Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005
"Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert
"All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker
"You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison
"Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman
Is libertarianism of the Left or of the Right? We often avoid this question with a resounding “Neither!” Given how these terms are used today, this response is understandable. But it is unsatisfying when viewed historically.In fact, libertarianism is planted squarely on the Left, as I will try to demonstrate here.
The rest of my article "Libertarianism: Left or Right?" is at The Future of Freedom Foundation website.
—Henry David Thoreau
"Free association . . . the only true form of society."
—Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
2 comments:
Great article.
Of course, because both Proudhon and Bastiat sat in the French Assembly, some contemporary American left-libertarians may say they were both sell-outs and can not be considered anarchist or libertarian at all.
The problem is how to use political means to abolish politics. Nobody has figured that out to anyone else's satisfaction. There isn't any single good way to get out of Iraq, or to abolish Social Security and Medicare, or to get rid of the Fed.
Yet, perhaps out of naivete, or perhaps out of simple math, I would rather have the Proudhons, Bastiats, and (gasp!) even Ron Pauls represent us in Congress. The more the libertarian-oriented side is represented, the less damage the State will do. If utopia is not possible, we should grab as much liberty as we can.
Amazing article, Sheldon!
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