertarianism Makes People Susceptible To Huge Government
The Federalist ^ | November 6, 2019 | Nathanael Blake

Posted on 11/07/2019 4:14:39 AM PST by C19fan

David Marcus, The Federalist’s New York correspondent, recently tweeted that he can’t make up his mind about whether he fears “the socialists or the libertarians more.” Robert Tracinski, an author and the editor of The Tracinski Letter, responded, “LOL. God forbid we should…leave you alone.” This was a good Twitter burn, but I suspect that for many people, that is precisely what they fear about libertarianism: that they will be left alone.

They have a point, insofar as libertarianism has become less about a commitment to limited government and more a philosophy of autonomous individualism. The latter is an ideology that undermines the possibility of the former, in large part because it really does leave people alone. Cordially leaving the two gentlemen to settle their dispute, I will attempt to elucidate this point.

(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: conservative; libertarian
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John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people”.
1 posted on 11/07/2019 4:14:39 AM PST by C19fan
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To: All

I call a lot of libertarians especially the open border ones Suicide Libertarians.


2 posted on 11/07/2019 4:15:46 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

I don’t want a government that “cares about me”. I want a government that doesn’t give a damn about me. A government that didn’t even know I existed would be even better.


3 posted on 11/07/2019 4:16:57 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: C19fan

At my local supermarket, they keep the baby formula locked up because people steal it to mix it with heroin.


4 posted on 11/07/2019 4:20:48 AM PST by GCFADG (Pardon me.)
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To: C19fan

Government cares about you!
Sort of like we are cattle
As long as we moo the right way
Get our brands and inoculations
And quietly go to the slaughter, everything is just peachy


5 posted on 11/07/2019 4:23:08 AM PST by HangnJudge (Kipling was right about Humanity)
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To: C19fan

Word salad with Russian dressing.


6 posted on 11/07/2019 4:28:14 AM PST by Beagle8U (It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you place the blame.)
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To: C19fan

Collapse into a state of complete lawlessness and invasion by hordes of barbarians are the two incessant bogeyman whines of statist apologists.

The idea that people can self organize, self protect, and self rule is both terrifying and unthinkable to them.

In advocating statism with its layers of “protection” against antinomian collapse and subjugation by ... I dunno, the Muslims, the Chinese, ustabe the Russians, and I guess the Mexicans now, they IGNORE the fact that the founding document of this country is overwhelmingly libertarian in its sentiments.

The one “relatively” accurate criticism of SOME libertarians is about borders. They accurately and correctly argue AGAINST border restrictions. However the saw is true that “you can have a welfare state OR you can have open borders, but you can’t have both.” The issue is not the invasion from the south. We had functionally NO border laws for over 120 years and had no such problems. Our problems re: the border are that the programs we have make us a magnet for a different caliber of people who once came here.... AND they corrupt the people who come and discover the Candyland of “programs” encouraging permanent grifting in the name of compassion.

Some libertarians therefore endorse tight borders, and some think we have gone so far socialist that the only way to correct the system is let the grifters bust it. I used to be of the latter camp, but am at least open to seeing if Trump can reverse the mess we have.


7 posted on 11/07/2019 4:30:42 AM PST by mostly_lies
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To: C19fan
Each Libertarian is different. I wand my liberty and to be left alone. Illegals infringe on my liberty. Demonicrats greatly infringe on my rights and liberties.
8 posted on 11/07/2019 4:44:05 AM PST by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: mountainlion
Was he a libertarian?

I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which grant[s] a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.
-- James Madison, 1794

9 posted on 11/07/2019 5:18:06 AM PST by SanchoP (Yippy,the next generation search engine.)
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To: C19fan
For example, libertarian advocacy for legalizing drugs and prostitution seems to arise less from the prudential belief that suppressing these vices causes more harm than good than from a philosophical commitment to maximizing individual autonomy.

And this guy has a doctorate in Political Theory? Libertarian advocacy on those issues is based on the concept of limited government, that in the US there is not Constitutionally-enumerated power to regulate those activities. While personal autonomy is a big part of many discussions, Mr Blake prefers to have us use one leg instead of two.

I believe many conservatives' disdain for libertarianism is that, in many ways, conservatives lost the philosophy War. Many people found that lots of conservatives in reality love big govt - as long as it's a right leaning govt. That resulted in crumbling at places like National Review and the Weekly Standard while Reason remains in tact.

If Mr Blake can't get the fundamentals right, I'm not bothering with his claptrap. It also helps to know that he was a NeverTrumperin 2016 and it seems he hasn't changed.

10 posted on 11/07/2019 5:19:04 AM PST by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^s)
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To: GCFADG
At my local supermarket, they keep the baby formula locked up because people steal it to mix it with heroin.

More likely they are trading it for heroin. It's easy to resell and many jurisdictions won't prosecute theft of baby formula or other "essemtials".

11 posted on 11/07/2019 5:22:05 AM PST by palmer (Democracy Dies Six Ways to Sunday)
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To: C19fan; Drew68; Army Air Corps
Well said, The Libertarians who literally cheered Matt Bevin's loss are the kind who would be in the first in line at the Loyalist recurring stations during the Revolution if they found out that later Ben Franklin supported a Federal Postal Service.

As I said yesterday, while I have bounced between Libertarianism for a while I have come to understand that Libertarianism is to the Right as Communism is to the Left.

Our ideal, but ultimately unobtainable and unachievable society.

12 posted on 11/07/2019 5:22:43 AM PST by KC_Lion
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To: C19fan

You are real close with your theory here. I hung with Libertarians for many years. Then they were strict constitutionalists and even after their beginnings from the left, were mostly supporting the right because of the Constitution and Ron Paul. They divided during this last election into either Trump supporters or full on Anarchists. Now they are supporting the left ideology for only one reason. Not because they actually believe in leftist ideology, but because they think supporting the left can help blow the whole thing up sooner and we will have to start all over. They want to help push this country to commit suicide in anyway possible, as soon as possible.

They want total breakdown of society and government, total chaos and anarchy with no rules or laws at all. This is now what they work towards and support and there are no true left or right loyalties at all in ideology, just the hidden underlying drive to blow the whole thing up so that there are no more laws to govern them, and they will support whatever they have to to make this happen. They don’t care about this country or the future of this country as a whole at all. They only care about their selfish “individualism” with which they care only about themselves personally in the current, they couldn’t care less about the next generations or this country after they are gone.

While I am a constitutionalist and individualist, this I, Me, Mine personal selfishness has now turned into a true threat of total anarchy for their own personal short term satisfaction. With their extremist “anti-collective” mentality they would rather destroy the whole thing than to have even one rule at all imposed on them, they want total anarchy. So now what they are doing is throwing a selfish childish tantrum in the toy aisle because they were told they could not have the toy they wanted. They will now pull everything off the shelves and break it all if they have too just to get that one toy they want. It is selfish and it is dangerous, and they have absolutely no clue what the real cause and effect will be.

It will not be what they want, In reality they will be living in a very much more oppressed communist state long before what they want will ever happen. And once we are there, fixing it will be almost impossible. Libertarians have no clan, no tribe, only their own personal selves, not even each other. Their fanatical utopian world goal is a chaotic free for all and anarchy.


13 posted on 11/07/2019 5:25:56 AM PST by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: palmer

I guess — I wouldn’t know. I just noticed it and happened to ask why they lock it up and they said it was something about mixing with heroin. Said there is actually a street value for the baby formula. Sick.


14 posted on 11/07/2019 5:31:56 AM PST by GCFADG (Pardon me.)
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To: mountainlion
I want the liberty to not have to worry about some stoner like you on the highway. I want the liberty to walk down the street without some stoner like you accosting me for handouts.

You people are so obtuse as to think you can pick and choose which part of the libertarian agenda. It doesn't work that way.

Just yesterday I was reading on FR how LSF (libertarian stoner fools) voted for the issue of legal dope and turned a state from red to blue.

Go away.

15 posted on 11/07/2019 5:35:13 AM PST by LouAvul
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To: DoodleBob

Thank you


16 posted on 11/07/2019 6:08:24 AM PST by Manuel OKelley
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To: KC_Lion

“Our ideal, but ultimately unobtainable and unachievable society.”

I hung with them for awhile also. And you are absolutely right. The unrealistic model they want would be wholly dependent on society being absolutely respectful and courteous to each other. Human nature dictates this will absolutely never happen. It’s a utopian dream and they are fooling themselves.


17 posted on 11/07/2019 6:25:56 AM PST by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: Openurmind
Thank You and well said as well.

Some men's very nature is to try and tread on others.

18 posted on 11/07/2019 6:34:03 AM PST by KC_Lion
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To: GCFADG
At my local supermarket, they keep the baby formula locked up because people steal it to mix it with heroin.

They keep it locked up because the brand names are exorbitantly expensive. The reason the brand names are expensive (unlike the generic versions) is because the government (meaning us) is paying for it via giveaway programs like WIC that only authorize the expensive brands.

19 posted on 11/07/2019 6:51:15 AM PST by Drew68
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To: C19fan

Libertarians are just really Democrats in drag....


20 posted on 11/07/2019 7:10:30 AM PST by dpetty121263
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