1970's -- I was a Libertarian. I voted for Libertarian Party candidates. I read the literature. Pro-business, seeking very limited government, hey, legal drugs even sounded OK to me, whose business is it anyway?
1980's -- I was a libertarian. That means I was an anarchist. I supported anarcho-capitalism. You don't need government. Voluntary, non-coercive coalitions can solve just about any problem. Give business free rein and if everyone refuses to pay any taxes, we'll be free from tyranny.
Early 1990's -- I realized that I was about the only anarcho-capitalist I ever met in "libertarian" circles. The rest of the "libertarians" were Communists who were eager to force the general population to live in a non-coercive society. A strong central committe of powerful libertarian overlords would ensure that bad guys were dealt with and freedom maximized as we all marched off the the glorious Workers Paradise!
Uhhhhhhhh. Hang on.
So I became a Republican. Small government is better than Big government. The Constitution is a great document. I pay my taxes and I hope that my government mostly leaves me alone, while dealing (responsibly, I hope) with the disruptive forces in our society.
But as far as I'm concerned, "libertarians" are crypto-Marxists. Members of the Libertarian party are all-together different, but still not my cup of tea.
And I hope to God no Libertarian misreads this and thinks I'm calling him a communist. I've tried to be clear and avoid that misunderstanding.
Some of what you say concerning 90’s libertarians makes sense. There was an article I came across where a “libertarian” thought that children with down’s syndrome should be aborted for the good of society. I thought this was strange because I assumed libertarians were against these types of statements and judgements; more of live and let live philosophy.
I think you're mistaking "anarchists" (which they aren't) for small "l" libertarians.
The author of this piece blows it even on the definition of the "Nolan Chart". One axis measures Personal Freedom while the other axis is Economic Freedom. Libertarians (big or little "l") score high on both axes, facists/marxists/statists score low on both. Theoretically an "anarchist" would score 100% on both.
But having an ex brother-in-law who is now a self proclaimed "anarchist" but who is really a radical communist and has been for thirty years, I can appreciate some of the confusion.
Especially when leftist scum like Whorealdo Rivera and Bill Mahr declare themselves "libertarian".
They're about as libertarian as Karl Marx.