Gary Johnson opposed any and all environmental laws, worker safety laws, minimum wage laws, or regulation of financial markets.
Additionally, he wanted to privatize Social Security and raise the retirement age to 70, and he believes there should be no gun safety laws of any kind, no welfare laws, no public education (only private schools), and no public health coverage. And he admitted being utterly clueless about the massive human tragedy in war-torn Aleppo, Syria.
The problem with Libertarians, and the closer they are to true Ayn Rand extremism the worse, is that they not only want to get the government — we the people, addressing legitimate public policy interests — off the backs of individual rights, but they want to abdicate all public policy responsibility altogether!
Democrats and PROgressives want government that will address legitimate issues of public policy to protect workers and consumers — from invasion, from crime, and yes, from corporate bullies that would dominate them. And yes, that “public health and safety” includes the right not to die because you can’t afford medical care. And we want government to manage and develop our shared PUBLIC environment and infrastructure. But we also want Big Intrusive Government to stay the hell out of our private lives, including private relationships (dictate who you can or can’t marry), private medical choices (reproductive choices, medical marijuana, end of life choices, stem cell therapies) or try to force religion (private) into the public square or subsidize it with special tax giveaways (socialized religion).
The Libertarian MYTH of the “self made” “rugged individualist” is their own little ego-boosting fantasy.
No billionaire could have achieved their wealth without enjoying the fruits of the public policy we have that protects them and provides opportunity. No one does it by themselves.
Aside from the reality that most of them inherit their big head start from Daddy, they use public roads, bridges and other infrastructure, are protected by police and military and courts, are educated in public schools (as are their employees and suppliers) and, in many cases, got rich off corporate welfare and military “defense contractors” that profiteer off the deaths and suffering of our brave military heroes.
To be a true Libertarian “self made” “rugged individuals” means you have never hired someone who was educated in any public school.
You operate your business, and maintain your home, in an area that is not kept safe from enemies domestic or foreign by law enforcement or military protection and, if someone harms you or violates contractual agreements, you eschew all access to judicial remedies.
It means you have never driven upon public roads, or used any public infrastructure in amassing this personal fortune that is yours, all yours, with no help from anyone else.
And you have never sold to any customer or consumer who has developed strong consumer confidence because of consumer protection services by, you guessed it, public agencies.
The kind of place they envision would be bleak indeed for most of us who aren’t go-getters like themselves where civilization is organization which collectivism which they loathe. (Some of them have been planning whole places to put the chronically poor who won’t make it in their society. A eugenic bit of social engineering. )
Also there will be private fire and police you pay for or not. And since everyone will be armed in and proficient with plus you can booby trap your own house criminals wouldn’t last long. And every road will be a private road or it won’t be maintained and disused.
It is in the moral concept of fairness in justice that I have my major disagreement with the libertarian viewpoint. It seems to me that the libertarian view is too much “sink or swim, I got mine and if you don’t have yours that’s too bad for you” in its thrust for individual unrestricted freedom. The libertarian time frame also seems to be limited to the here and now, with no recognition of the ups and downs of life that are beyond any individual’s control and thus is likely to result accumulated unfairness and in societal instability over time. Thus, there seems to be a limited sense of fairness in the libertarian viewpoint which I consider a moral failing, since humans are biologically a social species, evolved to work within a community framework, the source of their morality. Libertarians tend to downplay such communal action.
DD Wiz over 6 years ago
Gary Johnson opposed any and all environmental laws, worker safety laws, minimum wage laws, or regulation of financial markets.
Additionally, he wanted to privatize Social Security and raise the retirement age to 70, and he believes there should be no gun safety laws of any kind, no welfare laws, no public education (only private schools), and no public health coverage. And he admitted being utterly clueless about the massive human tragedy in war-torn Aleppo, Syria.
The problem with Libertarians, and the closer they are to true Ayn Rand extremism the worse, is that they not only want to get the government — we the people, addressing legitimate public policy interests — off the backs of individual rights, but they want to abdicate all public policy responsibility altogether!
Democrats and PROgressives want government that will address legitimate issues of public policy to protect workers and consumers — from invasion, from crime, and yes, from corporate bullies that would dominate them. And yes, that “public health and safety” includes the right not to die because you can’t afford medical care. And we want government to manage and develop our shared PUBLIC environment and infrastructure. But we also want Big Intrusive Government to stay the hell out of our private lives, including private relationships (dictate who you can or can’t marry), private medical choices (reproductive choices, medical marijuana, end of life choices, stem cell therapies) or try to force religion (private) into the public square or subsidize it with special tax giveaways (socialized religion).
DD Wiz over 6 years ago
The Libertarian MYTH of the “self made” “rugged individualist” is their own little ego-boosting fantasy.
No billionaire could have achieved their wealth without enjoying the fruits of the public policy we have that protects them and provides opportunity. No one does it by themselves.
Aside from the reality that most of them inherit their big head start from Daddy, they use public roads, bridges and other infrastructure, are protected by police and military and courts, are educated in public schools (as are their employees and suppliers) and, in many cases, got rich off corporate welfare and military “defense contractors” that profiteer off the deaths and suffering of our brave military heroes.
To be a true Libertarian “self made” “rugged individuals” means you have never hired someone who was educated in any public school.
You operate your business, and maintain your home, in an area that is not kept safe from enemies domestic or foreign by law enforcement or military protection and, if someone harms you or violates contractual agreements, you eschew all access to judicial remedies.
It means you have never driven upon public roads, or used any public infrastructure in amassing this personal fortune that is yours, all yours, with no help from anyone else.
And you have never sold to any customer or consumer who has developed strong consumer confidence because of consumer protection services by, you guessed it, public agencies.
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 6 years ago
The kind of place they envision would be bleak indeed for most of us who aren’t go-getters like themselves where civilization is organization which collectivism which they loathe. (Some of them have been planning whole places to put the chronically poor who won’t make it in their society. A eugenic bit of social engineering. )
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 6 years ago
Also there will be private fire and police you pay for or not. And since everyone will be armed in and proficient with plus you can booby trap your own house criminals wouldn’t last long. And every road will be a private road or it won’t be maintained and disused.
martens over 6 years ago
It is in the moral concept of fairness in justice that I have my major disagreement with the libertarian viewpoint. It seems to me that the libertarian view is too much “sink or swim, I got mine and if you don’t have yours that’s too bad for you” in its thrust for individual unrestricted freedom. The libertarian time frame also seems to be limited to the here and now, with no recognition of the ups and downs of life that are beyond any individual’s control and thus is likely to result accumulated unfairness and in societal instability over time. Thus, there seems to be a limited sense of fairness in the libertarian viewpoint which I consider a moral failing, since humans are biologically a social species, evolved to work within a community framework, the source of their morality. Libertarians tend to downplay such communal action.
Cheapskate0 over 6 years ago
Winslow says, believe what you need to. Good grief! Scott (the libertarian) has admitted to his own delusion!