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To: Jonty30
Unlike conservativism which tends to be non-ideological, libertarianism can be very ideological. Yes, there are those who are libertarian in a pragmatic sense, i.e. not really libertarian or maybe "cafeteria style" libertarians. The true-blue libertarians, however, are what you call international libertarians.

They believe in such things as the Non-Aggression Principle and naive beliefs in the power of the "free" market. They want this for everyone, not just citizens of the US. Their ideology works best if every country is participating in free trade with free markets in both products and ideas.

If a critical mass of people were truly motivated by enlightened self-interest, then a global libertarian society might just be possible. However, this has never been the case and is very likely to never be the case.

There are some who claim that the current global neoliberal consensus is a form of libertarianism. The libertarians would disagree as they see too much taxation, regulation, and government control. However, socialists will look at this and say that the fact that a relatively small number of people control the vast majority of global wealth, and from this wealth they distribute mere crumbs among the world's poor and suffering masses is prima facie evidence that the libertarians have created their utopian paradise; at least those who made it to the top of the pyramid scheme.

I don't see how libertarianism has any relevance to fascism. Whatever bad can be said about libertarianism, it being fascist is not one of them. Also, I don't see that Nation A being libertarian would cause Nation B, or the world as a whole, to revert into fascism. Since there has never been a truly libertarian nation, there is no evidence to suggest such a link.

The word 'fascism' has lost all of its original meaning. It is mostly used as a synonym for bullying. I think some people will mistake libertarians for bullies because libertarians will tell someone on welfare to get off their butt and get a job. In this way some libertarians are misidentified as fascists just because they appear to the bleeding hearts as bullies.

Pragmatic "cafeteria style" libertarians can be allies with conservatives, especially since the US government and global agencies have grown far too large in size and power. However, true-blue libertarians are our enemies, and we should not seek to align ourselves with them.

One final thought: Adam Smith is hailed as being the first one to make a good case against mercantilism and in favor of free trade. However, things have changed drastically since his time. Since the invention of central heating and A/C, it is now possible to plant a factory in pretty much any country. Also, the current situation being a major exception, global supply chains make it relatively cheap and easy to move the inputs to production to wherever the cheapest labor and lowest regulation is located.

The idea that Nation A should limit itself to just those products and services that it is best at no longer makes sense. We were first told that raw material and food production is for suckers and developing nations because the ROI is too small and the price fluctuations too unpredictable. Then we were told that manufacturing was for suckers. The real money to be made was in the Financial Sector, i.e. the sector that generates no wealth except for the sector itself as it skims the profits of the producers of food, raw materials, and manufactured goods.

In such a world mercantilism starts to sound like a good option again, especially if we are blessed to live in a country like the US which has farmland, mines, energy supplies, places to locate factories, and people who could at least theoretically be properly educated. If most of our economy was buying and selling among ourselves then that might just work. We would pay higher prices for our goods and services because of higher salaries, but that could be paid for by excess production sold to other countries.

57 posted on 10/13/2022 5:12:04 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear (This is not a tagline.)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

Every system of man, in order for it to work, needs moderation. You cannot have conservativism, libertarianism, liberalism, socialism, communism, fascism, Republicanism, Democratism, Anarchy, or any of the other “isms” so pure, where it is to point of absurdity, and expect it to work.

They are all meant to function with limits.

One thing you do not understand about the pure libertarianist is that most of them are fascists. They aren’t believers in personal freedom. They use freedom to grind you under their boot so that you will call out for strong government to protect you.

It’s why Hitler had the Brown Shirts. To cause so much violence, in the name of freedom, that people called out for strong government to take over to protect them and that’s when Hitler walked up the middle and offered to provide strong government to protect the people.

It’s a psy-ops. Why do you think that Big Tech is using the freedom culture of the internet to censor conservatives to the point where conservatives have no voice?

They want to show that real freedom cannot be made to work because arseholes will use that freedom will use that freedom to hurt people, so Big Tech drives that point home by using their power of freedom to hurt conservatives.

Big Tech wants regulations, that they happen to be the ones that work with the government to write it, so they protect their economic advantage permanently while, at the same time, supposedly allowing the little people a free voice with some limitations.

That’s how the socialists and fascists have always operated. “Oh you want freedom, well fine.” They then grab you, in the name of freedom, and pile drive your skull into the pavement. “How do you like that freedom? Freedom means I can grab you as often as I want to drive your head into the pavement.”

The more times they do that, the more convinced you become of the virtues of strong government to take away unconditional freedom and give you to you freedom that they control.

Do you have a better understanding now of the agenda?


60 posted on 10/13/2022 5:35:55 PM PDT by Jonty30 (Some men want to see the world burn.at It is they that want you to buy an electric car.)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear; waterhill; Red Badger

I think today, though, more Americans believe in the Disney fairy tales than the Bible. More believe in Saturday morning cartoons - perhaps even only in the sarcasm and casual insults of the Simpson.

But work, self-disciple and morales?


85 posted on 10/14/2022 3:59:28 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (Method, motive, and opportunity: No morals, shear madness and hatred by those who cheat.)
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