Posted on 02/01/2002 12:30:35 PM PST by Exnihilo
Blatantly false - we're the only ones left who embrace it.
They oppose all government
False.
and they repudiate the need for social cultivation of the social bond
False. Social cultivation does not require coercive government.
for public authority, and of legally enforced rules.
Laughably false.
They are opposed to the Constitution and to the American heritage.
Onl,y thing missing here is the third of Mark Twain's famous series that ends with "statistics." hint: lies, damn lies and...
Indeed, libertarians repudiate essential elements of civilization as it has historically developed everywhere.
Civilization does not need coercive government that violates the rights of individuals. It only needs government that protects those rights. Indeed, civilization is eroded when the State interferes with the natural interaction of men.
The reason this article seems so antiquated is that it is antiquated! I did a quick Google search, and determined that in was published in National Review on June 8, 1979. So dead people are quoted as though they are making contemporaneous statements about the current status of Libertarianism.
Of course the poster, Exnihilo, has acted in a highly deceptive manner by failing to date the article and thereby indicate that it is more than two decades old. But then I guess I'm not too surprised at his deception.
I think it is the way to go, and it would eliminate a good deal of the IRS, which is why it will be very hard to put in place. What I like best about it is that you pay as you go. It would also be hard to monkey around with it, as is done with the tax code now. For example, raising the tax would require a very good reason before it could be done.
Just what the hell is this critter you call "society" BUT a private grouping of individuals?
And if they must be imposed, how the hell can they be "social norms?"
Might not have been a statist, but from what I understand of her later days she held court like a queen.
Exnihilo is a newby and quite likely a disruptor.
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Conservatives believe that (limited) constitutional government is essential "to secure these rights"— to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Conservatives may believe this, but Compassionate Conservatives apparantly do not.
Yardstick
P.S. I challenge anyone who thinks G.W.B. has any real regard for the Constitution to find it posted anywhere at the Whitehouse website. The Constitution, you'll recall, is that thing the President swears an oathe to protect.
If there is "wickedness of all," just how the Sam Hill can any one or group rise to the level of "superior authority?"
Are two men more virtuous than one?
One of the biggest objections I have to the income tax is that it allows the Gov't to keep records of things (like how much I make) that are not its concern. IMHO the Feds should simply assess dues on the states, based on their population, and let the states raise the $$.
If you take a bribe, perfesser, you have committed fraud against your employer.
(One weeps for those mush minds learning at this simpleton's feet)
Having thus defined his terms, the author then proceeds to shoot down the "libertarians". The conclusion, therefore, is that libertarians are wrong. Specious reasoning, to say that least. Where does the drug war fit into this, Exnihilo? The author never mentions it.
I might add that the anarcho-capitalist school of libertarianism has come a long way in the last five to ten years, answering many of the objections seen here. Why doesn't the author talk about the work of Hans Herman Hoppe? Oh. Because the article is more than 20 years old. Of course.
The funny thing is, libertarianism is quite dystopian. It seeks to maximize individual liberty. it seeks no desired outcome.
Does this mean that they now get 0.85% of the vote as opposed to the 0.75% that they got before.
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