How do you classify libertarians?

[flaja]

Many of the self-proclaimed conservatives that you encounter on the web are actually libertarians.  But if conservatism = libertarianism, how are the similarities between libertarians and communists to be explained?

Libertarians are polar opposites on 4 issues.

All property should be privately owned according to the libertarians, but all property should be publicly owned according to the communists.

A libertarian has no obligation to society while a communist must put society’s needs over his own.

Society has no obligation to a libertarian while society has a cradle to grave obligation to care for a communist.

A libertarian expects to achieve maximum material gain through unregulated market forces even if the result is extreme wealth or extreme poverty.  A communist is not allowed any material gain at all.

But libertarians and communists share 5 common positions on the left of the political spectrum.

Neither libertarians, nor communists place any emphasis on traditional social institutions like marriage, family or religion.

Libertarians don’t want any regulation of economic markets other than supply and demand and buyer beware; communists don’t want any market regulations because they don’t believe economic markets should exist.

Libertarians accept centralized economic planning that comes from market forces (that allow individuals and corporations to accrue economic power unto themselves).  Communists also accept central economic planning coming from the proletariat so that economic goods and services are distributed to each person according to his needs.

Both libertarians and communists have no understanding of human nature.  Libertarians believe humans will fairly complete with each other to maximize their individual self-interests.  Communists believe that humans will freely cooperate with each other in order to maximize their collective self-interests.

Both libertarians and communists believe that the nation state is unnecessary and should not exist.

Libertarians and communists have 1 common position on the right end of the political spectrum.

To a libertarian government is merely a source of oppression and should not exist in the libertarians’ state of nature.  To a communist government is merely a tool whereby the bourgeoisie oppresses the proletariat so it officially does not exist in a communist setting.

[John Ansell]

I classify libertarians as conservatives that want to smoke pot.   Really that's all I ever hear from people that call themselves libertarian.  I am in Cali though so take it with a grain of salt (make sure that's salt too).

[flaja]

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A libertarian is nothing more than a country club Republican who demands a tax cut because he cannot otherwise pay for both his pot and his Hooker- at least that's the impression I get on the net.

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Subject: Re: How do you classify libertarians?

I classify libertarians as conservatives that want to smoke pot.   Really that's all I ever hear from people that call themselves libertarian.  I am in Cali though so take it with a grain of salt (make sure that's salt too).