Libertarianism vs. Progressivism
A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook and I took the time to offer my critique.
It’s very well done, but I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t argue about a couple of things.
First – I strongly disagree with the premise that the Tea Party came about as a result of a decline in average income and the rising unemployment rate. Debt, taxes and government regulation had a lot more to do with the rise of the Tea Party. More than anything else, I believe it was the perceived lack of power and lack of control when it comes to the levers of power that drove the Tea Partiers to the streets. That is one thing that they do have in common with the OWS movement.
Second – I would argue that the 2008 financial collapse, whether caused by Goldman Sachs or Fannie and Freddie, did encroach on “the land” (the world financial system) and did create a nuisance. Regulating these enterprises then becomes altogether fitting and proper. Otherwise, they are freely allowed to make the same personally profitable but disastrous decisions that they did before. Progressives don’t want bigger government; we just want government that works better.
Third – The idea that the 2012 election truly represents a “fork in the road” between progressivism and libertarianism is a little over ambitious. Paul is the only true candidate that even approaches the libertarian philosophy with any real conviction. Everybody else only halfheartedly flirts with the idea. Even if Paul could get elected, his effect on deeply entrenched progressive policies would be minimal at best. The one exception would be Obamacare. Any Republican elected to office could theoretically do it real damage.
Fourth – Real libertarian philosophies are ultimately not that popular with the general public. Things like the flat tax sounds good on the surface but after closer examination, it seems (counter-intuitively) unfair. Getting rid of Social Security and Medicare are good Republican applause lines, but they still remain the most popular government programs we have. This country chose the progressive path a long time ago. Libertarians have a difficult task convincing the country that we need to turn around and go back to the 19th century.
