[The Libertarian Dude]

"Indoctrinated in individualism"?

I hear Limbaugh and Boortz tell us it's the liberals' HATRED of individualism, that's part of the problem, and if Ted Kennedy says individualism is evil, then it must be the opposite, and when the Hildabeast growls out the words "it takes a village", that just further bolsters the idea that the individuality is crucial to our survival.

What's the context of your statement? I'm curious.

[NutCrackerBoy]

[David Weigel] contended that even young conservatives who maintained a strict moral code for themselves were increasingly reluctant to regulate the behavior of others. -DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, New York Times

I am personally abstinent, and I plan to stay that way, but I have no problem with international aid programs that use or distribute condoms. -David Weigel, a contributor to the libertarian magazine Reason

So the latest thing in conservatives is the "personally opposed but" crowd? Maybe today's young people are so indoctrinated in individualism and relativism that they no longer even think about the quality of the larger society in which they will have to raise their children. -madprof98

I hear Limbaugh and Boortz tell us it's the liberals' HATRED of individualism, that's part of the problem, and if Ted Kennedy says individualism is evil, then it must be the opposite. -The Libertarian Dude

IMO both liberals and conservatives venerate their own versions of both individualism and the common good. Regardless, I think there is a problem we could call radical individualism in which we no longer have a handle on certain limits. Nothing must get in the way of a woman's (for example) potential for individual fulfillment. There are serious threats to Western civilization, such as low birth rate, low marriage rate. But we've lost the ability to reason about these issues.

[4Liberty]

Many 'conservatives'... are actually free-market libertarians - as are the scholars at the CATO Institute.

'Conservatives' tend to think of libertarians as simply the "Party of Pot & Ferrets." We, on the other hand, tend to think of Republicans as "The other white meat" (Party of Pork barrel spending, never saw a subsidy they didn't like), & gay-bashing religiosity.

So, I guess we're even. :)

Seriously, there is much common ground amongst libertarians & conservative -- e.g., pro-second amendment, pro-vouchers, anti-Federal land-grabs, etc -- and many libertarians are pro-life as well (though some are pro-choice such as myself).

Wm. Buckley was in fact IN FAVOR of decriminalizing drugs, though many "Trads" seem to forget this aspect of Buckley's work.

I think the main bone of contention may be Gay rights & other social issues. Many libertarians are also atheists & take a much more laissez-faire approach to life style & social issues; this tends to be the point at which they depart from Trad/Religious-Right thinking.

When introduced to Libertarian policy positions in class, many students, esp. the "conservative" ones, tend to say they in fact tend to side more with libertarianism than religious conservatism (now that they understand it a little more fully) -- though they had originally come from a more Trad perspective at the start of the semester. Most of them have never HEARD of third party philosophies and had only heard of the Dems & the Repubs! Third parties? In America?? Gee... what are the odds? :)

Great article -- thanks for posting it.