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Tuesday
September 11, 2007

America and Libertarianism by Tibor R. Machan

Because America is still widely regarded as a pretty decent country, even while Left, Right and the rest find a lot of fault with it, the question of whether Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, Conservatives, Populists, or Libertarians are the most faithful to its central ideas and ideals is important to ask and answer. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (10 messages)

Post 0

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 9:41am

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Coercion...to hand over ones rights by means of a fearmongering intimidation. To sumbit. F**k Fear !

Post 1

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 1:01pm

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Bravo for a good essay on the libertarian leanings of America's founders, who largely--though not completely--grasped the necessity of individual freedom to human flourishing. I especially enjoy and appreciate your reference to taxation as a violation of individual rights.

I had to laugh yesterday, upon hearing a conservative radio talk show host complain about Rudy Guiliani's recent statement that (paraphrasing) "illegal immigration is not and shuld not be a crime". As United States Attorney, Guiliani lynched Michael Milliken, who was a highly successful and honest financial entrepreneur in the 1980's. Guiliani amassed the whole force and endless financial resources of the federal government against Milliken, forcing him to plead guilty to rigged charges that brought Milliken 10 years in jail and 500 million dollars in fines. Milliken's actual "crime" was becoming wealthy as a result of innovating and selling new financial solutions to corproations--as well as offering a tempting target to the immoral and politically ambitious Guiliani. So Guiliani is offensive to me, although I partly like his stand on immigration, despite the fact that it probably reflects conscious political pandering.

Foreign workers who evade and break the law to find work in the United States haven't hurt anyone. Of course, the idea of foreign undocumented workers "taking jobs" from "legal Americans" is a favorite gripe of conservatives, who understand little about economics, especially when it fails to back up their collectivsm. So listening to them wail about Giuliani made my day.

Post 2

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 6:10pm

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Mark,

Roger Donway takes a hard shot at Rudi Giuliani in the October issue of The New Individualist because of his ugly jihad against Milken. For all that I like Rudi's (apparent) sense of life and more commonsense views on certain social issues, I continue to have a tough time getting past this one.

Post 3

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 9:51pm

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She Speaks Loudly and Carries a Big Schtick

Is there any chance of TNI interviewing Giuliani or getting a statement from his camp?

I abstained for voting for him in his first election precisely because of Miliken, and the RICO act, but how much that was a result of Meese and Administration policy as opposed to Giuliani's personal priorities remains an open question.

In any case, while I thought Giuliani's attitude toward the victims of policy brutality was repulsive (he always assumed before any investigation that the police were innocent, which translates into believing that their victims were guilty until proven innocent) I want a president who will crack heads internationally. His treatment of Arafat was exemplary. I intend, for the first time in three decades, to actively support the man for office.

Ted Keer

Post 4

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 9:29am

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If they're going to turn America into a police state then there is no better man than Rudy, the guy who ran the Mafia retirement program. He put all of the geriatric crime bosses in jail so a younger generation could take hold. With Fred Thompson in the race, the religious right no longer has to settle for a twice divorced lying cross dressing tough talking former US District Attorney. Of course I was disapointed that the real "King of Swing" George Pataki did not get into the prez race.

Post 5

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 12:53pm

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And if non-sequiturs were bananas, you'd be a monkey? Come on Victor, try to post something more useful than "the religious right no longer has to settle for a twice divorced lying cross dressing tough talking former US District Attorney." The religious right knows the difference between a lip-service paying Mitt Romney and Giuliani, and doesn't have to settle for anything. Giuliani is the devil that you know. Sure, he isn't a monogamous fag-basher. I'm sure some bigots must really resent that. But at least he comes as advertised.

Ted

Post 6

Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 5:23am

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Ok Ted, so you don't like my poetic style.

True homosexuals should not be bashed for being who they are since they are mostly law abiding citizens like most people.

As the country becomes more populated and as the information age brings loss of privacy, people feel more intruded on which brings issues like crime from over population and illegal immigration to the front of the burner. The country is facing a problem with enforcing laws against crime and protecting individual freedom, which is why Giuliani has caught the popularity of many. Of course Fred Thompson, who also has a DA background (real and Hollywood) looks like a better choice for the religious right as opposed to Rudy who touts his real life success as DA and NY Mayor. His mayoral administration did an excellent job enforcing the law making the city safe for citizens as well as for tourists, commuters, corporations and associated business etc. Of course he also granted power to the law enforcement which the left criticized as being unchecked at times.

Post 7

Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 7:56am

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The point of my essay was to discuss whether the American Founders can accurately be regarded as proto-libertarians, whether contemporary libertarians are the most faithful representatives of their outlook.

Post 8

Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 8:49am

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Tibor, sorry for the hijack, will keep this brief.

Victor, so you support Fred? He's my second choice out of the current crop, but he might not win states like NJ that I think Rudy will win. Also, you said:

"True homosexuals should not be bashed for being who they are since they are mostly law abiding citizens like most people."

Are you missing a comma after the word true, or do you feel that bisexuals like myself, not being "true homosexuals" should be open to bashing?

Ted

Post 9

Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 9:12am

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Yes Ted, the comma belongs or my statement should have been,"True, no person should be bashed for being who they are..."

Yes Tibor, I agree with the point of your essay.