[mattduke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'ll tell you. It feels bad. Being a libertarian means living with a level of frustration that is nearly beyond human endurance. It means being subject to unending scorn and derision despite being inevitably proven correct by events. How does it feel to be a libertarian? ...

Imagine spending two decades warning that government policy is leading to a major economic collapse, and then, when the collapse comes, watching the world conclude that markets do not work.

[Jotapay]

I don't know, my Libertarianism gives me this overwhelming sense of superiority that just can't be assuaged. So I just roll with it.

[Kristen]

Being a libertarian means you believe in the philosophy that "Every x has a right to do as x pleases as long as the act does not interfere with every other x's same right"

Now are you have an individualistic or a holistic view?

[Dezakin]

Which sort? Theres the ones who are generally suspicious of government and regulation, then there are the ones that read one of Ayn Rand's books and turn into complete assholes for years at a time.

[eastbay]

.... and they all seem to agree in the need for open borders. Which, among many other things, is not a very environmentally friendly idea.

[Jotapay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', '.')... and they all seem to agree in the need for open borders. Which, among many other things, is not a very environmentally friendly idea.

[eastbay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jotapay', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', '.')... and they all seem to agree in the need for open borders. Which, among many other things, is not a very environmentally friendly idea.

[Jotapay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', 'Y')es, that may be true. Filled with otherwise fine ideas, the Libertarian Party has historically called for the free and open movement of people and goods across the border. Or at least they used to, but I haven't checked in awhile. It may have changed, but since it was a core belief I rather doubt it.

That one point was a deal breaker for me.

[Jotapay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'L')ibertarians are self-deluded purists from the middle-class and limited privilege. They are a lot like GW, born on 3rd base, given a reasonably effective education by the state, and believing they hit a home run.

[Jotapay]

It's all relative and your observations were from a different vantage point than mine. I've lived in California and Texas and can tell you the social services in Cali are just disgusting compared to what exists here. So from that perspective, there are definite differences between the two states.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dezakin', ' ')Then there are the ones that read one of Ayn Rand's books and turn into complete assholes for years at a time.

[Alcassin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dezakin', ' ')Then there are the ones that read one of Ayn Rand's books and turn into complete assholes for years at a time.

[mattduke]

I don't think it is all that complicated. Libertarianism is primarily the rejection of violence. The rest follows.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'L')ibertarians are self-deluded purists from the middle-class and limited privilege. They are a lot like GW, born on 3rd base, given a reasonably effective education by the state, and believing they hit a home run.

They tend to be materialists, rationalists who rationalize their good fortune by their own existence. A very smug, semi-religious tautology. (The truly wealthy on the other hand understand that brains and hard work really don't count for much and thus they hide behind Protestantism that protects them from their vassals.)

Libertarianism is especially a byproduct of the modern consumer state that has redefined what it would like humans to be. Of course this is the greatest self-delusion of all, depended on a one-time fossil fuel gift. When the free energy runs out we will quickly remember our mammalian and tribal customs. We will once again be community members, interdependent actors in great dramas, and live by necessity in tradition and culture. And justice. The day of the isolated industrial cog, self-serving functionaries, deluded consumers is ending.

Libertarians believe in Moore's Law, don't understand ecology and planetary systems (and thus their place in the pecking order). They lack humility.