Pro-Con Debate

Myths about libertarianism

nazgulnarsil — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:33:10 GMT

Current revision posted to Pro-Con Debate by nazgulnarsil on 3/11/2009 1:33:10 AM

Myths about libertarianism

Due to the emergence of the the Internet, rising dissatisfaction with government policies, and the Presidential campaign of Ron Paul, libertarianism has gained more adherents than ever before, and even more spectators. The cause of liberty has become the subject of national discussion. Unfortunately, it is also the subject of miscellaneous fallacies and errors which seem to be quoted repeatedly like a broken record. To correct these myths, we at mises.org introduced this entry to address them.

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Answer: Corporate power is mainly the result of monetary inflation and artificially-low interest rates caused by--you guessed it--the government's central banks. All the extra dollars drive up prices for goods and services, but also drive up share prices at the same time (see chart). This one-two-punch increases corporate power drastically. Add that to the fact that artificially low interest rates encourage consumption and discourage saving. Corporate power would be greatly reduced under a gold standard. Under a gold standard, corporations and other businesses could make a profit only by creating value. Imagine that.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, liability reform, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: Under a free market, wealth would not be shared equally, but there would not be a hugely disproportionate distribution of wealth. Without hundreds of taxes, monetary inflation, eminent domain, and restrictive regulations, the most citizens would be able to own property and be relatively independent. As it is, total debt in this country is nearly four times the GDP. That could not happen without the money supply being controlled from the top. With a bottom up monetary standard income would reflect actual productivity.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other. They recognize that one must have economic freedom to defend their personal values, and vice versa.

An economic right, is in fact, a special instance of human rights. That is, the producers and consumers should be free to conduct business any way they both see fit without government mandate or intervention to facilitate the transactions. If the government is itself the producer (say, health care provider) or the consumer (through tax collection) and stamps out competition by edict, there is no incentive to ensure the other side of the transaction receives fair economic rights and therefore does not receive fair personal rights.

Take the Iraq War for example. In America, you have a right to write letters to the editor, yell at talking heads on the television, wave signs, post bumper stickers, etc., ad infinitum. Why? Because of the First Amendment. You have a right to make a complete ass of yourself, but--here's the kicker--the bombs will still keep falling.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Libertarians believe that anybody who opposes the war shouldn't have to pay taxes to fund the war. Libertarians believe that anybody who opposes evolution taught in public schools not have to fund the schools. Libertarians believe that people who support the legalization of marijuana have no obligation to fund the DEA, the agency that threatens to tear down their front door (or, in many cases, tear down their neighbors' front door by mistake) because somebody, somewhere might be getting high in his or her bathroom. And why do they have that right? Because it is their money, the fruit of their labor, and they have no obligation to give it to somebody who will use it against them.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Answer: The existence of poor, ignorant, unprivileged, and disabled persons in a society creates market opportunities for any entrepreneur who wishes to cater to them. The beauty of free-market capitalism is that it is capable of producing products affordable to the poor and still make a handsome profit.

Also, given that free markets always bring gradually higher standards of living over time, that prosperity would gradually trickle down to the poor and the destitute. Think about it: when do contributions to churches, charities, and non-profits increase? They increase in the prosperous times, when the middle class is living it up. When do contribution to churches, charities, and non-profits go down? They go down when the middle class suffers. We can then theorize that, if only the free market were allowed to do its work and prosper the economy, charitable contributions would increase substantially.

Myth #6

An unrestrained free-market environment would wreck havoc on the natural environment.

Answer: Technological progress. Efficient use of resources. Accountability to public opinion. These are characteristics of private enterprises in a competitive market environment. Why? Because any business that does not have these characteristics will lose customers to businesses that do. By contrast, a centralized command economy has none of those characteristics. The environmental impacts has been tragic (take, for example, the Soviet Union, in which pollution from industry rendered large swaths of the countryside uninhabitable to humans).

Also, free markets allow the consumers to voice their environmental concerns through their transactions. Purchasing organic foods and hybrid cars is not an option in centralized command economies (or in underdeveloped economies, for that matter). Those luxuries are only affordable in prosperous market economies.

Myth #7

A completely unregulated market allows businesses to sell low-quality and sometimes even dangerous products to hapless consumers.

Answer: Government regulation and monetary policies tend to have the two-fold effect of decreasing the consumer's purchasing power, and decreasing competition between businesses. Those two problems would not exist in a free market environment; consequently, consumer goods would be available at sufficient quality and quantity. The absence of government regulation would create a market opportunity for private regulators (who are accountable directly to their customers) to ensure safe products.

Myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:48:53 GMT

Revision 11 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 1/18/2009 1:48:53 AM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1. Under a free market, wealth would not be shared equally, but there would not be a hugely disproportionate distribution of wealth. Without hundreds of taxes, monetary inflation, eminent domain, and restrictive regulations, the most citizens would be able to own property and be relatively independent. As it is, total debt in this country is nearly four times the GDP. That could not happen without the money supply being controlled from the top.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Myth #6

An unrestrained free-market environment would wreck havoc on the natural environment.

Answer: Technological progress. Efficient use of resources. Accountability to public opinion. These are characteristics of private enterprises in a competitive market environment. Why? Because any business that does not have these characteristics will customers to businesses that do. By contrast, a centralized command economy has none of those characteristics. The environmental impacts has been tragic (take, for example, the Soviet Union, in which pollution from industry rendered large swaths of the countryside uninhabitable to humans).

Myth #7

A completely unregulated market allows businesses to sell low-quality and sometimes even dangerous products to hapless consumers.

Myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:35:54 GMT

Revision 10 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 1/18/2009 1:35:54 AM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Myth #6

An unrestrained free-market environment would wreck havoc on the natural environment.

Answer: Technological progress. Efficient use of resources. Accountability to public opinion. These are characteristics of private enterprises in a competitive market environment. Why? Because any business that does not have these characteristics will customers to businesses that do. By contrast, a centralized command economy has none of those characteristics. The environmental impacts has been tragic (take, for example, the Soviet Union, in which pollution from industry rendered large swaths of the countryside uninhabitable to humans).

Myth #7

A completely unregulated market allows businesses to sell low-quality and sometimes even dangerous products to hapless consumers.

Myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:22:29 GMT

Revision 9 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 11/6/2008 9:22:29 PM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: While it may be true that many paranoid conspiracy theorists (9/11-truthers, UFO fanatics) are libertarians, it is not true that all libertarians are paranoid conspiracy theorists. It is also untrue that After alllibertarians have an unfounded fear of government, but rather believe no amount of government (benevolent or malevolent) is capable of enhancing freedom to it's constituents except if it acts only as a protector (somebody does not a provider) of those freedoms.

That is to say, libertarians believe those freedoms are granted have to every individual and therefore cannot be provided by a government, but only protected by their government. It is then up to the individual crazy to pursue those freedoms themselves, not accept them by government program.dislike politicians!

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other. An economic right, is in fact, a special instance of human rights. That is, the producers and consumers should be free to conduct business any way they both see fit without government mandate or intervention to facilitate the transactions. If the government is itself the producer (say, health care provider) or the consumer (through tax collection) and stamps out competition by edict, there is no incentive to ensure the other side of the transaction receives fair economic rights and therefore does not receive fair personal rights.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Myth #6

An unrestrained free-market environment would wreck havoc on the natural environment.

Answer: Technological progress. Efficient use of resources. Accountability to public opinion. These are characteristics of private enterprises in a competitive market environment. Why? Because any business that does not have these characteristics will customers to businesses that do. By contrast, a centralized command economy has none of those characteristics. The environmental impacts has been tragic (take, for example, the Soviet Union, in which pollution from industry rendered large swaths of the countryside uninhabitable to humans).

Myth #7

A completely unregulated market allows businesses to sell low-quality and sometimes even dangerous products to hapless consumers.

Myths about libertarianism

exile — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:30:12 GMT

Revision 8 posted to Pro-Con Debate by exile on 11/5/2008 3:30:12 PM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: While it may be true that many paranoid conspiracy theorists (9/11-truthers, UFO fanatics) are libertarians, it is not true that all libertarians are paranoid conspiracy theorists. It is also untrue that all libertarians have an unfounded fear of government, but rather believe no amount of government (benevolent or malevolent) is capable of enhancing freedom to it's constituents except if it acts only as a protector (not a provider) of those freedoms.

That is to say, libertarians believe those freedoms are granted to every individual and therefore cannot be provided by a government, but only protected by their government. It is then up to the individual to pursue those freedoms themselves, not accept them by government program.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other. An economic right, is in fact, a special instance of human rights. That is, the producers and consumers should be free to conduct business any way they both see fit without government mandate or intervention to facilitate the transactions. If the government is itself the producer (say, health care provider) or the consumer (through tax collection) and stamps out competition by edict, there is no incentive to ensure the other side of the transaction receives fair economic rights and therefore does not receive fair personal rights.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Myth #6

An unrestrained free-market environment would wreck havoc on the natural environment.

Answer: Technological progress. Efficient use of resources. Accountability to public opinion. These are characteristics of private enterprises in a competitive market environment. Why? Because any business that does not have these characteristics will customers to businesses that do. By contrast, a centralized command economy has none of those characteristics. The environmental impacts has been tragic (take, for example, the Soviet Union, in which pollution from industry rendered large swaths of the countryside uninhabitable to humans).

Myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:03:00 GMT

Revision 7 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 10/20/2008 12:03:00 AM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: While it may be true that many paranoid conspiracy theorists (9/11-truthers, UFO fanatics) are libertarians, it is not true that all libertarians are paranoid conspiracy theorists. It is also untrue that all libertarians have an unfounded fear of government, but rather believe no amount of government (benevolent or malevolent) is capable of enhancing freedom to it's constituents except if it acts only as a protector (not a provider) of those freedoms.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Myth #6

An unrestrained free-market environment would wreck havoc on the natural environment.

Answer: Technological progress. Efficient use of resources. Accountability to public opinion. These are characteristics of private enterprises in a competitive market environment. Why? Because any business that does not have these characteristics will customers to businesses that do. By contrast, a centralized command economy has none of those characteristics. The environmental impacts has been tragic (take, for example, the Soviet Union, in which pollution from industry rendered large swaths of the countryside uninhabitable to humans).

Myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:22:38 GMT

Revision 6 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 10/17/2008 10:22:38 PM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: While it may be true that many paranoid conspiracy theorists (9/11-truthers, UFO fanatics) are libertarians, it is not true that all libertarians are paranoid conspiracy theorists. It is also untrue that all libertarians have an unfounded fear of government, but rather believe no amount of government (benevolent or malevolent) is capable of enhancing freedom to it's constituents except if it acts only as a protector (not a provider) of those freedoms.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

Now, imagine if all the people who oppose the war were allowed to stop paying taxes. The war would grind to a halt, instantly. Only then would you have any real say-so concerning the war.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Myths about libertarianism

Todd Thompson — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:58:23 GMT

Revision 5 posted to Pro-Con Debate by Todd Thompson on 10/17/2008 8:58:23 PM

Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: While it may be true that many paranoid conspiracy theorists (9/11-truthers, UFO fanatics) are libertarians, it is not true that all libertarians are paranoid conspiracy theorists. It is also untrue that all libertarians have an unfounded fear of government, but rather believe no amount of government (benevolent or malevolent) is capable of enhancing freedom to it's constituents except if it acts only as a protector (not a provider) of those freedoms.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

Answer: The the existence of poor, ignorant, unprivileged, and disabled persons in a society creates market opportunities for any entrepreneur who wishes to cater to them. The beauty of free-market capitalism is that it is capable of producing products affordable to the poor and still make a handsome profit.

Myths about libertarianism

exile — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:37:25 GMT

Revision 4 posted to Pro-Con Debate by exile on 10/8/2008 6:37:25 PM

myths Myths about libertarianism

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: This stereotype depicts While it may be true that many paranoid conspiracy theorists (9/11-truthers, UFO fanatics) are libertariansgenerally as historical revisionists and , it is not true that all libertarians are paranoid conspiracy theorists. In realityIt is also untrue that all libertarians have an unfounded fear of government, one does but rather believe no amount of government (benevolent or malevolent) is capable of enhancing freedom to it's constituents except if it acts only as a protector (not need a provider) of those freedoms.

That is to read 9/11 "truth" websites or attend UFO conventions say, libertarians believe those freedoms are granted to become disillusioned with every individual and therefore cannot be provided by a government; one , but only needs protected by their government. It is then up to turn on the newsindividual to pursue those freedoms themselves, not accept them by government program.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:08:37 GMT

Revision 3 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 10/6/2008 10:08:37 PM

myths about libertarianism

Due to the emergence of the the Internet, rising dissatisfaction with government policies, and the Presidential campaign of Ron Paul, libertarianism has gained more adherents than ever before, and even more spectators. The cause of liberty has become the subject of national discussion. Unfortunately, it is also the subject of micsellanious miscellaneous fallacies and errors which seem to be quoted repeatedly like a broken record. To correct these myths, we at mises.org introduced this entry to address them.

Myth #1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Answer: Corporate power is mainly the result of monetary inflation and artificially-low interest rates caused by--you guessed it--the government's central banks. All the extra dollars drive up prices for goods and services, but also drive up share prices at the same time (see chart). This one-two-punch increases corporate power drastically. Add that to the fact that artificially low interest rates encourage consumption and discourage saving. Corporate power would be greatly reduced under a gold standard. Under a gold standard, corporations and other businesses could only make a profit only by creating value. Imagine that.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

Myth #2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

Myth #3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

Answer: This stereotype depicts libertarians generally as historical revisionists and conspiracy theorists. In reality, one does not need to read 9/11 "truth" websites or attend UFO conventions to become disillusioned with government; one only needs to turn on cable news or read a mainstream history book to realize that politics fosters corruption, damages the economy, and threatens human lifenews.

Myth #4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

Myth #5

A totally free market would hurt the poor, ignorant, the unprivileged, and the disabled; they cannot compete for jobs, goods and services, and would not be able to rely on social safety nets.

myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:58:20 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 9/25/2008 3:58:20 AM

myths about libertarianism

Due to the emergence of the the Internet, rising dissatisfaction with government policies, and the Presidential campaign of Ron Paul, libertarianism has gained more adherents than ever before, and even more spectators. The cause of liberty has become the subject of national discussion. Unfortunately, it is also the subject of micsellanious fallacies and errors which seem to be quoted repeatedly like a broken record. To correct these myths, we at mises.org introduced this entry to address them.

==Myth

Myth #1==1

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Answer: Corporate power is mainly the result of monetary inflation and artificially-low interest rates caused by--you guessed it--the government's central banks. All the extra dollars drive up prices for goods and services, but also drive up share prices at the same time (see chart). This one-two-punch increases corporate power drastically. Add that to the fact that artificially low interest rates encourage consumption and discourage saving. Corporate power would be greatly reduced under a gold standard. Under a gold standard, corporations and other businesses could only make a profit by creating value. Imagine that.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

==Myth

Myth #2==2

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

==Myth

Myth #3==3

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

==Myth

Myth #4==4

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

==Links==

myths about libertarianism

ama gi — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:56:33 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 9/25/2008 3:56:33 AM

Due to the emergence of the the Internet, rising dissatisfaction with government policies, and the Presidential campaign of Ron Paul, libertarianism has gained more adherents than ever before, and even more spectators. The cause of liberty has become the subject of national discussion. Unfortunately, it is also the subject of micsellanious fallacies and errors which seem to be quoted repeatedly like a broken record. To correct these myths, we at mises.org introduced this entry to address them.

==Myth #1==

Libertarians are merely shills for unscrupulous corporations and corporate power.

Answer: Corporate power is mainly the result of monetary inflation and artificially-low interest rates caused by--you guessed it--the government's central banks. All the extra dollars drive up prices for goods and services, but also drive up share prices at the same time (see chart). This one-two-punch increases corporate power drastically. Add that to the fact that artificially low interest rates encourage consumption and discourage saving. Corporate power would be greatly reduced under a gold standard. Under a gold standard, corporations and other businesses could only make a profit by creating value. Imagine that.

Of course there are other ways the government increases corporate power (through intellectual property, eminent domain, military contracts, direct bailouts, blocking competition, etc.).

==Myth #2==

A free market such as libertarians advocate would cause an enormously disproportionate distribution of wealth. Government is needed to fix it.

Answer: See Myth #1.

==Myth #3==

Libertarians are paranoid lunatics whose political ideologies are motivated by a bizarre and unfounded fear of government.

==Myth #4==

Libertarians don't care about human rights; they only care about economic rights.

Answer: Libertarians value for personal and economic liberties, and realize they cannot have one without the other.

==Links==

*Discuss this article

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:18:02 GMT

Current revision posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 1/21/2009 9:18:02 PM

Myths about market anarchy

Filed under: anarchy, market, anarchy definition

It's hard enough to convince people of the benefits of the free market, but when somebody suggests abolishing government altogether, it opens up a whole new can of worms. Myths about market anarchy are a lot like fiat currency; widely circulated, but of little value.

What anarchy is NOT

Real anarchy, no matter what other so-called anarchists might tell you, is not about destroying property, abolishing marriage, destroying religion, guerilla warfare, or stopping people from eating meat. Doing any of those things involves forcing your will on other people, which is the opposite of anarchy. So calm down, take a deep breath, and open your mind. You just might discover your inner anarchist!

The word anarchy

New Latin anarchia < Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchía) < ἀν- (an-), “‘not’”), + ἀρχός (archos), “‘ruler, authority’”).
- From wiktionary

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

These ideals are exceptionally American ones; some of these statements were spoken by our Founding Fathers. However, when the government refuses to abide by these standards, but instead invents its own; when government, rather then allowing progress to emerge from society naturally, attempts to impose social reforms on an unwilling populace; when special interests are fed at the expense of our economic liberty, and governmental fiat trumps the inviolability of property; when government uses force to protect its power and prestige; then it puts itself in a state of conflict with the free and the brave, and,

"it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, so as to them most likely to effect their safety and happiness". Declaration of Indepedence

A thought to ponder

"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myth #1

If you abolish government, society will quickly collapse into violence and chaos.

Answer: The idea the law and order can exist only when they are forcibly imposed on a society is both flawed and dangerous. People who value their safety and their reputations typically do not cause to much trouble for others. We can surmise that if government suddenly disappeared, seemingly normal people would not suddenly turn to nudism and cannibalism as hobbies.

It is dangerous, because if it is true that people need the government to keep them from raising Cain, then the question logically arises: why should we have any freedoms at all? Why should we have freedom of speech, of the Fourth Amendment, or have the right to choose our leaders at the ballot box? Those are some uncomfortable questions. Mainstream sociologists assume that "we need government" and don't bother to explain why, but then they avoid the politically-incorrect conclusion that we need fascism. In other words, people who would go crazy with no government will be civilized with democratic institutions. That is obviously a hollow argument at best.

Myth #2

A society without the government could not stop criminals.

Answer: Firstly, there is something to be said for the role in privately-owned, civilian firearms in detering crime. "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." Cesare of Beccaria, 1738-1794

Secondly, it is an established fact that laws against prostitution and controlled substances promote the activities of criminal organizations through a lucrative black market. A laissez-faire society would have these victimless crimes, and would not have "the mob".

And finally, the free market would allocate police where they are most needed. Some people might pay to have their homes under 24-hour surveillance. Some people would insure their possessions against theft, and some would refuse to pay for any protective services at all.

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:44:26 GMT

Revision 9 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 1/17/2009 11:44:26 PM

Myths about market anarchy

Filed under: anarchy, market, anarchy definition

What anarchy is NOT

The word anarchy

New Latin anarchia < Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchía) < ἀν- (an-), “‘not’”), + ἀρχός (archos), “‘ruler, authority’”).
- From wiktionary

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

A thought to ponder

"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myth #1

If you abolish government, society will quickly collapse into violence and chaos.

Myth #2

A society without the government could not stop criminals.

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:19:32 GMT

Revision 8 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 1/17/2009 11:19:32 PM

Myths about market anarchy

Filed under: anarchy, market, anarchy definition

What anarchy is NOT

The word anarchy

New Latin anarchia < Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchía) < ἀν- (an-), “‘not’”), + ἀρχός (archos), “‘ruler, authority’”).
- From wiktionary

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

A thought to ponder

"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myth #1

If you abolish government, society will quickly collapse into violence and chaos.

Myth #2

Myths about market anarchy

Panarchy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:48:34 GMT

Revision 7 posted to Pro-Con Debate by Panarchy on 1/15/2009 6:48:34 AM

Myths about market anarchy

Filed under: anarchy, market, anarchy definition

What anarchy is NOT

The word anarchy

New Latin anarchia < Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchía) < ἀν- (an-), “‘not’”), + ἀρχός (archos), “‘ruler, authority’”).
- From wiktionary

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

A thought to ponder

"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myths about market anarchy

Panarchy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:48:34 GMT

Revision 6 posted to Pro-Con Debate by Panarchy on 1/15/2009 6:48:34 AM

Myths about market anarchy

Filed under: anarchy, market

What anarchy is NOT

The word anarchy

New Latin anarchia < Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchía) < ἀν- (an-), “‘not’”), + ἀρχός (archos), “‘ruler, authority’”).
- From wiktionary

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

A thought to ponder

"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myths about market anarchy

Panarchy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:48:34 GMT

Revision 5 posted to Pro-Con Debate by Panarchy on 1/15/2009 6:48:34 AM

Myths about market anarchy

What anarchy is NOT

The word anarchy

New Latin anarchia < Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchía) < ἀν- (an-no),none arch “‘not’”), + ἀρχός (archos), “‘ruler, authority’”).
- rulersFrom wiktionary

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

These ideals are exceptionally American ones; some of these statements were spoken by our Founding Fathers. However, when the government refuses to abide by these standards, but instead invents its own; when government, rather then allowing progress to emerge from society naturally, attempts to impose social reforms on an unwilling populace; when special interests are fed at the expense of our economic liberty, and governmental fiat trumps the inviolability of property; when government uses force to protect its power and prestige; then it puts itself in a state of conflict with the free and the brave, and,

"it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, so as to them most likely to effect their safety and happiness". Declaration of Indepedence

A thought to ponder

"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:31:47 GMT
Revision 4 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 12/30/2008 8:31:47 PM

Myths about market anarchy

It's hard enough to convince people of the benefits of the free market, but when somebody suggests abolishing government altogether, it opens up a whole new can of worms. Myths about market anarchy are a lot like fiat currency; widely circulated, but of little value.

What anarchy is NOT

Real anarchy, no matter what other so-called anarchists might tell you, is not about destroying property, abolishing marriage, destroying religion, guerilla warfare, or stopping people from eating meat. Doing any of those things involves forcing your will on other people, which is the opposite of anarchy. So calm down, take a deep breath, and open your mind. You just might discover your inner anarchist!

The word anarchy

An- no, none arch- rulers

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it." Mark Twain

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

These ideals are exceptionally American ones; some of these statements were spoken by our Founding Fathers. However, when the government refuses to abide by these standards, but instead invents its own; when government, rather then allowing progress to emerge from society naturally, attempts to impose social reforms on an unwilling populace; when special interests are fed at the expense of our economic liberty, and governmental fiat trumps the inviolability of property; when government uses force to protect its power and prestige; then it puts itself in a state of conflict with the free and the brave, and,

"it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, so as to them most likely to effect their safety and happiness". Declaration of Indepedence

A thought to ponder

Christianity,
"Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars."

Leo_Tolstoy

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:12:19 GMT
Revision 3 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 12/5/2008 10:12:19 PM

Myths about market anarchy

It's hard enough to convince people of the benefits of the free market, but when somebody suggests abolishing government altogether, it opens up a whole new can of worms. Myths about market anarchy are a lot like fiat currency; widely circulated, but of little value.

What anarchy is NOT

Real anarchy, no matter what other so-called anarchists might tell you, is not about destroying property, abolishing marriage, destroying religion, guerilla warfare, or stopping people from eating meat. Doing any of those things involves forcing your will on other people, which is the opposite of anarchy. So calm down, take a deep breath, and open your mind. You just might discover your inner anarchist!

The word anarchy

An- no, none arch- rulers

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it."

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

These ideals are exceptionally American ones; some of these statements were spoken by our Founding Fathers. However, when the government refuses to abide by these standards, but instead invents its own; when government, rather then allowing progress to emerge from society naturally, attempts to impose social reforms on an unwilling populace; when special interests are fed at the expense of our economic liberty, and governmental fiat trumps the inviolability of property; when government uses force to protect its power and prestige; then it puts itself in a state of conflict with the free and the brave, and,

"it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, so as to them most likely to effect their safety and happiness".

[quoteuser="A

A thought to ponder"]

Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars.

Leo_Tolstoy
[/quote]

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:11:26 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 12/5/2008 10:11:26 PM

Myths about market anarchy

What anarchy is NOT

Real anarchy, no matter what other so-called anarchists might tell you, is not about abolishing money, destroying property, abolishing marriage, destroying religion, guerilla warfare, or stopping people from eating meat. Doing any of those things involves forcing your will on other people, which is the opposite of anarchy. So calm down, take a deep breath, and open your mind. You just might discover your inner anarchist!

The word anarchy

An- no, none arch- rulers

The concept of anarchy

The concept of anarchy begins with the concept of limited government, and the sovereignty of the individual. Those beliefs voice themselves with statements such as these:

" Patriotism means loyalty to your country at all times and your government only when it deserves it."

" The government which governs least, governs best."

" Dissent is the highest form a patriotism."

" The power to tax is the power to destroy."

[quoteuser="A thought to ponder"]

Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars.

Leo_Tolstoy
[/quote]

Myths about market anarchy

ama gi — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:32:17 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Pro-Con Debate by ama gi on 11/20/2008 2:32:17 AM