What It Feels Like To Be A Libertarian

[Mint]

Big L Libertarianism automatically leads to despotism. North Korea is an example of what a big L Libertarian State would look like in short order.

Care to provide reasons? Otherwise you're talking about of your ass.

Ha, an almost totalitarian, extremely socially conservative state is an example of libertarianism? Good joke. 

No, he's implying that LP-type Libertarianism would lead to revolt and a 'workers paradise' pretty quickly.

[Mint]

That could happen but corporatocracy or a warlord taking over are both far more likely than a workers paradise.

I could see that. Whatever the case may be, you can't really have that much freedom for long if stuff like open job discrimination, child labor, etc. are legal while 'statist policies' like public education or involuntary taxation no longer exist.

[Mint]

Honestly the Big L types should just start calling themselves Anarcho-Capitalists more. Because that's basically what they are. They make the sane 'smaller government' people look bad.

[Mint]

What the funk are you talking about?  You can't use force against people in a libertarian society, you would go to jail.  Where are you people getting this sh**t from?  Do you think we don't believe in police departments, court rooms and jails?  BAH!  Mint?  Seriously?

No, I'm saying if people stopped paying their taxes because it wasn't required and you had huge social problems caused by stuff like child labor, private-only education, etc. being around then things would get ugly fast. I know that's not the position of the vast majority of libertarians here, but a lot of the Big L types literally agreed with what I posted.

As for the topic, I agreed with most of the article but once again am left wondering if Bono is capable of having an original thought. Ever.

[Mint]

Even those people want cops and jails don't they?  And if they don't, they are NOT libertarians, big L or otherwise.  That would be anarchy...right?

Maybe, but it's sort of irrelevant because without any taxes (the old LP position and still a common one) law enforcement would get so underfunded there might as well be no government.

[Mint]

What the funk are you talking about?  You can't use force against people in a libertarian society, you would go to jail.  Where are you people getting this sh**t from?  Do you think we don't believe in police departments, court rooms and jails?  BAH!  Mint?  Seriously?

No, I'm saying if people stopped paying their taxes because it wasn't required and you had huge social problems caused by stuff like child labor, private-only education, etc. being around then things would get ugly fast. I know that's not the position of the vast majority of libertarians here, but a lot of the Big L types literally agreed with what I posted.

As for the topic, I agreed with most of the article but once again am left wondering if Bono is capable of having an original thought. Ever.

See West, The Political Economy of American Public School Legislation. Literacy was more or less at the same level it is nowadays before public schools were created. That's at a time when people were much poorer than they are today.

Literacy isn't the issue. By implementing those sorts of policies you'd basically create an underclass where large numbers of kids never went go to school. They'd be busy working to help keep their households from going under (some still do but they tend to be high school drop outs). You know.. like in the 19th century?

Keep in mind I do support some liberalization of the existing policy too: I'm a pretty big advocate of vouchers, charter schools, and early apprenticeship/internship programs. I just know that for society to function at our current standard of living we need some services.