I am also a left libertarian and I justify my position thusly. Government will always be abused and turned against the people so its power should be limited. What power is granted to the government should be expressly for the benefit of the people. Not a small group of people, all people.
NOT the wrong kind of “libertarian”. When I say I’m left-libertarian, I support the notion that the government is stifling people’s liberties through ICE, and that the proletariats should be the ones who run the US, NOT the oligarchic rich snobs that control this country. Therefore, I support limited government. With the state now limited to roles such as police, military and courts (as well as checks and balances), we can let the people run the show by way of direct democracy. In addition, the means of production will be owned by the people with industrial unions handling a planned market economy.
However, I do NOT think that taxation is theft, I DON’T do drugs (I’m a teetotaler, although I think marijuana should be legal and such), and I refuse to do anything that these so-called “Libertarians™” do (specifically using “libertarianism” to justify breaking laws and dodging taxes). I think that taxes are necessary - in fact I support a land value tax as an alternative to rent (because rent can be theft and a complete waste of money). Does that answer your question?
deranger@sh.itjust.works 6 hours ago
JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Government will always be abused and turned against the people so its power should be limited
Fully agreed. This is the nature of power. It is a problem as old as humanity, and there have been loads of attempted solutions to that end. Probably the oldest known is the Insulting the Meat Ritual in hunter-gatherer tribes to prevent hunters from becoming egotistical. Given the rarity of remaining hunter-gatherers, we can guess how that worked out.
Decentralization (why we’re here in the Fediverse, right?), social ownership of the economy, revocation of corporate privileges… all excellent goals to which we can aspire. It’s a bit hackneyed but the truism applies: think globally, act locally. On social ownership of the economy, may I suggest looking into timebanks? Join your local timebank if it exists; start one if it doesn’t. A lot of what timebanks (can) accomplish represents most of these ideals. Disclosure: I’m a founding board member and the treasurer of my local timebank, so I have a lot of bias for timebanks as one potential arrow in the quiver of effecting social change.
JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
Yes, thank you for the elaboration! I agree with your points regarding the police state. May I suggest Behind the Bastards’ 3-part on the history of policing (~2020 Jun 16)?The US has been a police state for more of its history than not. And the series underscores the Socialist tenets in your explanation: unions absolutely work. The police union in the US is ridiculously effective at protecting those “workers.” Too bad that union is protecting workers who stomp on the citizenry.
I will add that direct democracy prima facie sounds great, and I used to also hold this belief. We absolutely have the technology for a full direct democracy. The problems with direct democracy are legion, some of which we are seeing right now in the US with low-information voters. Now scale that up. The enormous volume of legislation and policy research on any single issue would stop most citizens dead in their tracks. Take international trade policy for example. My employer paid for me to study international trade compliance for five years. Ain’t nobody got time for that, and international trade policy hits all of us in the wallet, waistline, daily interactions, and health/wellness measures. We hoi-polloi still need to work, get dinner on the table, and do laundry. Voters should understand all of relevant issues at least at a cursory level, but wish in one hand, shit in the other… Hell, how many voters actually read the voter guides and research their local candidates? How many attend city council meetings?
If you want as direct a democracy as possible, focus your efforts at your local and state level. Small changes in your community have ripple effects. Get your neighbors and local social circle to educate themselves and attend. Connect with your local council and governing boards.
As @zxqwas@lemmy.world pointed out: don’t sweat the labels; choose the policies that appeal to your sensibilities. The labels and affiliations will shake out from there.