We anarchists have been using the word libertarian to describe ourselves since the middle of the 19th century (and it is still the European definition of the word by the way), but the so-called "Libertarian" Party in the US stole the word in 1971 to describe its non-libertarian ideals. In reality, none of the capital-L "Libertarians" are libertarians in the original sense of the word.

I agree with the "Libertarians" on some social issues, but the major flaw with their philosophy is their advocacy of what amounts to laissez-faire capitalism. In essense, they are right-wing neoliberals, occupying the lower-right quadrant of the Political Compass. They advocate the minimalization of state influence on social issues, which I agree with, but they want instead for society to run solely by the rules of the dollar, which will essentially end up putting control of society directly in the hands of the rich.

Read http://a4a.mahost.org/lpusa.html for more on the flaws of the "Libertarian" anti-state pro-capitalist agenda.
ermitonto Reviewed by ermitonto on . You Know You're a Libertarian When... Damn! This is WAY to close for comfort! :eek: You dream of starting your own country You either love Miss Rand - or think all her followers are robots You think the market can take care of everything You know at least one person who was a Republican before they got busted Rating: 5