Sunday, August 13, 2017

John Quiggin — What’s left of libertarianism?


Cato Institute vs Niskanen Center Libertarianism.

John Quiggin's Blog
What’s left of libertarianism?
John Quiggin | Professor and an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland, and a member of the Board of the Climate Change Authority of the Australian Government

2 comments:

Kaivey said...

I dislike the libertarians, but they do tend to progressive and anti war. They think that getting rid of the government will get rid of war, but they don't understand that the government is the ruling class in power. Getting rid of the government doesn't get rid of the ruling class, it would strengthen the them. Even though they rule the government there are some democratic parts to it which keeps them in check to some degree. They hate that.

What we need is more democratic, not less - this is where the libertarians have been hoodwinked - which can keep the ruling elite at bay, maybe with high taxes. The ruling elite may then go and live in the tax havens, but we can tax their profits made in our countries.

Tom Hickey said...

they don't understand that the government is the ruling class in power. Getting rid of the government doesn't get rid of the ruling class, it would strengthen the them.

This is the basis of the Marxian critique. The fundamental issue is class structure and power that determines the relations of production, e.g., through ownership of the means of production.

There is a difference between a democracy as rule of, by and for the people and a democratic republic under capitalism, where the ownership class is privilege institutionally.