Whats with the leftwing bent of Wrongplanet?

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Adam Smith would probably be taken more off guard by the massive increase in our welfare that has occurred since he lived, and I would bet that this impressedness would overtake any dislike he may have of our system. Heck, I would bet that Karl Marx would be impressed by the accomplishments of our system for promoting the common welfare. Both might question the dynamics of our system, but I doubt that either would be so horrified as you seem to proclaim.

What leftwing bent? Besides myself, there are probably less than 20 posters I've seen here that I would consider leftist. The rest are all rightists or centrists, be they Liberal or Conservative.

In many countries, outside of the U.S., libertarianism is practically a synonym for anarchism. However, the term "left libertarianism" is commonly used in the U.S., at least among American political theorists.



Ralph Nader is a left libertarian, but he is not an anarchist. However, anarchism can, in a sense, be seen as a category of left libertarianism.

Well, I know. Libertarian was originally a term used by anarchists, it was appropriated by US libertarians because FDR and such had taken the term "liberal" from the US libertarians. Frankly, given that US libertarians are better known in the US than left-libertarians or anarchists, the necessity of extra clarification is clear.


Well, I know anarchism can be seen as a category of left-libertarian, I just was not aware that Ralph Nader was much of a left-libertarian, much of his work has advanced progressivism more so than left-libertarianism from my perspective, such as work he has done to promote regulation of the auto industries and such.

I generally just say right libertarians and left libertarians. The term "liberal" is mercurial. Economic liberalism still refers to the ideas of Adam Smith (invisible hand), David Ricardo (percolate down), etc. FDR's usage of liberalism, which has become a pejorative in much common American usage (due to right-wing talk radio, Fox News Channel, etc.), has been rapidly morphing into progressivism.



Nader has repeatedly run for president against "liberals." His anti-corporate left libertarianism (including opposing the capitalist globalization which is favored by both Clinton and Obama) is a middle position between FDR liberalism and the far left.

I tend to think that libertarian has become popular enough of a usage and left-libertarians are typically rare enough that I can get away without qualifying in many situations. In some cases I don't qualify intentionally because I will still lump right and left libertarians in together to a small extent. Frankly, I have stopped using "liberal" because of that issue, I still slip into it when I say something like "liberal" markets and then have to spend a few minutes explaining myself.


Well, I know that he is further left than Clinton or Obama, however left-libertarianism isn't just a left-wing belief but a certain left-wing belief. I will admit that the green party will sort of lean that direction, but it does not seem to really be there as it still does rely on the state as a regulator more than left-libertarianism would, as the latter would emphasize getting rid of the state and getting rid of property rights claims rather than going around creating government programs and messing around with tax laws. Perhaps I don't know left-libertarianism as well as you do though. I do know that right-libertarians have dismissed Nader as a statist, but that could just be the antipathy between the two groups.

Nader ran on the Green Party ticket in 2000. However, he has never been an environmentalist per se. He actually started out as a consumer advocate. As the years went on, he became increasingly anti-corporate. Yes, he is a statist, as is Kucinich, whose views also come somewhat close to a left libertarianism.

I regard *right-wing*/conservative Aspies as being the equivalent of Black Uncle Toms.

i wouldn't say conservatives so much as the ones who tout the neo-con ideology.


neo-conservatism is more of a threat today to the country and to the freedoms we used to have than communism ever was in the 1950s.

They probably regard AS's relation with the current schema differently than you do, and see a less enforced difference than you do. Really though, I do not see why they would be considered so. I mean, there is no reason that an aspie should be against a market economy necessarily, one of the more famous aspies is actually a Nobel Laureate economist and supporter of the market. As for social issues, we have had a number of fierce Christian conservatives on the boards as well, and I do not see a reason why an aspie cannot be a Christian, or why they can't support the social agenda of conservative Christians. Finally, I do not see why they cannot support a right-wing foreign policy, perhaps they really like Kissinger or Machiavelli, and want a very realist foreign policy outlook, or perhaps they are a fan of Kristol and Fukuyama and look towards TR's aggressive stances as good. I dunno, you might have to clarify which of the right wing stances are the problem ones.

Don't know if anyone here's quite so far left as me...I'm Trotskyist, for the most part. I believe proletarian revolution should only happen as a last resort, though. Democratic methods should be tried first, in my opinion.

I think I'm a lefty. I believe people that who hoard money that others have worked for should be barred from politics and that workers should be paid (in part) with shares in the company they work for and should have much more to say in how the company is run.

I also oppose that raw materials, goods and food are transported on a large scale from one continent to another. Goods should be produced in the country where the raw materials are found and not elsewhere so the local population may benefit economically.

LEFT... BAD!

I'm beyond good and evil.

The Internet as a whole leans liberal. Also, taxes aren't some bogeyman; taxes serve a purpose: to finance the common infrastructure (roads, schools, defense, justice, etc.). These would be ill fitted for supply by the private sector (can you imagine every little road being a toll road? can you imagine competing security firms staking out control of a city?).