What do a bunch of interesting writers have to say about it?
The American Conservative magazine for August 28th is devoted to this question (including Rockwell’s article that I blogged last week).
I’ve always thought, since about 11th grade, that libertarianism was the exact opposite of both left and right rather than any derivitive of or synthesis between the two. Left and Right are but two collectivist/socialist ideologies that put the ‘greater good’ (as determined by individuals, of course) above the rights of the individual. Ends justify means, eggs get smashed into hummus, you get the point.
The truth is, liberals used to be libertarians, now they are just socialists like the conservatives have always been. And as Andrew J. Bacevich points out in his AmCon piece, the extremist “moderate” center is all about power and the only principle – of any kind – to be found is on the fringes.
“In the political mainstream, expediency rules and principles are expendable
