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aggiesal

(8,923 posts)
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 12:31 PM Jan 2019

Libertarian Hypocracy

Great Article!! Well worth reading
https://www.alternet.org/2019/01/11-questions-you-should-ask-libertarians-see-if-theyre-hypocrites/

Here is my favorite paragraph (Paraphrased)

Billionaires become wealthy, by:
- Hiring government-educated employees to develop products
- By protecting those products by government patents & copyrights.
- Those products used government-created computer technology and a government-created communications web
- Communicate with government-educated customers in order to generate wealth for themselves
- Wealth is then stored in government-protected banks
- Then, they began using that wealth to argue for the elimination of GOVERNMENT.

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Libertarian Hypocracy (Original Post) aggiesal Jan 2019 OP
The American government supports an economic system that favors their businesses FakeNoose Jan 2019 #1
Actually they use their lobbyists exboyfil Jan 2019 #2
they're not really hypocrites so much as liars. unblock Jan 2019 #3
Koch bros and their ilk also want to thin the KPN Jan 2019 #7
They don't want any government ... aggiesal Jan 2019 #8
no, they don't want no government at all. they're not complete anarchists. unblock Jan 2019 #9
To add to this Proud Liberal Dem Jan 2019 #4
k&r Hermit-The-Prog Jan 2019 #5
More like lunacy. nt KPN Jan 2019 #6

FakeNoose

(32,739 posts)
1. The American government supports an economic system that favors their businesses
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 12:39 PM
Jan 2019

... which creates profit for them. More money in their pockets which they use to destroy the government.

exboyfil

(17,865 posts)
2. Actually they use their lobbyists
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 12:43 PM
Jan 2019

for arguing for rent seeking from the government, not necessarily less government.

unblock

(52,316 posts)
3. they're not really hypocrites so much as liars.
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 12:47 PM
Jan 2019

they don't want the elimination of government. they want to keep much of the things they benefit from.

they just don't *say* that.

but the koch brothers absolutely want prisons and police and courts and laws and so on to protect their wealth.
they want a strong military to keep their shipping lanes safe.
they want to be able to trust the banks to hold their money.
they want to benefit from all that effectively free research and development the government does.

what they don't want is a government that feeds the poor or gets justice for workers or consumers.
they want those people to be at the mercy of billionaires.

KPN

(15,649 posts)
7. Koch bros and their ilk also want to thin the
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 01:29 PM
Jan 2019

herd, so to speak, as the principal mechanism for achieving sustainability (of their empire/lifestyle).

Sadly, they are succeeding, but I do sense the tide is turning - hopefully it’s not too late.

Side note: as a means to personally capitalize on the tide change, I am considering starting a guillotine fabrication business.

aggiesal

(8,923 posts)
8. They don't want any government ...
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 01:32 PM
Jan 2019

All those things you mention, they want, just not run/controlled by any government.
Those should be held privately, so somebody could make money from it.
I call it "PROFITIZING" not "PRIVATIZING".

In 1980 David Koch (Yes, a Koch brother), was the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party.

Let’s take a look at the 1980 Libertarian Party platform, and it hasn't changed that much.
When you read the list, you'll just say "WOW".

Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980:

- “We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”

- “We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”

- “We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”

- “We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”

- “We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”

- “We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”

- “We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”

- “We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”

- “As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”

- “We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”

- “We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”

- “We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”

- “We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”

- “We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”

- “We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”

- “We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”

- “We demand the return of America's railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”

- “We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”

- “We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”

- “We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”

- “We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”

- “We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”

- “We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”

- “We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”

- “We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

- “We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”

unblock

(52,316 posts)
9. no, they don't want no government at all. they're not complete anarchists.
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 02:03 PM
Jan 2019

no government at all is call anarchy. the kochs and the libertarians are not complete anarchists.

they still want government to throw people in prison for stealing and such.
yes, the kochs can afford private security for *some* of their empire (their mansions, e.g.) but they can't effectively have private security for everything and every where their empire requires. too many people and goods and buildings and equipment in too many locations. they need the police and laws and courts and so on.

yes, they do want to privatize (or, "profitize" -- i like that word; i also like "piratize&quot many of what are currently government functions.

but not all of it.

that's what distinguishes libertarians from anarchists. anarchists want no government *at all*.
libertarians want government to be "as small as possible", which in practice means, "get rid of anything rich people and big businesses don't profit from but keep everything they do profit from."

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,437 posts)
4. To add to this
Wed Jan 23, 2019, 12:47 PM
Jan 2019

Employees are able to stay healthy and come to work every day to work to make them money because of regulation of foods and medicine by the GOVERNMENT

Businesses are able to thrive economically because of GOVERNMENT-provided law enforcement that ensure that their places of businesses aren't looted and trashed

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