It seems like my feed is clogged with idiotic articles from Salon tonight. Whether its rambling about white belly dancers, or this verbose list of gotcha questions. But I do love a survey, so I thought Id take her little test. In the final analysis, I dont think this person has ever actually spoken with a libertarian, or read anything written by a libertarian, or ever read a wikipedia article on libertarianism. 1) Are unions, political parties, elections, and social movements like Occupy examples of “spontaneous order”—and if not, why not? Yes. In fact that was the title of my first article on the Arab Spring. 2) Is a libertarian willing to admit that production is the result of many forces, each of which should be recognized and rewarded? Yes. Google I Pencil 3) Is our libertarian willing to acknowledge that workers who bargain for their services, individually and collectively, are also employing market forces? Yes... obviously. 4) Is our libertarian willing to admit that a “free market” needs regulation? Yes. In fact its a self regulating system, like any ecosystem of competitive and symbiotic organisms. 5) Does our libertarian believe in democracy? If yes, explain what’s wrong with governments that regulate. No... Odd, she doesnt say what to do if no. But I can still explain whats wrong with governments that regulate. They are violent monopolies claiming to protect you from violence, and monopolies. 6) Does our libertarian use wealth that wouldn’t exist without government in order to preach against the role of government? No. I dont use nuclear bombs to preach against government. I dont use armies to preach against governments. I dont use murder, theft, or extortion to preach against governments. All the forms of wealth I use, the forms which have actual market value, would exist without government. 7) Does our libertarian reject any and all government protection for his intellectual property? Yes. 8) Does our libertarian recognize that democracy is a form of marketplace? No... what an idiotic question. You cant buy votes. You cant sell votes. Theres no bulk or wholesale price of votes. Theres no Black Friday sale on votes. Voting is not an economic exchange. Its just an opinion backed by a gun. 9) Does our libertarian recognize that large corporations are a threat to our freedoms? Sort of. I recognize that large corporations are created and protected by governments, and that they would be smaller and less powerful without government assistance. So, to the extent that a company enjoys a market share as a result of government aggression, that share is indirectly taken from smaller less politically connected companies. 10) Does he think that Rand was off the mark, or does he agree that historical figures like King and Gandhi were “parasites”? Yes, Ayn Rand lead a nuanced life, and was not a saint. She was often off the mark. Google The Truth About Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Truth About Gandhi. These men also lead nuanced lives, and were not saints. But 11) If you believe in the free market, why weren’t you willing to accept as final the judgment against libertarianism rendered decades ago in the free and unfettered marketplace of ideas? Objection, leading question. The marketplace of ideas doesnt deliver final judgments against philosophies, just like the actual marketplace doesnt fix prices. Markets are dynamic and adaptable, often volatile. Also, there has been no free and unfettered marketplace of ideas. Statist ideas have been heavily subsidized by the State, preached in primary schools and universities alike. Anarchists and libertarians have been caged for their ideas, especially if they dare to act upon them. Governments everywhere, to varying degrees, target dissent with intimidation. salon/2013/09/12/11_questions_to_see_if_libertarians_are_hypocrites/
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 10:09:47 +0000
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