Reply #25: stupidity of labels

[Taeger]

Both Liberal and Libertarian are derived from Liberty. That is, advocates of freedoms.

Liberal's got their name because they believed in loosening the strong social codes that once existed in our country. Their are social liberals. However, most "liberals" are in favor of strong regulation against business. They are also in favor of strong laws against discrimination and forcing people to hire minorities. "Liberals" are also tightly associated with smoking bans in bars and restaurants. Something that is VERY unliberal.

Libertarians are the only REAL liberals. The people we think of as "liberals" are really populist progressives. They believe in increasing leveling the playing field and increasing our overall standard of living through government regulation and strong education.

The label Conservative ALSO does not make any sense. Conservatives were once for keeping society the way it was. Keep segregation, keep social practices under the thumb of community leaders, etc... Ironically, typical conservatives could care LESS about conserving the environment or conserving the economic cohesion of poor neighborhoods. Conservatives were typically in it for themselves.

The irony is that everything that conservatives WANT to conserve our now gone. The GOP is a party of social regressives, economic/environmental exploitives, theocrats and gross irresponsibility. They CLAIM to want smaller government. But that was ALWAYS a ruse because Democrats controlled congress for so long. They LIKE welfare for the rich.

I RESPECT libertarians because they are CONSISTENT. They will defend the KKK and Rush Limbaugh on civil liberties issue as much as they defened Scopes. I don't AGREE with them because I believe the government is the PEOPLES institution. It is their job to create social contracts the ensure equal opportunity to ALL it's citizens.

Neither the far left nor far right have a consistent ideology. They advocate what they want. That's fine I guess, but it's also REALLY annoying. There is no such thing as either a Liberal OR Conservative. They are both equivalent to the Boogeyman.