OK, OK...what was I thinking?
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I'm back with more on this [:-[ I think Mike D. has the right idea;
use every chance to get the word "libertarian" in print, and then
clarify, differentiate, compare and contrast, to prevent the word
from joining "liberal," "progressive," "justice," "fairness" on the
Dark Side. Huuuummmm...I will go see if the Dem-Libs have a website
and join their discussion group to plant some thoughts....
Marcy
OK, OK...what was I thinking?
________________________________
From: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lpsf-
On Behalf Of Derek Jensen
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 8:57 PM
To: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [lpsf-discuss] Re: The Libertarian DemThe originator of te word "libertarian paternalism" was a professor
of
mine Richard Thaler. Trust me, he's a big leftist. There's nothing
libertarian about a philosophy that tries to use government to
protect
people from themselves.
I can appreciate what you are saying Dr. Michael....however the
Libertarian label has mostly been ignored and unused by the
establishment. So it's nice to see it being used even though
misinterpreted like so many other ideas. However marginally, it
still
seems marginally a step forward on the PR front and hopefully
worthy of
note on this list. Not quite what I'd hope for but at least a
mention.
Mike
________________________________
From: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com [mailto:lpsf-
On Behalf Of dredelstein@threeminutethera py.com <http://py.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 8:39 PMTo: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Walter Block; Anthony Gregory
Subject: Re: [lpsf-discuss] Re: The Libertarian DemMike,
I had the opposite reaction.
The word "libertarian," like "liberal" before it, was once a word of
purity and strength denoting a lover of freedom in the political
realm.
Libertarian meant a passionate advocate of freedom from tyranny,
which
is synonymous with freedom from Govt, the major tyrant.
Now, sadly, this beautiful word seems to be meeting the same tragic
fate
as "liberal" had. It may be time to jettison our beloved label and
find
one yet uncorrupted by the statists.
Best, Michael
From: Mike Denny <mailto:mike@…>
To: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 1:56 PM
Subject: RE: [lpsf-discuss] Re: The Libertarian Dem
No question Marcy...I just like seeing the name Libertarian get
into the
discussions of the other parties. Little by little, we will
hopefully
penetrate the consciousness of society. Getting mentioned is a small
step in the right direction.Mike
>
> http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/7/131550/7297
>
> The Libertarian Dem
>
>
> by kos <http://kos.dailykos.com>
>
>
> Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 10:15:50 AM PDT
>
>
> It's no secret that I look to the Mountain West for the future of
the
> Democratic Party, people like Brian Schweitzer and Jon Tester.
But I
> also look to candidates like Jim Webb in Virginia and Paul
Hackett
in
> Ohio.
>
> And what is the common thread amongst these candidates?
>
> They are all Libertarian Democrats.
>
> Ack, the "L" word! But hear me out.
>
> Traditional "libertarianism" holds that government is evil and
thus
must
> be minimized. Any and all government intrusion is bad. While
practical
> libertarians (as opposed to those who waste their votes on the
> Libertarian Party) have traditionally aligned themselves with the
> Republicans, it's clear that the modern GOP has no qualms about
> trampling on personal liberties. Heck, it's become their raison
d'
etre.
>
>
> The problem with this form of libertarianism is that it assumes
that
> only two forces can infringe on liberty -- the government and
other
> individuals.
>
> The Libertarian Democrat understands that there is a third danger
to
> personal liberty -- the corporation. The Libertarian Dem
understands
> that corporations, left unchecked, can be huge dangers to our
personal
> liberties.
>
> Libertarian Dems are not hostile to government like traditional
> libertarians. But unlike the liberal Democrats of old times (now
all but
> extinct), the Libertarian Dem doesn't believe government is the
solution
> for everything. But it sure as heck is effective in checking the
power
> of corporations.
>
> In other words, government can protect our liberties from those
who
> would infringe upon them -- corporations and other individuals.
>
> So in practical terms, what does a Libertarian Dem look like? A
> Libertarian Dem rejects government efforts to intrude in our
bedrooms
> and churches. A Libertarian Dem rejects government "Big Brother"
> efforts, such as the NSA spying of tens of millions of Americans.
A
> Libertarian Dem rejects efforts to strip away rights enumerated
in
the
> Bill of Rights -- from the First Amendment to the 10th. And yes,
that
> includes the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms.
>
> So far, this isn't much different than what a traditional
libertarian
> believes. Here is where it begins to differ (and it shouldn't).
>
> A Libertarian Dem believes that true liberty requires freedom of
> movement -- we need roads and public transportation to give people
> freedom to travel wherever they might want. A Libertarian Dem
believes
> that we should have the freedom to enjoy the outdoor without
getting
> poisoned; that corporate polluters infringe on our rights and
should be
> checked. A Libertarian Dem believes that people should have the
freedom
> to make a living without being unduly exploited by employers. A
> Libertarian Dem understands that no one enjoys true liberty if
they
> constantly fear for their lives, so strong crime and poverty
prevention
> programs can create a safe environment for the pursuit of
happiness. A
> Libertarian Dem gets that no one is truly free if they fear for
their
> health, so social net programs are important to allow individuals
to
> continue to live happily into their old age. Same with health
care.
And
> so on.
>
> The core Democratic values of fairness, opportunity, and
investing
in
> our nation and people very much speak to the concept of personal
> liberties -- an open society where success is predicated on the
merit of
> our ideas and efforts, unduly burdened by the government,
corporate
> America, or other individuals. And rather than always get in the
way,
> government can facilitate this.
>
> Of course, this also means that government isn't always the
solution to
> the nation's problems. There are times when business-government
> partnerships can be extremely effective (such as job retraining
efforts
> for displaced workers). There are times when government really
should
> butt out (like a great deal of small-business regulation). Our
first
> proposed solution to a problem facing our nation shouldn't be more
> regulation, more government programs, more bureaucracy.
>
> The key here isn't universal liberty from government intrusion,
but
> policies that maximize individual freedom, and who can protect
those
> individual freedoms best from those who would infringe.
>
> I am very much a Libertarian Dem, and this is exactly what my
next
book
> will be about. It's progressivism for a new century. And that's
what