Reason Magazine: Ken Cavanaugh- Interviewing Author David Brin: 'Libertarians, Transparency & Uplifting'

Source:Reason Magazine- Author David Brin talking to Reason Magazine.

"The issue should not be government. It should not be unlimited and unalloyed idolatry of personal property, which is the path that the libertarian movement has gone down," says David Brin, a science fiction writer and self-identified "heretical libertarian."

Brin sat down with Reason.tv's Tim Cavanaugh to discuss his recent critiques of the libertarian movement, which he believes is being pushed in the wrong direction by dogmatic followers of Ayn Rand and Murray Rothbard.

"Libertarians need to be reminded that, across 6,000 years, the greatest enemy of free enterprise, of market enterprise, innovation, creative competition... have always been oligarch," says Brin.

Brin also discussed the themes of his prescient book, The Transparent Society, which, among other things, predicted a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center before it happened. The interview wraps up with a discussion of the ethics of Brin's Uplift series, which imagines a future in which humans have enhanced the minds and bodies of dolphins and made them equal citizens of society.

About 10 minutes. Interview by Tim Cavanaugh. Shot by Zach Weissmueller, Paul Detrick, and Sharif Matar. Edited by Weissmueller." 

From Reason Magazine

Author David Brin is dead right about how he critiques the current libertarian movement. That I've described as not pro-limited government, which is what Liberals and Conservatives believe in. 

The way you hear Libertarians talk today, like Peter Schiff and Judge Andrew Napolitano talk, they don't even now sound pro-small government but anti-government. They seem to take the approach that government is incompetent, period, and doesn't do anything right. Which is why I'm a Liberal and not a Libertarian. 

I believe when you limit government especially the Federal Government to doing only what it should and what it has the constitutional authority to do, you produce good government, thats not only cost-effective but does a good job. The way you hear Libertarians talking today, you would think good government is an Oxymoron. And thats why I'm not a Libertarian, because Libertarians today sound anarchist. Or perhaps just a step away from being anarchists.

Liberals (or Classical Liberals, if you prefer) want to limit government to what it only should be doing, again based on its constitutional authority. And what it's effective at and can do in a cost-effective way. And have an economic system, where everyone has a quality opportunity to be successful in life, which is what equality of opportunity is about. And what the people do with these opportunities, is up to them and that they should be rewarded for what they produce for society. Not be rewarded for what they are lacking in order to be self-sufficient in life. 

Whereas so-called Progressives today ( Socialists in reality ) have more of a collectivist communitarian view of government and the economy. That we are one nation, one family, one community and in this environment, no one should have a lot more than anyone, even if they've worked and earned it. That we need to heavily tax this excess wealth, to take care of the people who can't take care of themselves.

Libertarians today seem to take the view that government has created all of the problems. And has none of the solutions to fix these problems. And that it shouldn't even be involved in areas like law enforcement and corrections. Because it's so incompetent and that these things should be privatized. I'm waiting to hear a Libertarian come out in favor of privatizing the military, maybe thats next. And why even though they are growing, are yet to be seen as a mainstream movement. But with Gary Johnson getting the Libertarian nomination for President, he could bring Liberals into the LP and maybe the movement will change.

Free To Choose Network: Professor Milton Friedman- 'Why Do We Let This Happen? (1978)'

Source:Free To Choose Network- I hope you get Professor Friedman's point. LOL

"In this archival video from FTCN, Milton Friedman explains why he believes people allow their liberties to be eroded. The question and the answer are as relevant today as ever. This video was taken at Cornell University in around 1978." 

From Free To Choose Network 

I believe Professor Friedman makes two very good points here about why we get the government that we do and then I believe the rest is debatable. 

Professor Friedman was talking about some conference he intended that President Gerald Ford put together in the mid 1970s about inflation. And I guess they went around the table and asked each person there how they would cut inflation. And apparently each person said that you cut inflation by cutting spending. But you don't cut the programs that they like: 

"Hey, it's not me causing these deficits and inflation. Look at everyone else at the table instead. There's nothing wasteful about corporate and agriculture welfare. And I need those tax deductions for all of my vacation homes. Otherwise I couldn't afford to go on vacation there." 

And these are just a few examples wasteful, big government spending. Americans taxpayers are financially responsible for the national defense of other developed countries that are financially and personally capable of defending themselves. 

You look at infrastructure where contracts are rewarded based on who knows who in Congress or at the Department of Transportation and as a result we get bridges to nowhere and roads that only 10 people use, while we have crumbling bridges and roads in high populated areas. 

And then the other good point that Professor Friedman made about we get the government that we get, because we live in a democratic system where you have a majority of voters who want the government that we get. So to quote the great political satirist George Carlin: "Maybe it's not the politicians who suck" maybe it's the voters who vote for the politicians who give us all the government that we get who suck. 

Daily Mail: Kerry McQueeney- ‘Teachers in Tennessee Could Be Banned From Talking About KISSING As State Outlaws Discussion of ‘Gateway Sexual Activity’

Source:Daily Mail- stay the hell out of Tennessee, if you like holding hands. And I'm just not talking about gay people there. 

Source:Real Life Journal 

“A controversial new bill could ban teachers from discussing ‘gateway’ sexual activity with teenagers as the state of Tennessee bids to promote abstinence among students.

The discussion of sexual activity like genital-touching, often promoted as an alternative to full intercourse, could be prohibited in high school sex education classes.

The bill has already been signed by Tennessee Governor BIll Haslam and any teachers caught discussing such behaviour could potentially be fined $500.

Activity like genital-touching has been deemed as an offending ‘gateway’ to full intercourse by legislators.

From the Daily Mail 

This just in, in the world of big government, a world so big Ray Charles could see it blindfolded: the Tennessee Senate just came up with an idea to restrict how Americans live their own lives, and beat Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann to the punch, or at least made this idea public before they did, they just approved a bill that would warn Tennessee students that they apparently don’t trust to make their own decisions in this area, that is consensual human contact. 

Apparently Tennessee schools aren’t very good or something. And their students aren’t capable of making these decisions on their own. They just passed a bill that would warn their students, that “Hand Holding Is a Gateway to Sexual Activity”. And no this is not a joke, kinda like alcohol is a gateway to marijuana. Or flying is a gateway to bungee jumping.Driving is a gateway to drunk driving, smoking is a gateway to arson. Well, that makes just as much sense as this Tennessee Senate bill. 

You know what the next step to this is, well I’ll tell you anyway: the Tennessee Senate may try to outlaw adultery or pre-marital sex. Maybe they’ll create a Tennessee State Sex Police, where an officer would go by each home in the state everyday and night, to make sure no one is having an adulterous affair. Or go by every club and bar and demand to see everyone’s marriage license, to make sure they are not having an affair. 

These assumptions aren’t completely far-fetched: U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (Republican, South Carolina) a champion of big government suggested back in 2010 that adultery should be illegal in the United States. But now he’s saying the Republican Party should become more libertarian on social issues. Holy Mitt Romney flip-flop, Batman! Make up your mind man! You’re on complete opposite sides of the same issues! Stop taking pages from Mitt Romney’s playbook. This is big government at its worse, interfering with how Americans live their own lives. 

And just another reason why sane intelligent people shouldn’t live in Tennessee. Even though I would like to visit both Nashville and Memphis. And makes Tennessee look like a laughing-stock to everyone who doesn’t live in a mental institution or in the Bible Belt. Which is most of the country, but with state senators like this, who needs mental patients. And it gives reason to believe that are mental institutions aren’t overcrowded enough.