Comment by Nifty3929
4 days ago
"... the appeal of burning it all down and living in a cabin in the woods."
I hope that's not what you think libertarianism is about. I'm sure there are libertarians who DO feel that way, but it's not a core tenet to personally isolate and live off the land.
Libertarianism sees not left vs right, but instead the people against the government. Libertarians focus on personal liberty and solving problems together, voluntarily, as individuals cooperating. A libertarian would say, for example, that if I think a bridge should be built, then I should either build it myself or convince other people to help me out voluntarily - but not use government to force people to help (via taxes, etc).
Libertarians are against force/coercion, and see government as the ultimate expression of force.
There are some loony libertarians, as there are of any political party, but most of us have pretty ordinary and mainstream beliefs and priorities.
Libertarians reject governmental force but provide no barriers to corporate force. There are innumerable documented examples of corporate force having greater control over the population than a government. These examples are not just historical but also include the time we are currently living in.
I don't think this is true of libertarianism. Libertarians reject use of force, except to prevent other use of force. I.e. I can use force to stop someone else from using force on me (or others).
Corporations are not exempt from this. A libertarian would support using force to stop a corporation from using force to coerce people to do something.
But Libertarians reject a premise that a corporation is required to serve you. You can opt-out and the corporation should leave you alone. But you are not entitled to service or employment from that corporation. Your rights cannot depend on the performance of another. I have a right to produce or purchase my own food, but I do not have an right/entitlement to food that I have not purchased or produced.
I still don't see how Libertarians can solve the current problems we have with corporate abuse of force. For example, if a company is a major employer in town and pollutes both the ground and the water, how is an individual going to push back against the company's power? How is an individual going to apply force to a corporation to get them to stop and/or clean up the pollution?
How can an individual or even a group of individuals stop a corporation from underpaying its workers so that they need to use some public assistance, food, or medical care?
There are many similar examples, but they all boil down to the asymmetry of power. An organization capable of employing many lawyers, or even a single good one, can grind you down until you have nothing left. I still see libertarians as having no answer.
I think the only way to fight back against corporate abuse is to build a stronger center of power. Something like a union, a citizenry willing to take collective action, or even a Government that is not beholden to corporate interests.
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