Liberty.Me: 'Let's Talk- Left-Libertarianism: Sheldon Richman & Walter Block With Lucy Steigerwald'

Source:Liberty.Me- debating left-libertarianism.

"What is libertarianism? Why is there a constant dialogue about left versus right? Are these distinctions useful?

Sheldon Richman and Walter Block explore these ideas.

Pour a glass of wine with Lucy as she navigates the intricacies with these two giants.

Sheldon and Walter continue the debate here:Liberty Me. " 

From Liberty Me

I believe I covered this last week, but a so-called Left-Libertarian is a Social Liberal. Individual freedom, plus social justice. And they have our own definition of social justice and it’s not about collective results and that everyone should have the same. It just means that you have a social insurance system for people who are truly in need. Not to take care of everyone indefinitely, but to help people who are in need get themselves on their own feet. Rand Paul, Gary Johnson and others, are Left-Libertarians. Right-wing compared with Progressives and Socialists, but left-wing compared with classical Libertarians and Conservatives like Ron Paul, Tom Woods, Lew Rockwell.

Non-aggression individual freedom. The ability for people to be free to live their own lives. Not to do whatever the hell they want and live in anarchy. But to manage their own personal and economic affairs, as long as they’re not hurting any innocent person. The right to self-defense, but not the right to attack any innocent person. So a Left-Libertarian believes in a limited government and that governmental power should be limited to only what government should be doing that the individual can’t do for themselves. And should be decentralized as much as possible. That you don’t have a big centralized central government, without much responsibility for anyone else.

So to me anyway, a Left-Libertarian is a Conservative. At least in the sense of how conservatism was defined up until the Christian-Right and Neoconservatives came onto the scene in the 1970s. That government should be limited and keep taxes down and with a large private sector. But an insurance system for people who truly need it. Mr. Conservative Barry Goldwater himself, fifty-years later and perhaps even back then would be a Left-Libertarian. To the right of FDR Progressives, but to the Left of Ron Reagan and even Ron Paul. Reagan, on social issues and Paul on economic policy and foreign policy.  

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on Blogger.