Category Archives: Libertarianism

The MSS - Number 40 - Part 1 - 2 December 2012 - comic strip heroes to libertarianism
On this show we welcomed back Aronra - and had an unexpected special guest, Mrs AronRa. Topics of conversation quickly moved on to comic strip heroes to libertarianism. And then went onto more topics, including: - end of world predictions - advent calanders - god #39;s PR department - the purpose of the universe - the purpose and nature of heaven - the war on christmas - evolution and much much more. Part 1 can be seen here: youtu.be Part 2 can be seen here: youtu.be darkmatter2525 #39;s video about god #39;s pr department can be found here: http://www.youtube.com potholer54 #39;s video about intelligent design can be found here: http://www.youtube.com You can keep up to date with future shows from the Magic Sandwich Show website here: http://www.magicsandwichshow.com or by following THEdprjones on twitter.From:TheMagicSandwichShowViews:206 31ratingsTime:01:03:37More inEducation

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The MSS - Number 40 - Part 1 - 2 December 2012 - comic strip heroes to libertarianism - Video

Road to Liberty - Vol 2: The Goal of Libertarianism
Belleporte Institute member George Meyers discusses the goal of libertarianism, what it is, how it works and how to use it.From:WisconsinLibertarianViews:0 0ratingsTime:09:10More inNews Politics

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Road to Liberty - Vol 2: The Goal of Libertarianism - Video

The MSS - Number 40 - Part 2 - the end of the world, and more theistic nonsense
On this show we welcomed back Aronra - and had an unexpected special guest, Mrs AronRa. Topics of conversation quickly moved on to comic strip heroes to libertarianism. And then went onto more topics, including: - end of world predictions - advent calanders - god #39;s PR department - the purpose of the universe - the purpose and nature of heaven - the war on christmas - evolution and much much more. Part 1 can be seen here: youtu.be Part 2 can be seen here: youtu.be darkmatter2525 #39;s video about god #39;s pr department can be found here: http://www.youtube.com potholer54 #39;s video about intelligent design can be found here: http://www.youtube.com You can keep up to date with future shows from the Magic Sandwich Show website here: http://www.magicsandwichshow.com or by following THEdprjones on twitter.From:TheMagicSandwichShowViews:1 0ratingsTime:01:14:59More inEducation

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The MSS - Number 40 - Part 2 - the end of the world, and more theistic nonsense - Video

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26 November 2012Australias approach to retirement incomes policy has three pillars: the means-tested age pension; compulsory superannuation; and voluntary saving, including saving via superannuation over and above that mandated by the superannuation guarantee. This paper examines the economic case for compulsory superannuation contributions and questions whether compulsory super is the most effective way of promoting household and national saving and reducing future demands on the federal budget from an ageing population when compared to alternative policy options. Most of the economic arguments for compulsory superannuation are second-best arguments made on the assumption that first-best outcomes are unattainable.

There is considerable scope for public policy to address adverse interactions between the three pillars, the tax system and public expenditure that will increase voluntary saving, improve retirement incomes and reduce future demands on the budget without relying on further increases in compulsory superannuation contributions. The paper recommends a shift in compulsion from the accumulation to the decumulation stage of retirement saving through the mandatory annuitisation of superannuation benefits. The second and third pillars of retirement incomes policy should be merged into a single pillar based on a politically robust regime of tax-advantaged long-term voluntary saving via housing and superannuation.

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Compulsory super at 20: 'libertarian paternalism’ without the libertarianism

The legality of same-sex marriage has long been a contention between liberal and conservatives, but its also a source of division among libertarians. As I dug into the original thoughts of libertarianism and classical liberalism, I discovered that the legitimacy of same-sex marriage should never have been a concern of libertarians in the first place.

Instead, whether government should be playing a role in defining and recognizing marriage is the more important issue with which libertarians should be concerned.

Murray N. Rothbard lays out the framework of libertarian theory in his book For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto. Libertarian theories all rest on a so called nonaggression axiom: that no man or group of men may aggress the person or property of anyone else.

Aggression is defined as the initiation of the use or threat of physical violence against the person or property of anyone else. Libertarians believe that a man has a right to do whatever he wants as long as he doesnt infringe other peoples rights. But if he does, hes subject to legal repercussions.

Armed with this axiom, its very unlikely that libertarian fall into either the liberal or conservative category when it comes to same-sex marriage. Both of their positions are considered aggression because they try to get government involved in defining or redefining marriage.

If marriage (or civil unions, domestic partnerships, etc.) fits the nonaggression axiom, which doesnt violate other peoples rights, why is it polarizing the nation? Superficially, gay marriage might seem to be a religious or moral issue but the reality is much different.

Income taxes and other marriage benefits from the government are the real face behind the veil of the same-sex marriage contention. In a regressive system of income tax, married couples pay less in income taxes when they file jointly than if they do it separately. Its because their income as a whole falls into a bracket that allows them to pay less.

According to Tax Policy Center, tax legislation since 2001 has substantially increased marriage bonuses by raising the standard deduction for couples to twice that for single filers, and by setting the income ranges of the 10 and 15 percent tax brackets for couples to twice the corresponding ranges for individuals. Legislation also raised the starting point for the earned income tax credit phase-out range by $3,000 for married couples.

Its easy to see why gay Americans are fighting for the right to marry not only for love, but largely because of the tax incentive of marriage recognized by the government. If government keeps its hands off marriage and lets it become an affair among private institutions by eliminating all the tax breaks and benefits for couples that fall in governments definition of marriage, then same-sex marriage issue wouldnt be a heated issue on any legislative agenda.

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Is there a Libertarian position on same-sex marriage?

Libertarianism: The Movie
Tyler Omar and audrey show libertariansimFrom:Audrey GuthrieViews:3 0ratingsTime:00:38More inEntertainment

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Libertarianism: The Movie - Video

PJTV: Read My Lips: Why The #39;No-Tax-Hike #39; Pledge IS an IQ Test for Republicans
"InstaPundit" blogger Glenn Reynolds delivers a grab bag of politics, science and literature that offers answers to life #39;s everyday questions. With an underlying thread of libertarianism, Reynolds offers a perspective outside of the two-party system and gives some much needed fresh air to the game of politics.From:PajamasmediaViews:1572 84ratingsTime:10:31More inNews Politics

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PJTV: Read My Lips: Why The 'No-Tax-Hike' Pledge IS an IQ Test for Republicans - Video

Part 1 in a Series of Essays onGovernment

The right to swing my fist ends where the other mans nose begins. - Oliver WendellHolmes

The big debate in politics is, and has always been, about the appropriate size and role of government. The polarized state of todays debate is exemplified by Fox Newss overly strident critiques of seemingly any government solutions to shared problems, and MSNBCs apparent defense of activist government in many areas of life through their ongoing series of lean forward blurbs featuring their star TV personalities. These two relatively new TV channels also exemplify the growth of separate spheres of facts and opinions, or filter bubbles, enjoyed by those on the left and right, which is itself a majorproblem.

TamHunt

Fortunately, a new approach to this perennial debate is emerging, which marries the best of left and right. This new approach arises from the increasing power of networked and crowd-sourced solutions to many of the collective problems we face in todays world. The rise of crowd-sourced solutions is, in turn, based on our new tech-based society, in which information is rapidly becoming free and access to that free information is rapidly becominguniversal.

There is a risk in naming this new approach to political philosophy, but some have suggested peer progressivism or progressive libertarianism. I have also used the term wiki democracy to describe the outcome of this new philosophy and these new tech tools that are rapidly enhancing our democracies around theworld.

Im going to use the term isocracy, however, in this essay because it lacks the freight of the other labels mentioned. Isocracy means rule by equals, which pretty much sums up the gist of this new political philosophy. What to many people sound like contradictory philosophies (progressivism and libertarianism) come together under this new approach. Isocrats believe in small government, but also that were all in this together and we should help others where wecan.

This really is a new political philosophy because it rests on truly new technological tools. As our technological tools change so should our politics and ourphilosophies.

The basic idea of isocracy is that a lot of things that government has often done can and should be crowd-sourced that is, performed by the crowd, the masses, rather than by government or corporations. This is different than the historically right-wing tendency to want to privatize government, but it is nonetheless a type of privatization. Rather than privatizing by selling off government assets and responsibilities to corporations, however, crowd-sourcing looks to a broader universe of entities than just traditional corporate interests to take the place of traditional government. Crowd-sourcing generally relies on regular people like me and you, but it can include a variety of entities as part of the crowd, including individuals, civic groups, corporations, and government entities, all working together to find creative and efficient solutions. We are increasingly crowd-sourcing government and we should be actively looking for ways to accelerate thistrend.

An innocuous but useful example: Boston pioneered the adopt a fire hydrant program, which allows any individual, business, or community group to adopt a fire hydrant and ensure that it remains accessible to firefighters in winter by shoveling snow after a storm. This saves firefighters the trouble of doing this themselves, on a city-wide basis. Chicago, Buenos Aires, and Honolulu (for tsunami sirens instead of hydrants) have followedsuit.

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Something New Under the Sun

Progressive libertarianism p2/2
PoliFrom:pyrrho314Views:66 4ratingsTime:07:56More inNonprofits Activism

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Progressive libertarianism p2/2 - Video

David Friedman on How to Privatize Everything
"Producing laws is not an easier problem than producing cars or food," says David Friedman, author, philosopher, and professor at Santa Clara University. "So if the government #39;s incompetent to produce cars or food, why do you expect it to do a good job producing the legal system within which you are then going to produce the cars and the food?" Friedman sat down to talk with Reason TV at Libertopia 2012 in San Diego. Friedman reflected on the impact of his landmark book, The Machinery of Freedom, discussed the differences between libertarianism and anarcho-capitalism and revealed what his father, economist Milton Friedman, thought of his anarchist leanings. Approximately 7 minutes. Interview by Paul Feine. Camera by Alex Manning and Zach Weissmueller. Edited by Weissmueller. Visit reason.com for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV #39;s YouTube channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.From:ReasonTVViews:9432 438ratingsTime:07:33More inNews Politics

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David Friedman on How to Privatize Everything - Video