Ron Paul’s Farewell Address: The Internet Can Stop Big Government

Re:Ron Paul’s Farewell Address: The Internet Can Stop Big Go... by philwelch on Saturday November 17, 2012 @12:22AM (#4797310)

> Libertarians deeply want to believe that we live in a world where you can leave people free to transact freely in a free market, and that will maximize total value. And economic theory tells us that isn't true.

Libertarianism isn't about maximizing total value; not if you're intellectually consistent about it. Most libertarians see libertarianism as a moral imperative and respond to arguments about "maximizing total value" with "the ends don't justify the means".

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Re:Ron Paul’s Farewell Address: The Internet Can Stop Big Go... by rayiner on Saturday November 17, 2012 @12:29AM (#4797325)

There is a self-consistent version of libertarianism based on a moral belief in freedom tempered by property rights (which is of course a totally arbitrary premise). I disagree, however, that most libertarians feel that way, largely because of the huge emphasis on free markets. I think most are just utilitarians who are mistaken.

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Re:Ron Paul’s Farewell Address: The Internet Can Stop Big Go... by philwelch on Saturday November 17, 2012 @12:40AM (#4797343)

Lots of libertarians aren't intellectually consistent; I was just talking about the intellectually consistent ones who actually have a "libertarian framework" to apply rather than simply a generalized skepticism about government ;) I think we agree.

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