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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 21:20 |
Yah?????
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Hanyou
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 02 2010
Location: North Carolina
Status: Offline
Points: 101
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 21:30 |
Epignosis wrote:
I'm a conservative libertarian.
And welcome! From where do you hail in NC?
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So there are others. I think that label may fit me, but I avoid it because everyone seems to immediately associate "conservative libertarianism" with Glenn Beck nowadays, and that carries one hell of a stigma.
I'm near Raleigh right now, though I don't give out my exact location. I grew up in Raleigh, though. Great place.
Never been to Raeford. :<
Edited by Hanyou - January 15 2011 at 21:34
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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 16 2006
Location: FL, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 21:57 |
Conservative libertarianism is kind of incoherent. A conservative would like to conserve the status quo, hence, a world ruled by the state. I don't agree with such a view.
Pat, how would de-regulation had helped in the mortgage crisis? People were irresponsible by askig loans they couldn't pay and offering them to people they knew couldn't pay. How would deregulation have helped matters?
I'll talk more tomorrow. I have some minor questions and just a couple philophical issues here, though research has shown a way to solve one of them...
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:05 |
The T wrote:
Conservative libertarianism is kind of incoherent. A conservative would like to conserve the status quo, hence, a world ruled by the state. I don't agree with such a view.
Pat, how would de-regulation had helped in the mortgage crisis? People were irresponsible by askig loans they couldn't pay and offering them to people they knew couldn't pay. How would deregulation have helped matters?
I'll talk more tomorrow. I have some minor questions and just a couple philophical issues here, though research has shown a way to solve one of them... |
Well deregulation alone wouldn't have helped since the crisis was caused largely by Federal Reserve monetary policy and quasi-private GSEs. Deregulation is good, but deregulation implies the sector is already free, which can hardly be said of the credit market. Since the market is so influenced by governmental decisions, the regulation spoken of is really regulation over the governmental actions, and not private ones.
The idea that more regulation would have done something is really not valid though. Our supposed experts at the Federal Reserve were clueless about what was happening and why. They repeatedly said the economy was robust, that real estate is local the entire real estate market throughout the country cannot be affected all at once, that subprime crises wouldn't spill over into prime lending, etc. Further, the credit boom, loosening (elimination) of lending standards, high risk loans, wouldn't have been stopped by regulators because this was exactly the policy that the government was seeking to enact. The goal was home ownership. The goal was home ownership for low income families. The goal was propping up housing prices. The goal was lending to minorities regardless of credit standing. Regulation would have only confirmed that things were occurring as government drew up the plan.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Hanyou
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 02 2010
Location: North Carolina
Status: Offline
Points: 101
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:05 |
The T wrote:
Conservative libertarianism is kind of incoherent. A conservative would like to conserve the status quo, hence, a world ruled by the state. I don't agree with such a view.
Pat, how would de-regulation had helped in the mortgage crisis? People were irresponsible by askig loans they couldn't pay and offering them to people they knew couldn't pay. How would deregulation have helped matters?
I'll talk more tomorrow. I have some minor questions and just a couple philophical issues here, though research has shown a way to solve one of them... |
The definition of "conservatism" is fluid and it means different things to different people. In the United States, I'd classify it as adhering to constitutional principles--but that would require radical change of sorts. I agree it would conserve the state, but, as I'm a minarchist, I don't have a huge problem with the concept of the state itself.
The label "conservative" is itself kind of incoherent. But to be fair, so is liberal; the word has so many definitions that it hardly means anything anymore.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:15 |
I think it's a contradiction for a libertarian to be a constitutionalist. How could a libertarian defend a document which grants the right of eminent domain?
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Hanyou
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 02 2010
Location: North Carolina
Status: Offline
Points: 101
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:28 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
I think it's a contradiction for a libertarian to be a constitutionalist. How could a libertarian defend a document which grants the right of eminent domain? |
Then perhaps I'm not really a libertarian at all. I'll just avoid labeling myself.
I'm against eminent domain, and I never said the Constitution was perfect, but I do think it's a good starting point for the United States and should dictate policy, because its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Which, like I said, is the "conservative" part.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:33 |
I'm not saying you did. I'm just pointing out that strict constitutionalist and libertarians are very different.
I agree that reversion to the Constitution would be a great thing, although I would still be very unsatisfied.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Hanyou
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 02 2010
Location: North Carolina
Status: Offline
Points: 101
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:52 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
I'm not saying you did. I'm just pointing out that strict constitutionalist and libertarians are very different.
I agree that reversion to the Constitution would be a great thing, although I would still be very unsatisfied. |
Simple reversion to the Constitution would be less than ideal for me too. But I still appreciate the document and its implications, and think it might be the best thing we have to slow this government down. Unfortunately, even the words of the Constitution rarely work all that well.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 15 2011 at 22:55 |
Ultimately the Constitution is really powerless to do anything.
Kurt Godel claimed to have found a logical flaw in the Constitution which allowed the legal establishment of a dictatorship. I've always hoped I would find it too.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32524
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 06:50 |
The T wrote:
Conservative libertarianism is kind of incoherent. A conservative would like to conserve the status quo, hence, a world ruled by the state. I don't agree with such a view.
| That's not exactly what Conservative (big C if you like) means in this context. If it did, that would mean conservatives would (by their label) accept whatever the current laws and situations in the US are, and that wouldn't be conservatism- it'd be a "go along, get along" foolishness (which is incidentally what a lot of people exhibit anyway). If you want to say conservativism means "conserve the status quo," that's fine too, as long as you view the status quo as preserving the Constitution and its intent of severely restricting the powers of the federal government.
I use the term Conservative to conveniently denote my views on a number of issues, particularly social ones, like abortion, gay marriage (please don't tell me a Libertarian must be in favor of either of these, because as I've shown before, that isn't the case at all), the right to bear arms, the resistance of governmental social engineering, and more.
Essentially, my Libertarianism comes also from my respect for the Constitution- the government should have no authority to tell you what you can and cannot do when the given activities do not do harm to another person, his property, or his rights (or place any of these things in significant jeopardy). That said, much of my Libertarianism is fiscal as well- that the government has no right to increase its own powers and authority by essentially robbing the people and invading their privacy (which is what income tax does).
Yes, "Conservative Libertarian" isn't a particularly helpful label, but that's the nature of labels, and we have to explain what we mean by them anyway.
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32524
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 06:53 |
Hanyou wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
I'm a conservative libertarian.
And welcome! From where do you hail in NC?
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So there are others. I think that label may fit me, but I avoid it because everyone seems to immediately associate "conservative libertarianism" with Glenn Beck nowadays, and that carries one hell of a stigma.
I'm near Raleigh right now, though I don't give out my exact location. I grew up in Raleigh, though. Great place.
Never been to Raeford. :<
| I grew up in Fayetteville and lived there most of my life. We just moved to Raeford (five minutes away from Fayetteville) in November 2010. We lived north of Orlando, Florida for four years.
Well congratulations- you are now the closest Prog Archives member to my location! Maybe we'll meet up at Ted's Montana Grill for bison burgers and Shiner Bock next time we're in Raleigh.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 08:42 |
Epignosis wrote:
gay marriage (please don't tell me a Libertarian must be in favor of either of these, because as I've shown before, that isn't the case at all)
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I really disagree with this. I don't see how a libertarian can be for State granted marriages. Therefore, any institution would be able to grant it's own 'marriage' label whatever that is, be it religious or merely a secular distinction, and gay marriage could not be prevented by a libertarian.
Unless by against gay marriage you simply mean personal feelings against gays marrying, of course a libertarian can be against it in that way.
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32524
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 11:26 |
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
gay marriage (please don't tell me a Libertarian must be in favor of either of these, because as I've shown before, that isn't the case at all)
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I really disagree with this. I don't see how a libertarian can be for State granted marriages. Therefore, any institution would be able to grant it's own 'marriage' label whatever that is, be it religious or merely a secular distinction, and gay marriage could not be prevented by a libertarian.
Unless by against gay marriage you simply mean personal feelings against gays marrying, of course a libertarian can be against it in that way. | Did I say I was in favor of state-granted marriages?
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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 16 2006
Location: FL, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 12:44 |
Epignosis wrote:
The T wrote:
Conservative libertarianism is kind of incoherent. A conservative would like to conserve the status quo, hence, a world ruled by the state. I don't agree with such a view.
| That's not exactly what Conservative (big C if you like) means in this context. If it did, that would mean conservatives would (by their label) accept whatever the current laws and situations in the US are, and that wouldn't be conservatism- it'd be a "go along, get along" foolishness (which is incidentally what a lot of people exhibit anyway). If you want to say conservativism means "conserve the status quo," that's fine too, as long as you view the status quo as preserving the Constitution and its intent of severely restricting the powers of the federal government. I use the term Conservative to conveniently denote my views on a number of issues, particularly social ones, like abortion, gay marriage (please don't tell me a Libertarian must be in favor of either of these, because as I've shown before, that isn't the case at all), the right to bear arms, the resistance of governmental social engineering, and more.Essentially, my Libertarianism comes also from my respect for the Constitution- the government should have no authority to tell you what you can and cannot do when the given activities do not do harm to another person, his property, or his rights (or place any of these things in significant jeopardy). That said, much of my Libertarianism is fiscal as well- that the government has no right to increase its own powers and authority by essentially robbing the people and invading their privacy (which is what income tax does).Yes, "Conservative Libertarian" isn't a particularly helpful label, but that's the nature of labels, and we have to explain what we mean by them anyway. |
I agree withyour view of conservatism. The problem is, just as with the word "liberal" (which in its original meaning would be very close to libertarian) has been changed in its social meaning here in the US, so has the other word. Nowadays conservatism seems to be a label for those defending less spending and less taxes but keeping the goverment in your life through social regulations, and a big push to mame religion an integral part of the political experience. By any mean, I think libertarianism is quite radical as it intends to provoke an entire shift of power from a central body to the individual. Is more radical and more "progressive" than any so-called-"progressive" movement, as it takes man beyond the collective into its own individual self, its own potential.
Nobody but a drunk Pat ever commented on my intellectual rights/inheritance question
Another question. Public land. There are large amounts of land that are nobody's. They belong to all os us? As the collective is really an absurd notion here, how can they be privatized? Who would get to own them? If I move to one and start making it produce, is mine? Why would I have to buy it from the government?
And, related, we all agree some land acquisition has been done rather suspiciously, fraudulentally in the past. That people who acquired the land by force or fraud (thus violating liberty and property rights) inherited the land to their heirs generations ago and now these heirs are benefiting from that, while other people have to, in a way, start from zero. Isn't that an unjust start for a society where property would have quite a great value? It's just a concern, I no longer advocate any confiscation or land redistribution. But we can tie to to the previous question. How does free land get acquired then?
Most philosophical issues have always been in my head. I never wanted control of any kind. I see now how it's pure psychology that keeps one bound to the idea of the big god/nanny/mommy/state that takes some responsibility off your shoulders in exchange for most every decision making that might actually improve your(and your loved ones, and in consequence everybody related inone way or another) life...
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timothy leary
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 29 2005
Location: Lilliwaup, Wa.
Status: Offline
Points: 5319
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 12:50 |
There is no free land in America
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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 16 2006
Location: FL, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 12:50 |
Just to clarify on my previous post addressing Rob's "conservativsm" comment. I agree with the view of the term. I don't agree with what you believe that makes you call yourself that way though (abortion, gay marriage, etc.)
Edited by The T - January 16 2011 at 12:53
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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 16 2006
Location: FL, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 12:51 |
timothy leary wrote:
There is no free land in America
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Surely not everything is owned by some private owner, is it?
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timothy leary
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 29 2005
Location: Lilliwaup, Wa.
Status: Offline
Points: 5319
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 12:59 |
What is not owned privately comes under the bureau of land management
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: January 16 2011 at 13:15 |
Epignosis wrote:
Equality 7-2521 wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
gay marriage (please don't tell me a Libertarian must be in favor of either of these, because as I've shown before, that isn't the case at all)
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I really disagree with this. I don't see how a libertarian can be for State granted marriages. Therefore, any institution would be able to grant it's own 'marriage' label whatever that is, be it religious or merely a secular distinction, and gay marriage could not be prevented by a libertarian.
Unless by against gay marriage you simply mean personal feelings against gays marrying, of course a libertarian can be against it in that way. |
Did I say I was in favor of state-granted marriages?
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In that case how are you against gay marriage?
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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