The Rubin Report: Steve Davies: ‘The Difference Between Classical Liberals & Libertarians’

Source:The Rubin Report talking to Steve Davies from Learn Liberty.

“Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Steve Davies (Institute of Economic Affairs) about the difference between classical liberals and libertarians. This is part of our collaboration with Learn Liberty featuring interviews with classical liberals.”

Source:The Rubin Report

Steve Davies: “The main difference between a Classical Liberal and Libertarian, is that Classical Liberals are not antigovernment and are not Anarchists.” That’s a paraphrase, but pretty close to what he’s talking about and why I’m not a Libertarian and perhaps why Dave Rubin is also not a Libertarian.

I’m cool with being labeled either a Classical Liberal or a Liberal. Just don’t call me a Libertarian, if you know what’s good for you! ( Ha, ha ) I’m a Jack Kennedy/Tom Jefferson/Wendell Willkie/Henry Jackson Liberal Democrat. Meaning, I believe in liberal democracy, not so much the Democratic Party. I come from the center-right of the Democratic Party,  because I believe in the things that Dave Rubin and Steve Davies point out in this video.

I also believe there is a a what I call decentralized limited government role, in seeing that people who for whatever reasons especially adults, who don’t have the skills that allow for them to get a good job and be able to be self-sufficient economically, get an opportunity to get those skills so they can get themselves a good job and not need public assistance at all. As well as short-term financial relief while they’re improving themselves economically.

I also believe in public education, just as long as it’s not a monopoly and as long as it’s run by the local government’s, so everyone is guaranteed at least a shot at getting themselves a good education. And not denied an education simply because private schools don’t want to teach them.

I believe people should be able to go the the best public that is available for them and if parents want to send their kids to a private school, that is their choice. Just as long as taxpayers don’t have to pay for their choices. Instead of forcing kids to go to school simply because of where they live, instead of what’s the best school for them.

I believe in national defense to protect the country from foreign invaders. I believe in public law enforcement to protect the public from predators, but not to protect people from themselves. I believe America should be working with our allies to keep our peace, but also to see that the world is as safe as possible for freedom and liberal democracy to survive.

And a regulatory state that is limited to only protecting consumers and workers from predators. Not to try to run private business and make private businesses semi-public utilities that are only privately run in name only.

I’m not anti-government, but anti-big government. I don’t want government trying to run our personal and economic lives for us. Which is what the Far-Left and Far-Right have in common. They don’t want people to be able to make their own decisions and don’t trust and believe in individualism.

The Far-Left, Socialists and Communists, want big government to manage people’s economic affairs for them. And in Communists case, they want big government to manage people’s personal lives for them as well as their economic lives.

The Christian-Right as well as Nationalists and in some cases as we’re seeing in America as well as Europe as well now, Christian-Nationalists who want big government to manage people’s personal lives. And don’t want people who don’t look like them and believe in the same things as they do to even be around and be allowed to live their own lives.

Where I separate from Libertarians, is that I’m not an Anarchist. What you get from Libertarians today especially online is this belief that government in any sense is just corrupt, incompetent, unconstitutional, and that its being existence in any form is enslaving the people. That taxation is theft even though being a citizen of a country is basically like being the member of a club. You pay for the services that you consume as condition of being a member of that club. And for whatever reasons Libertarians today don’t seem to understand that.

I’m not anti-government or pro-small government. If I had it my way, government would be a lot smaller than what Socialists in any form want and bigger than what so-called Libertarians want. I’m pro-limited government and limiting government to doing only what we need it to do. So in that sense I guess I would a moderate compared with Socialists and Libertarians, but to me that is just about being a Liberal. Taking positions based on the best available evidence at hand. Instead of taking all of my positions based on government either has all of the answers to solving problems or none of the answers to problem solving.

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