Question for libertarians

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Wow, you think describing the hypothetical re-emergence of the state as being somehow evidence libertarianism is wrong. You're crazy. You can't buy land that doesn't belong to anyone, because there is no-one to buy it from.

its the main thrust of their grievances though, isn't it?

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That's fine, however almost without exception, these same libertarians advocate increasing border patrols/controls and are huge supporters of the military.

its the main thrust of their grievances though, isn't it?

Negative. Libertarianism is primarily the philosophy that the government exists solely and exclusively to protect the natural and legal freedoms of its citizens.

Yeah. Its when idealogues drop the 'nature' card I start getting mental images of jackboots and the talk of 'master races'.

Who are these "libertarians" that you're speaking of? Specifics, please.

At a guess, i would assume he means Ron Paul and his kin.

This is why libertarianism has a disconcerting overlap with fascism.

Advocation of the power of enterprise? Check.

'Great man' worshipping? Check.

Virulent anti-communism? Check.

Disdain of the authority of religious figures? Check.

Union bashing? Check.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

At a guess, i would assume he means Ron Paul and his kin.

This is why libertarianism has a disconcerting overlap with fascism.

Advocation of the power of enterprise? Check.

'Great man' worshipping? Check.

Virulent anti-communism? Check.

Disdain of the authority of religious figures? Check.

Union bashing? Check.

If I amass a paramilitary group and secure a large tract of land by force, I'm not buying it. I'm taking it. I have the resources to keep my thugs happy and loyal.

Who are these "libertarians" that you're speaking of? Specifics, please.

The question is: can I make decisions for myself, as a rational adult? Or will they be made for me by a complete stranger, as if he were my parent and I were a child?

Take health care. Yes, every sane adult will buy insurance for himself if he is financially able. But in a free market, I personally would not choose to purchase coverage for alcohol detox or drug rehab, because after 30 years of light drinking and no other drug use, I believe it extremely unlikely that I will ever need such things.

However, now a bureaucrat is going to decree that I must buy coverage for alcohol detox and drug rehab -- ostensibly because he knows better than I what I should do. That's offensive enough, but of course the real reason is that they need to extract more money from me in order to cover people who will contribute little or nothing. That's not insurance, it's thinly-veiled redistribution.

Now, in a free society, I might choose to donate that same amount to a charity supporting health care for the indigent -- contrary to popular opinion, neither libertarians nor Objectivists are opposed to voluntary charity. I might prefer to give to disabled veterans or some other cause with personal meaning for me. I might decide to keep my money this year, and replace our 35-year-old car. Instead, a bureaucrat will decide for me what causes I will support and by how much (and which businesses, all contributors to his campaign, I will subsidize, and by how much) -- and his edicts are enforced at gunpoint. By what right?

(Not a libertarian, but sometimes mistaken for one)

Do remember, in a free market the state isn't going to be around to stop people building a house and farming unused land

Go speak to the folks over at the Center for a Stateless Society (C4SS), rather than talking to Pseudolibertarians who aren't actually in favour of the free market.