Q. How can you legitimately believe that you are supporting the preservation of liberty when you are against taxes on the rich and for deregulating our economy. There is the freedom to do something and then there is the freedom from something. In the case of corporations, the question is whether they should have the freedom to exploit their workers and consumers without consequences, or whether the workers and consumers should have freedom from this exploitation. For whatever reason you side with the corporate opinion. Your attempt at forming a philosophy based around anti-authoritarianism has completely ignored the authority that capital accumulation gives the rich. There is nothing “libertarian” or “hip” about supporting neoliberal economics. — David, from the internet.
A. Woah, woah, woah. So many unfounded assumptions here. Let’s start at the end: The title of my tumblr is very much tongue in cheek based on some amusing Google Analytics results I got one time.
But moving back to the beginning, let’s go through these accusations one by one.
1. How can you legitimately believe that you are supporting the preservation of liberty when you are against taxes on the rich and for deregulating our economy. Well, I’m actually against taxes foreverybody, not the rich in particular. As for deregulation, the rest of your question indicates that you have rather different ideas about the nature and consequences of this idea than I do. As it happens, the economic mess we’re in now is not due to a lack of regulation.
2. There is the freedom to do something and then there is the freedom from something. In the case of corporations, the question is whether they should have the freedom to exploit their workers and consumers without consequences, or whether the workers and consumers should have freedom from this exploitation. For whatever reason you side with the corporate opinion. Do we really have to go through this again? I am not advocating special benefits for corporations. I am not transferring trillions from the poor and middle class taxpayer to Wall Street. I am not permitting the wealthy to get away with fraudulent activity without prosecution. The government — the entity you want to give more control over our economy — is. My goodness, what do they teach in schools these days?
3. Your attempt at forming a philosophy based around anti-authoritarianism has completely ignored the authority that capital accumulation gives the rich. I’ve argued above that it hasn’t, but I’d contend that yours has. You object to the government using its powers to give special favors to its rich friends, but you want to give the government more of those same powers. Do you really think the rich friends won’t come knocking again? Really? I find that I am the more suspicious of the wealthy of the two of us.
