Wednesday, November 30, 2011

What can the government do for the poor?

What ... can the government do to help the poor? The only answer is the libertarian answer: Get out of the way.

— Murray N. Rothbard
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15 comments:

Redbaiter said...

Completely wrong Lindsay, in that that is not at all a point of view sourced from Libertarian history.

Libertarians only began saying things like this comparatively recently. (since Ayn Rand started writing her books)

The true historical source of such sentiments is Conservative politics, and Conservatives were saying things like this 100 years before the Libertarians.

The fact is the Libertarians are really Johnny come latelys in respect of their concerns for the rights of the individual and their dislike of the ever growing state.

Authentic Conservatism was advocating this approach at least 100 years before Ayn Rand was a gleam in her daddy's eye.

Do some research.

You'll find what I am saying is completely true. The Libertarians are merely a faux political movement trying to usurp the traditional ground of the Conservatives.

(unfortunately in NZ, heavily influenced by homosexual political activists who seek to cloak their political objectives with Libertarian rhetoric, but that's another issue)

The real point is that when Libertarians say these things, they've all been said before. By Conservatives.

The Libertarians are merely rehashing these sentiments in an attempt to be earn some relevancy.

To be fair though, many of them are unfortunately ignorant of the fact that they're really just representing the historically Conservative position.

Conservatism is deeply misunderstood in NZ as a result of the Progressive's domination of the education and media sectors.

9:10 AM
Lindsay Mitchell said...

I really don't care who said it. I am more interested in its merit.

11:11 AM
Mark Hubbard said...

:)

It is a great quote, Lindsay. It certainly speaks the truth. Indeed, I tweeted that about a month ago, though I'd forgotten the author. (Are you on Twitter?)

And actually, regarding derivation, rather than conservative or libertarian, Rothbard is widely thought of now as an anarchist. Just to complicate things. (That'll get Redbaiter going: sorry Lindsay.)

Conservatism is deeply misunderstood in NZ

Including by Colin Craig's Conservatives it would seem. What part of small government involves a no asset sales policy?

1:37 PM
Mark Hubbard said...

(unfortunately in NZ, heavily influenced by homosexual political activists who seek to cloak their political objectives with Libertarian rhetoric, but that's another issue)

Yep, the other issue, good old conservative bigotry. Why would freedom lovers want a bar of you?

Signed, heterosexual libertarian, yes, there are some of us ;) Are you sure you're not mixed up with librarians?

1:48 PM
James said...

Red such a hypocrite...he would have Government all over you as soon as look at you if you wished to do anything he didn't approve of...

Conservative: Someone who believes in government so small it can fit in your bedroom.

3:10 PM
Lindsay Mitchell said...

James, Did you say that or steal it?

3:34 PM
Shane Pleasance said...

Penn Jillette says it best

4:39 PM
James said...

Lindsay....I saw it on Facebook and stole it....I get a lot of miles out of it.....;-)

5:03 PM
Redbaiter said...

..And ACT was meant to survive this level of ignorance?

Really?

Damn wonder it lasted as long as it did.

7:30 PM
Anonymous said...

The rich man in his castle
The poor man at his gate
GOD made them high and lowly,
And ordered their estate

Anyone who doesn't know and love this simply isn't conservative.

9:57 AM
Anonymous said...

I agree with the "get the government out of the way" approach.

The various attempts of governments to help the poor have been mediocre in their results at best. Welfare has trapped tens of thousands of people in poverty. It was supposed to be a short-term thing - a trampoline rather than a hammock - but that's not how it is working today.

The same can be said of state housing. That too was supposed to be short-term, but families are staying in the same state house for decades.

12:11 PM
Blair said...

I think ACT should focus on lowering taxes, reducing the size of government, supporting property rights and the right to self defence, using the private sector to increase choice in health and education, and ending open-ended non-targeted welfare. Anybody disagree with that? No? Then stop worrying about all this social libertarian conservative crap and get on with it.

3:39 PM
Blair said...

Oops, wrong thread! :-D

3:40 PM
S. Beast said...

Flat tax, freakin' flat tax! *sigh* if only Prebble (first to propose flat tax in NZ as far as I know) were still leader of Act.

9:33 PM
Blair said...

Haha, well in 2002 ACT did not run a flat tax policy, so there you go. That I couldn't tell you what their tax policy was this year speaks volumes.

4:23 PM

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