Last night I was watching the Libertarian v Conservative debate on YouTube. As a former libertarian I found it quite interesting to see the infighting between the two strains of right wing politics. Here in Canada small l libertarianism is welcomed as a form of Conservatism and has its own wing of the Conservative Party of Canada.
The debate was not very fruitful consisting of L8bertarians calling Conservatives names or stating the dangers of drugs was fearmongering. They also dismissed the need to have a foreign policy of anything other than pure isolation. They denied the importance of a maintaining of civil society such as the family or other associations as well.
One does not need to nor should one normalize the use of drugs as OK or healthy in order to defend their legalization. They also had an issue with Government being involved in marriage, but, never said what should be done to stop say insectious marriages or forced marriages. We have laws against bestiality for example and insest is usually groomed coming from abuse. Even if it was not the affect upon any children from incest is itself a form of abuse. There are lots of ways Governments are involved in marriages and divorce for good reasons. The answer to LGB marriages was to simply extend marriage to a select group of persons and within a specific context.
The Libetarians were also for completely open and uncontrolled immigration and against enforcing laws against illegal immigration. They were against government control of immigration on any level. They literally advocated for complete freedom of travel and movement totally unregulated. It is not too far a leap from that too why have drivers licenses or speeding laws as those are regulating ones means of travel.
I agree with needing to do something with the way the drug war is fought and I am open to different types of reforms. I agree fiscally and economically still with small l libertarianism that government intervention into the market will tend to cause more harm than good. That a truly freed market is best both morally and practically. However, supporting and wanting to conserve liberty does not mean supporting anarchy or being utopian.
I both support freed market Capitalism and non-intervention while not being for a lawless society. In fact, the government has a major job of making sure that you do not infringe others rights in the process of using your own liberty
Social order requires rules, but, laws and intervening in peoples free market activities are not the same thing. We should have as many laws that are needed to protect the rights of all citizens while also not getting in the way of peoples economic activity that is not harmful to others or their rights including external property outside of your own.
Born Again Christian; Biblical Fundamentalist, Received Text-KJV, Dispensational
