Dude I think you've been sucking on the government teat too long. I'm betting you went to some government endorsed institution for school too. The USA is the most powerful nation in the world for a reason, because it's (was) the land of the free. It's those socialist ideas that are killing it today.
1. user presents opposing side, does a good job
2. topic starter says his argument is invalid because he is the opposition
Makes a good point?
So now a bunch of falacies are good points? Come on.
But Ill bite:
Utter bullshit.
Libertarianism is a set of formulas that work great in the minds of (sheltered) geeks,
By now anyone should see that this person is dishonest (or completely indoctrinated) because this ad-hominenm attack is the first thing he does. Libertarians are a bunch of geeks with no friends and no real life and bla bla bla... This is the level of discussion? Really?
but when it comes to reality... there's this easily observable gradient... and it's easy to see that the societies that do best (by far) are socialist democracies and the ones that do worst are the ones with the most "Libertarian" approach to managing society.
Now he makes a false asertion. He obviously does not point out any example because he can not.
For example, Greece is one of the most social-democrat countries in Europe (government spending increased, teachers and other government employeesget pay a lot more than the general population, the government had and has nationalized banks, etc...) and they are crashing.
Lets take the more extreme example of Somalia. When Somalia had a socialist government they were a lot worse off than they are now in anarchy.
All the real life examples show that the free market produces better results than socialdemocracy. What is seen in reality is that socialdemocracy is corporatism.
EDIT: If you are going to say that Sweden is a socialist country and bla blah blah, let me remind you that Sweden has the corporate tax lower than the USA and the tax for workers way higher than the USA. In fact, neoliberal economists point to Sweden as an example of neoliberalism.
The reason the democracy you're living in is corrupted is because corporate money has gotten into campaign financing. These same corporations have spent fucking billions on a 30 year propaganda war... and created this mini-army of warped ideologues convinced (in their minds) that the path to freedom is by getting rid of all corporate regulation and letting corporations run society. The reason that the US now has as many people in prison as the soviets did in the Gulag era is not because you have democracy, it's because you are losing it.
The problem with this again is that it does not check with reality. Its a fantasy. Big corporations want MORE regulations and lobby for it. Regulations have been increasing in the USA during each of the last decades (just go and check the government data). You would only think regulations have decreased if you believe the propaganda of the corporate media, that is promoting this false idea. And because there are more regulations big corporations have been able to avoid competition, run wild and fuck the consumer.
There is corruption because there is democracy.
Just because it works in your mind, doesn't mean it works.
Another ad-hominem showing how arrogant he is, even when he is out of touch with reality.
Ever noticed that The Austrian school is willfully, by definition, empirical-evidence-agnostic? Think that there might be a reason for that? It's because it only works in theory.
Here he is showing his ignorance. Hayek stated that there is no way to prove a theory 100% right, but there is a easy way to disprove a theory, just show one empirical evidence that proves its wrong. I can show you empirical studies in the austrian tradition, for example:
http://www.gmu.edu/depts/rae/archives/VOL14_4_2001/5_keeler.pdfDemocracy is not "Cheap", people died for it...
People died for dictators and kings too... I guess that is reason enough to defend dictartoships.
Falacy after falacy.
and are still dying for it (all over the middle-east) now.
People in the middle-east are protesting because the price of food and other basic stuff has skyrocketed. You would only believe its "for democracy" if you are a mindless drone and believe the western corporate media. There is a reason why the corporate media promotes the idea of democracy all the time. And btw, egiptians dont know it but prices are going up in big part due to the action of the actions of the western democracies.
In the 20th Century, non-democratic governments rounded up and murdered 160 million of their own people. And you sit there in the comfort of the freedom that has been provided to you by the blood of of those that went before, and theorise that some system where people with the most money have the most power might be best.
I guess a National Socialists could always defend Hitler saying that Stalin killed a lot more poeple.
Falacy after falacy.
Also, we have stated that democracy is a very authoritarian system. If the problem with democracy is that its very authoritarian why are you insinuating that we want a even more authoritarian system? Its ridiculous, but it shows that you are not addressing any logical point, just repeating the indoctrination you have received.
The purpose of democracy is to provide a democratically accountable means of controlling a monopoly on violence.
This is obviously an impossiblity, and therefore a beautiful lie so you accept the system. Democracy is designed to take the power away from the people for the political class and their buddies (big bankers and big industrialists).
This is the problem with indoctrinated people. They place their hopes in a democratic guy, the guy does what any democratic leader does, abuse the peole, they complain its not real democracy. They place their hopes in a new leader that again does what any democractic leader does, abuse the people, and complain again its not real democracy. They place their hopes in a new leader... I think you get the picture.
Anything else is a type of protection-racket. Anyone who thinks that they can dispense with this just isn't thinking. We've seen what happens when societies fall apart - local protection rackets spring up. What are you going to do when a local gang moves into your house? Ostracise them?
Be afraid, be very afraid, without democracy dinosaurs will eat your children!!
Shoot at them? Organise a rival gang?
Be afraid, be very afraid!!! (I think Bush is looking for you to hire you as propagandists).
I can't believe the stupidity... the ignorance, of people who look at the plutocracy that they've found themselves in and decide "democracy isn't working. What we need is a system where there are no constraints on capital".
And there you go. The childish believe that politicians are looking for you and will restrict big companies. They dont know how to restrict big companies, but they dont even want to. The political power always benefits the people with more money and more capital, allowing them to avoid competition with regulations, and fuck the consumer.
Oh, and by the way,
"Responsibility" is not "looking after yourself". Only fucking children think this. "Personal-Responsibility" is an infantile concept.
And ending with an ad-hominem. Bravo!
Honestly, how anyone can consider this rational thiking is beyond me.
