Quote (Surfpunk @ Sep 24 2019 10:35am)
There is a faction of the Libertarian Party that is basically "legalize pot, we don't care about the rest". They are also far too focused on the national stage, and not growing their base at a grassroots, local level (it's much easier to find candidates at the national level than the local).
From a "my version of libertarianism" perspective, there's far too much of an anarcho-capitalist focus within the party, which distracts from legitimate functions of government because of a "muh taxes" mindset.
The same wing of the Libertarian Party also tends to scream against government regulations. Some of that is justified, like requiring hairdressers/stylists to be licensed by the state to be able to cut someone's hair. But there is too much "but muh regulations" from that crowd that it ends up sounding like crying wolf, and people stop paying attention when there's a cry against legitimate overreach by government. Santara uses a good quote from Walter Lippmann regularly: "In a free society the state does not administer the affairs of men. It administers justice among men who conduct their own affairs.". For an example, reasonable regulation to prevent companies or individuals from dumping waste into different ecosystems meets this standard IMO, as polluting a river with waste causes harm to people downstream who use it as a source of drinking, and creates an injustice, as a result.
the inaction wing of the Libertarian party is the main reason the party has a growth cap. Libertarian ideas are fairly interesting even to those people that have opposite ideals. but each conversation has in it a line that won't be crossed.
a perfect example is gun control. when i argue that we're approaching an Australian inspired event of full on gun grabbing, and that in the meantime concessions on guns could delay or prevent this, i'm seen as a traitor. when my actual goal is to preserve the 2A rights for as many people for as long as I can by avoiding the Australian type full on gun grabbing. Will it be 2030? 2075? idk, but i can start to smell it coming like rain before you feel the drops. slippery slope concerns are valid, they're just not all encompassing. nor do the account for the slope we're approaching that in my opinion can't be put off forever.