I do recall blips over the past 12 years when Lew's columns were educational. The problem I've always had with the Libertarian platform is that so much of what is "great on paper" is simply not realistic in practice. When something is not realistic in practice, it goes into the category of John O'Sullivan's great maxim: Anything not intrinsically right-leaning will inevitably list leftward.
Another inherent problem with Libertarianism, as I see it? "Self-centeredness". There's no concern for others, or in living civilly amid a community. It is inherently, a "what I want" philosophy which undergirds the Libertarian platform.
Libertarianism *can* work but only if ABSOLUTELY everyone adheres to the tenets of Libertarianism. What does this spell? The flipside of potential tyranny.
Socialism, OTOH, also follows the same marks of Libertarianism but with difference -- in Libertarianism, individuals must pull their "own" weight; In Socialism, there has to be a worker/provider class and then the receipients or beneficiaries of the worker/provider class.
IOW, the shortform translation:
Libertarianism: The Kingdom of Self
Socialism: The Kingdom of the Collective "Self".
I haven't compared libertarianism and socialism. I'll look into that.
But my philosophy about libertarianism is that it, too, is a philosophy and can in no way be a self-sustaining political movement.
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