Is Libertarianism a legitimate form of government?
Ryan asked:
or is it just an interesting politcal philosophy for think tanks like the Cato institute?
or is it just an interesting politcal philosophy for think tanks like the Cato institute?
95% of the people I have met or talked to who claim to be Libertarians don’t REALLY even understand what Libertarianism is. Most seem to just latch on to it because of a few things they heard about it. “Oooh less government sounds good to me!” and because it’s “cool” and “different” from the norm.
My opinion is that libertarism is interesting as an intellectual exercise and Libertarians exist to form one extreme side of the poltical equation to force us to examine idea, but that there is a good reason why there are few if any successful Libertarian candidates and no countries with Libertarian governments that I’ve ever heard of.
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Filed under: Politics by admin
Libertarianism is basically paleo-conservatism (except on issues such as the military), which has worked in the U.S. before.
Libertarianism is ironically not Liberal or Conservative, but is one of those wacky fringe thinking systems that could never work. It’s kind of like Anarchy with an army, do what you will shall be the whole of the law kind of Eurasian junk. Scary stuff if you come across one who really understands their political dogma, and believes it.
True dyed in the wool libertarians want NO govt period so no its not a true political party. Larry Elder claims to be a mix of republican and libertarian and there are some on here that have some libertarian beliefs mixed with liberal agendas. You are right in the assessment that most just like the major party lines of the party but if you look deeper the hard core would be a detriment to this country.
A Libertarian government is almost an oxymoron.
It isn’t a form of government, it is a political party, which should be checked and balanced like the rest. Just like there is no republican or democratic government, but rather a representative democracy which includes various ideas. Many republicans and democrats are very different from each other. It is why people should not vote for a party, but rather a candidate. I beieve that Barry Goldwater was a libertarian, as he was chastised by the ‘right’ for wanting gays to serve in the military. He was never elected as a result, but served under many administrations. I think that libertarianism is TOO free for most of the people in the US. Afterall, we were founded by some very religious people, and the notion of keeping government to a minimum and freedom to a maximum doesn’t jive with many people who believe that their moral code should not only be espoused by everyone else, but also a basis for legislation. America is not ready for libertarianism, but I live my life as one, and the constitution allows for that.
The first question is, what is a “legitimate form of government?” There are many, haphazard groups governing countries in this world, both past and present. Fascism, Socialism, Communism, Democracy, Theocracy, etc.
Libertarianism is a political philosopy. While there are varying degrees to which this is adopted by inidividuals (as there are in all political philosphies), it is no more ludicrous than extreme socialism or communism. And the philosophy is this – overarching central governments tend to be corrupt, inefficient, tyrannical, etc. and to impede individual success. Liberty is the solution to the human condition.
Do I personally believe that a true Libertarian government will ever exist? No. There is a human need/desire for power. And because of that, governments will never relinquish more power to the people than they have to. However, the American experiment showed the pure power and beauty of freedom. And – the country has been in gradual decline in many societal aspects since it threw out is libertarian principles for a more centralized, powerful, over-arching, and corrupt governing structure…. Long live beurocracy