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Free Talk Live => General => Topic started by: cavalier973 on January 14, 2010, 01:26:02 PM

Title: What's up with Reason?
Post by: cavalier973 on January 14, 2010, 01:26:02 PM
http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/13/five-reasons-why-libertarians/

What's the deal?  Isn't Reason a libertarian publication?

On point #2, it doesn't seem to me that so-called liberals craft policies that "work in the real world", and yet they succeed in capturing and increasing government power.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on January 14, 2010, 02:41:51 PM
The guy makes some good points though.  I am surprised though that this article was featured in Reason.  :-\
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: davann on January 14, 2010, 02:42:20 PM
Just like the party, it has been infiltrated. It'll happen to FTL some day if it gets big enough.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: Rillion on January 14, 2010, 03:50:48 PM
http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/13/five-reasons-why-libertarians/

What's the deal?  Isn't Reason a libertarian publication?

Minarchist, not anarchist.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: fatcat on January 14, 2010, 04:16:48 PM
We can't possibly have any dissenting voices in any libertarian community can me?

As far as I can see Reason is publishing this as "here's some interesting ideas from some minarchists" not, this is Reasons uniform party line.

some people need to seriously chill the fuck out about minarchists.

until minarchists actually represent a increase in government, they are not the enemy.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: Cognitive Dissident on January 14, 2010, 04:26:36 PM
At first glance, it has that filthy paleocon veneer.  I don't know if I can stomach looking any deeper than that.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: One two three on January 14, 2010, 04:58:05 PM
It seems like the Reason I remember form 5 years ago.  Anyway, I completely disagree with these points, "3. The Apollo Moon Landings. A come-from-behind win in the space race. On time, on budget, and 40 years later still never repeated. A strong head of NASA, James Webb, and a start-up culture made this incredibly audacious effort reality.

4. 1996 Welfare Reform. Put time limits on welfare benefits and encouraged work rather than dependence. Based on a program in Wisconsin, a good example of building off the demonstrated success of our nation's laboratories of democracy—the states. Cut welfare rolls by more than 50 percent in many states."

The Apollo moon landings were a horrible disaster that forced taxpayers to pay billions of dollars for nothing.

Reducing the size of government isn't an example of a great government program.  It is an example of a lack of a government program.  The exact opposite thing the author claims.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: davann on January 15, 2010, 12:47:31 PM

4. 1996 Welfare Reform. Put time limits on welfare benefits and encouraged work rather than dependence. Based on a program in Wisconsin, a good example of building off the demonstrated success of our nation's laboratories of democracy—the states. Cut welfare rolls by more than 50 percent in many states."


Has this author even been to Milwaukee lately? It is a third world city. I grew up there and will never step foot in it again. Every single one of the people I grew up with works for the city, state or county.

So, really they might have reformed the welfare programs but it was not the huge success people claim. They just moved people from doing nothing at home to doing nothing in some fancy government building.


Reason could not even be classified at minarcist. It is an easily seen through veiled out reach program for some other group.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: Andy on January 15, 2010, 03:33:16 PM
What Rillion and fatcat said. I don't like the tone, but it's no worse than when Ian gets on his high horse.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: ForumTroll on January 15, 2010, 03:38:45 PM
Reason was never libertarian.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on January 15, 2010, 04:30:33 PM
(1)  Once again (http://bbs.freetalklive.com/index.php?topic=31088.msg571347#msg571347) (and I will revive that thread... someday...), "libertarian" is a meaningless term.  You can have Hitler and Stalin supporters arguing ad nausium over who was more libertarian!  I'm an Anarcho-Capitalist (gradualist (http://bbs.freetalklive.com/index.php?topic=30608), Rothbardian, with a little bit more Parents Rights mixed in).  What I have is a specific well-defined philosophy.  "Libertarianism" isn't.

(2)  You can't argue the effectiveness of something (building pyramids, putting a man on the moon, etc) without considering return on investment - what benefit that project brought, and to whom.  Only voluntary action (i.e. free market capitalism) can organize society in such a way as to do things at the right time, in the right place, in the right way, for the right reasons, with the right people in every position, with the right people paying for it, and with the right people reaping the benefits.
Title: Re: What's up with Reason?
Post by: Manuel_OKelly on January 16, 2010, 10:40:03 AM
These are all well thought out points. This is why they don't call the magazine 'libertarian'.