Ten Years of Banned Smoking in England
- Thread starter briarfriar
- Start date
- Status
We as free men in the USA have let the 'Borg' TELL us whats best. If a business wants to allow smoking, whats the problem?
If a business doesn't want to provide multisex bathrooms, that's a crime?
It smacks of 1984 to me.
If a business doesn't want to provide multisex bathrooms, that's a crime?
It smacks of 1984 to me.
This is not confusing at all. Libertarians are what were once known as "classical liberals," or those who accept the egalitarian regime but want to conserve competition as a means of transitioning forced equality into meritocracy.
It is only when they claim to be conservatives that they are confused. The most interesting variant of libertarianism for me is anarcho-capitalism, which I do not oppose but do not see as a complete solution, being an anarcho-monarchist among other things.
Mainly what I like about libertarians is the high quality writing. Hoppe, Reason.com, ESR, etc.
Control...smoking control, gun control, election control, health control, media control, language control...what's next?
Who cares?
Whose gonna win the Super bowl?
Who cares?
Whose gonna win the Super bowl?
ericusrex: "Down with the Gubmint!
Libertarians are the biggest bunch of whiny, selfish, hypocritical fools this country has ever seen."
Making up a statement, and then acting as if someone else said it is nothing more than a lie. Calling someone who has a different political belief than you "whiny, selfish, and a hypocritical fool" is against the rules of this forum. In fact, your whole post was whiny. I never met a libertarian who was against the government. Every one of them I met is pro government. Our government is the Constitution, it is when people in office go against government that they speak out. Trying to prevent someone from destroying this government is patriotic, pro government behavior, trying to stop them is treason.
Libertarians are the biggest bunch of whiny, selfish, hypocritical fools this country has ever seen."
Making up a statement, and then acting as if someone else said it is nothing more than a lie. Calling someone who has a different political belief than you "whiny, selfish, and a hypocritical fool" is against the rules of this forum. In fact, your whole post was whiny. I never met a libertarian who was against the government. Every one of them I met is pro government. Our government is the Constitution, it is when people in office go against government that they speak out. Trying to prevent someone from destroying this government is patriotic, pro government behavior, trying to stop them is treason.
Classical Liberalism is inherent in Conservatism and Libertarianism. Both are philosophies that rely on Human experience to form their principles. Neither really are far from one another. I find that Libertarians like to boast being Libertarian around their conservative and Progressive friends. Trying to appear different. The biggest difference between Libertarian and Conservative thought, is a Conservative's devotion to the family Nucleus. Which the American Founders espoused. Both are at odds and are the adverse to Progressivism, which is a bastard child of Marxism. A forced ideology that degrades human kind into a ditch of everlasting poverty and selfless devotion to a religious style of control on the collective.
That's the whole discussion in a nutshell. What made Western civilization unique and great was the emphasis on and protection of individual rights. To the degree Western civilization is dying (and it is), is the degree to which we have abandoned individual rights in favor of rights based on what politically favored group you belong to.
If Western civilization is dying it's because it does things like giving human rights to corporations, and making greed and selfishness into virtues in total contrast to the religion its members claim to follow. I'm not sure why people seem to think socialism (in all its various forms) is not "Western" and that nationalism and libertarianism are.
Western Civilization is doing what it has always done, morphing not ... dying.
Socialism, in my opinion, is oppressive as it sucks the fun, the risk and the individualism out of life. And, of course when there is no more moneys to sucked from the workers, it implodes in on itself. Again, an opinion only and one etched in stone. I like the idea of being responsible for myself, my health care or lack thereof, my right to try and fail or succeed.
Socialism, in my opinion, is oppressive as it sucks the fun, the risk and the individualism out of life. And, of course when there is no more moneys to sucked from the workers, it implodes in on itself. Again, an opinion only and one etched in stone. I like the idea of being responsible for myself, my health care or lack thereof, my right to try and fail or succeed.
"If Western civilization is dying it's because it does things like giving human rights to corporations, and making greed and selfishness into virtues in total contrast to the religion its members claim to follow. I'm not sure why people seem to think socialism (in all its various forms) is not "Western" and that nationalism and libertarianism are."
You are right that Western Civilization includes Socialism. There is a difference between the relationship of Socialism and religion, and the relationship of religion and the United State's Government. The people of the United States founded this country to protect those from religious persecution. Therefore it's government had no jurisdiction over it's citizen's religion. The more important point can be found in understanding that the Constitution was government created from the power of self government inherent in the people, it was government that recognized the Unalienable rights endowed in each man by his Creator. In other words, God was above man and God was above government. Man was not God, Government was not God, and the rights of man were recognized as being unable to be taken away. Socialism holds the Government to be the highest authority, giving it power to take away a person's rights. It is in essence, no different from the religious persecution that the people of the United States were opposed to. Socialism is antithetical to the idea of the United States, not antithetical to Western Civilization.
You are right that Western Civilization includes Socialism. There is a difference between the relationship of Socialism and religion, and the relationship of religion and the United State's Government. The people of the United States founded this country to protect those from religious persecution. Therefore it's government had no jurisdiction over it's citizen's religion. The more important point can be found in understanding that the Constitution was government created from the power of self government inherent in the people, it was government that recognized the Unalienable rights endowed in each man by his Creator. In other words, God was above man and God was above government. Man was not God, Government was not God, and the rights of man were recognized as being unable to be taken away. Socialism holds the Government to be the highest authority, giving it power to take away a person's rights. It is in essence, no different from the religious persecution that the people of the United States were opposed to. Socialism is antithetical to the idea of the United States, not antithetical to Western Civilization.
Two points:
1. As mentioned above, socialism isn't "Western" because it diminishes individual rights and elevates group rights above the individual. Individual rights are a Western construct. You can get socialism anywhere in the world, just look around.
2. We would probably agree on some things about corporations, but it's funny how socialists always get to define what "greed" and "selfishness" are, and their remedy is ALWAYS to use government power to take money/resources by force from INDIVIDUALS.
And, as far as selfishness goes, I'm sure you realize that Westerners are FAR more generous and give FAR more to charity than any other people on the planet. Socialism is a cancer in every society it was ever implemented.
- Status