(October 12, 2011 at 8:02 pm)TheDarkestOfAngels Wrote:
I seem to be in the same area as the Dahli Lama and Ghandi. I feel I'm in good company. Though this doesn't answer my question (I've taken this test before.)
My question concerns the idea of a ' left' and 'right' libertarian - libertarian being the idea that government should be minimized, but not eliminated (that would be an anarchist).
I've always viewed this as being the standard libertarian position in politics with differences mostly having to do with what this minimalist government's exact responsibilities are to its citizens.
These usually include things like police, fire, disaster relief, military, and judicial applications but just about everything else to be left to the free market.
What I thought was unusual was the idea of a 'left wing" and "right wing" libertarian and I was wondering what the basic ideaology would be that would differientiate between these two sorts of libertarians.
According to your compass, this would put all libertarians squarely toward the right-bottom of the compass regardless of the minor quibbles.
this is my compass
you are pretty much correct with right libertarians, although some may have no problem with firemen and such. It just depends on how far right into the corner they are. some may claim that firemen should be privatised, and then charge you as soon as they put your fire out.
The libertarian left, on the other hand, especially where I am at on the compass, dont trust police officials of ANY type. Even their unions (if you can call them that) vote for people in the top right bracket of the compass. Firemen are fine as well as ambulance emergency workers. Healthcare shold be absolutely free, equal, and with all options intact (such as abortion, willing euthanasia, etc.) Insurance companies are one of the big enemies, as they influence the government to take societies freedoms away while they find ways to profit on peoples misery and suffering. Standing millitary is distasteful, and millitary should only be used to fight back an invasion only, and no more. Left Libertarians are for open borders with no nationalism, instead of being a "country", they are a community of humans regardless of race, religion, birthplace, etc.. In fact nationalism is distasteful to left libs, as they see it as a precursor to minorities getting ready to get screwed. Money is dispised by left libs as the big cause of the problems we face today, and it cheapens human worth and labor. government should only be the occasional meeting of labor trades to discuss minimal directions for progress and then disbanded. No one is rich, no one is poor, everyone shares in the local commodities for better or for worse. Banks are shut down. Money changers and stock markets are ran off for cheapening and leeching off of the labor of the masses. It is a commune of sorts, but not the "communism" of Stalin. Stalin was VERY authoritarian. Left libertarians distrust political and economic power, and therefore try to remove them from society as much as possible. Drugs are completely legalized, as well as adult concensual sex and pornography. Guns are completely legalized regardless of automatic or not, but are usually frowned upon. Censorship does not exist, education is a top priority as well as skilled craftmanship and creativity. All people take their equal share of the pie. Retirement and health are guarenteed for life no questions asked.
Thats left libertarian.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-syndicalism
We grow tired of being called communists, marxists, or Stalinist. We do not support state socialism (thats the top left of the compass), nor do we support capitalism. we support open ended and non-authoritarian co-operative economic systems.