3 Common Misconceptions about Libertarians - Transcript and Video

3 Common Misconceptions about Libertarians

Number 3: “Libertarians Don’t Care about the Poor”

Frédéric Bastiat once said,

Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society.
As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all.

We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education.

We object to a state religion.

Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all.

We object to a state-enforced equality.

Then they say that we are against equality.

And so on, and so on.

It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain.
The false stereotype that libertarians don’t care about the poor comes from the manipulative lie that caring about the less fortunate can only take place if one has a government agency taking money by force from some and giving it to others.

Not only is state welfarism the opposite of caring for the poor in mentality, as the supposed “caring” is just handed off to some faceless state bureaucrat, but the economic reality of forced takings is such that the poor are not helped effectively in the long-term because of distortions in value creation.

It is important to remember that “poor” is a relative term.

There will always be some who do not have as much as others and will appear “poorer” to those with more.
But if one wants to grow wealth in historical terms where most people can afford stable housing, clothes, food, and health care, there must be an expansion of efficiencies in human action.

The expansion of efficiencies that lead to greater productivity where each person’s work produces more goods and services can only come with a free market where those providing efficient value are rewarded for doing so.
Forced welfarism not only distorts value creation signals by taking money from those being productive, it also adds on expense in administration of costs for doling out the welfare.

Ultimately, this leads to less value and fewer efficiencies being created as the government picks winners and losers instead of individuals who are best suited to decide how they wish to use their value creation.

And before someone suggests that no one will help others if not for the state, think carefully about the fact that Americans still gave 427 billion dollars to charity in 2019 even with the existence of a massive welfare state.

When the government gets out of the welfare business, more effective charitable support efforts can arise as people are free to choose which organizations and associations are doing the best job of helping those less fortunate instead of having the government pick winners and losers.

Number 2: “Libertarians Want Corporations to Rule”

The idea that libertarians want corporations to rule is a bit of a comedic irony because the fact is that corporations are state-chartered fictions.

That’s right: the ground rules for creating corporations, their liability, and operational status, fully stem from state licensure and state-backed force.

Corporate legal fictions often originate at the state level and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sets the rules and limitations on corporate securities trading at the Federal level.

So when people try to suggest that libertarians want corporations to “rule,” one should take a step back and realize that there is a larger corporation that sets the rules for other corporations: the U.S. Federal Government.

Unlike the private companies, the Federal Government takes your money by force whether you agree to their service or not.

Unlike private companies, the Federal Government corporation claims to be able to tell you what you can or cannot have in the privacy of your own home.

Unlike private companies, the government claims to own you by virtue of being born on this planet.

So why is it that so many people are worried about corporate rule when they are already ruled by a giant corporation that takes your money by force whether you want some or none of the products they are offering?

It’s because they believe a cartoonish lie that being a part of a private business somehow makes the members intent on hurting others for money.

Ironically, these same people ignore that it is the ability to take money from people by unilateral decree that funds perpetual war and mass violence.

It would be easy to condemn the Walmart corporation if they flew private jets to blow up children in the Middle East. But when the U.S. military does the same, it’s just labelled “foreign policy.”

It would be easy to see the indoctrination if Walmart had former CEOs lining the walls of public schools and children pledging allegiance to the Walmart corporate logo flag.

But when it’s former presidents and the Red, White, and Blue stripes, it’s not taken as corporate indoctrination for power.

Libertarians don’t want to be controlled by ANY corporation, whether it’s labelled “public” or “private.”

Rather, libertarians want freedom in choice to choose service providers so that, if some organization does do violence, they can choose to not support it.

Anything less is forced participation in a mafia’s rule.

Number 1: Libertarians are Selfish

The cartoonish label that “libertarians are selfish” has been repeated to the point of absurdity where it has no meaning.
According to critics, wanting to keep one’s own money and choose how it is used is “selfish,” but forceful takings by men with guns is somehow “selfless.”

The reality is that every single human action is a selfish act.

Even where someone appears to be sacrificing their time, money, or body, for another, that person is doing so because they have a psychological satisfaction that they believe is worth their action.

Otherwise, the person would simply not engage in the act at all.

False altruism must be called out for what it is: masking theft and murder under the guise of “helping” people.
If the charity is done by threats of force, it is not charity. It is just violent takings under duress.

And anyone claiming that they are somehow not “selfish” because they support violence through the state is hiding that they cannot be bothered with taking responsibility for their own charitable choices and so are trying to pass off the actions to others to do the work for them.

So, are libertarians selfish?

Yes.

But not in the way central planners think.

Selfishness is a virtue that permits people to choose to help others based on their own interest in wellbeing, compassion, and empathy.

Everyone is selfish, but not everyone is willing to be honest about their interests in their actions.

Those who try to obfuscate their interests to deride those who value freedom must be called out for their fraud.

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