tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post6332311998840651464..comments2023-10-20T05:51:51.625-04:00Comments on The THINK 3 INSTITUTE: Rand Paul and the libertarian 'southern strategy'Samuel Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-68504559468437825092013-07-23T18:59:46.142-04:002013-07-23T18:59:46.142-04:00The big libertarian blind spot is the assumption t...The big libertarian blind spot is the assumption that "business" can't coerce people the same way government does, that in "commerce" there's never the theoretical (or literal) gun to someone's head forcing them to do something they'd rather not. They think entirely in terms of the contractual transaction and rarely if ever in terms of the consequences to which no one consents.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-56537979112676297082013-07-23T17:51:30.615-04:002013-07-23T17:51:30.615-04:00But, in their demented view, business is NOT accou...But, in their demented view, business is NOT accountable to the people it exploits, the resources it may steal, the unethical and, perhaps, amoral actions of it's owners/directors.<br /><br />In other words, libertarians, despite their protests, are lacking in any real morality other than pure profit.<br /><br />Without government to rein in business and an educated and informed public to rein in government, you can not have a democratic society based on equality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-20316268956366835102013-07-22T19:18:09.483-04:002013-07-22T19:18:09.483-04:00Libertarians believe that business is accountable ...Libertarians believe that business is accountable to "the market," and that the public can make any business change its ways by not buying its products. But just as they suspect that politicians can manipulate an irrational electorate and thus stay in power, they should acknowledge that irrational impulses in the marketplace can reward harmful businesses.<br /><br />Some libertarians and conservatives are distrustful of "big" business when they suspect that businesses have gotten big by exploiting government or conniving with politicians -- they're critics of "crony capitalism" but tend to think the solution is less government rather than less capitalism.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820814198873126054.post-68395652404473280712013-07-22T19:01:40.189-04:002013-07-22T19:01:40.189-04:00Not to defend Ron Paul, but I certainly wouldn'...Not to defend Ron Paul, but I certainly wouldn't want my friends judged by my views, neither would I wish to be judged by the views of some of my friends.<br /><br />Tangentially, I have to wonder why it is these men have such an abhorrence of "big government", but implicitly trust "big business". It seems quite reasonable to me that, in a society such as ours, government, no matter how big, is answerable to the electorate, whereas a business - especially big business - is answerable only to it's board of directors and stockholders (who may or may not even be citizens of the nation).<br /><br />The only reason I can think of that fits is that these men do not wish to be answerable to anyone else, regardless of their actions. That makes me very suspicious of their motives for being involved in government to begin with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com