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A political philosophy based on the Non-Aggression Principle, which holds that people should be allowed to live as they choose and make their own choices without interference from government or others, so long as those choices do not involve the initiation of force or fraud against others.
Libertarianism is the opposite of authoritarianism or statism, which is the idea that governments should largely control people, allocate their resources, and make decisions for them, allegedly for their own good or the good of society (in practice usually for the good of those running the government).
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The belief in letting others do what you deem to be wrong as long as it doesn't infringe on you.
NoobToob adheres to Libertarianism.
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A person who enters into the political dialogue for the first time having never exhibited any particular prior interest in the human condition or society at large outside the welfare of his own family or close personal friends.
How libertarian of you to dedicate your life to serving yourself!
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Wealthy individuals who try to frighten others into believing the government is out to get you and your money. Much like the Tea Party, but without the Dominionism. As they see it, the only reason for a government to exist is for defense and protection of the free market. Everything else should be run by private corporation. Anything or anyone that cannot survive the new world order, doesn't deserve to (Social Darwinism).
While their waving the flag at you, remember a few things Libertarians would like to take away:
1. Public schools of all kind (primary, secondary and collegiate).
2. Civil Rights Act of 1964. The government would no longer enforce desegregation laws. Too bad if you're not a WASP.
3. Civil services and the taxes that pay for them (i.e. Police and Firemen). Those services would be handled by private firms.
4. Social Security, Medicare, Bluecross/Blueshield.
5. Labor unions.
6. Need based student loans.
7. Government funded research including medicine and technology. No more NASA. No more NIH. No more Center for Disease Control.
8. Best of all? No business regulation. This includes: minimum wages, disability, worker's compensation, 8 hour work day, anti-trust laws, OSHA, zoning and pollution laws, and many others.
At the end of the day, the only people who benefit from this fantasy world are other Libertarians. Many of which own, represent and/or invested in big businesses.
See that guy wearing a tin foil hat, waving a flag and talking like Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons"? That's a Libertarian.
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One who follows a Utopian political ideology which claims to support individual freedoms in all areas socially and economically. Ironically, while they advocate "small" government, (i.e. reduction of government in all areas except those which protect the domination of the capitalist class) if the libertarian ideology were to actually be put into effect, it would more than likely lead to an extremely oppressive society, dominated even more than now, by a wealthy few. Because of this, libertarianism can be described as a form of corporatism in disguise. Libertarianism is popular among rebellious high schoolers who in actuality know little of politics or the real world.
"The mistake of the libertarian ideology is that it fails to recognize that big business is just as oppressive as big government."
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In theory, one who believes in limited Government only to protect our liberties. Libertarians should be allowed to do as they please, so long as it doesn't conflict with the liberties of others.
In practice, modern libertarians feel they should be able to do whatever they want. Liberties of any who disagree are often hypocritically cast aside with fallacious excuses to rationalize the libertarian's actions. This especially applies to the realm of capitalism. In an economy with finite resources, limited government ensures capitalists can act with impunity & the rights of individuals, doing as they please, & perpetuating few wealthy & many poor. The adoption of libertarianism is often not due to a refined comprehension of the constitution, but rather, parental indoctrination.
Many opinion-based beliefs of such libertarians include: all rich earned it w/ hard work & will, all poor have only themselves to blame, no one's entitled to anything (not even healthcare), & success & failure are b&w. To them, sociological advantages & disadvantages are nonexistent; all people have to work equally hard to attain & retain wealth. Being born mostly into high-income families, they're accustomed to security & resources. They have little concept of hardship. Psychologically, they ascribe notions of hardship to experiences most people of lower socioeconomic strata know to be frivolous (feeling entitled to great gain, wealth they're accustomed to, but with objectively disproportionate effort).
Person: "Did you hear about Brenda? She had to get chemo. She grew up very poor, so she has student loan debt from getting her Master's deree. She works hard and makes good money, 50k a year, but they're not paid off. And she pays for her own insurance. They said they'd only cover 75% of her chemo. So she'll be in major debt. Wish we had universal health."
Libertarian of 2011: "Why? So we could all be sick and dying like in Canada, Uk and France? No thanks! It's all her own fault. Not the cancer, but her finances. She'd be ok if she weren't a lazy bum. She'd have better insurance if she shopped around like me. I pay $50/month into some magic, shitty HSA through same company as her and I think they'll cover 100% of anything. Makes no sense, but I swear it's true. And she should have gotten a better job like me. My dad didn't just give me the job because he's the CEO. I had to work my butt off through 4 grueling years of college. She should also start a side business, invest in stocks and bonds, and a bunch of other stuff I can only easily do because I was always wealthy."
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A philosophy held by people who fundamentally fail to grasp that human beings are social animals.
Libertarianism is not to be confused with Objectivism, a philosophy espoused mostly by privileged 18-year olds who believe that a toddler's "Mine!" phase is the best time of his life and should therefore be encouraged in adults as well.
You might be a Libertarian if:
1. You believe that over 200 years of economic regulations were put in place just for the heck of it.
2. You believe that roads and bridges build themselves, or that water is safe to drink by default.
3. You believe, for reasons known only to God, that living in a country virtually devoid of governance, such as Somalia, is preferable to living in a country with strong government oversight, such as Sweden.
4. You believe that the wealthy and successful built their success from literally nothing, with no help from taxpayer-funded infrastructure, police, firemen, schools, military protection, investment in science, etc., and so by this logic taxes are a form of "stealing".
5. You would prefer that citizens be controlled and dominated by large corporations over which they have no control than a single government over which they have at least some control.
6. You believe that profit motives can in no way conflict with the public good. For example, you believe that privately run prisons with a profit motive will naturally focus on rehabilitation and minimizing recidivism, because they totally want to reduce the prison population for some reason.
7. You believe that people living in a country in which they have to work two or more dead-end jobs just to make ends meet are free just because those same people would hypothetically pay less taxes if they magically got rich.
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