Harper on classical liberals and libertarians

[chuckChuck]

From the Globe and Mail:

The Prime Minister went on to deride the spendthrift culture in the United States and the recklessness of Wall Street. Mr. Harper, who has been described as a libertarian in the past, surprised some in the audience by critiquing those same ideals.

“The libertarian says, ‘Let individuals exercise full freedom and take full responsibility for their actions.' The problem with this notion is that people who act irresponsibly in the name of freedom are almost never willing to take responsibility for their actions.”

Mike Brock, a Conservative blogger who attended the conference, called the speech bewildering.

“The treatment to classical liberals and libertarians — of which I consider myself — was nothing short of stunning,” he wrote.

“The condescension was literally dripping from his mouth. Was this his response to the disillusionment that libertarians across the country have had to his government and its policies of late?

“If it was, it did not build any bridges. Rather, it burnt them right
down.”

[cottonpicken]

Geezus,thats scary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian


Hes argueing against this guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_von_Mises


Harper is a PUTZ.

[cottonpicken]

I cant find the story anybody got a link.

[tower]

Oh ,,,, I just agreed with Harper.

temperature doesn't seem out of reach, pulse is ok, colours not bad, bowel movements have been regular, I'll keep looking.

[tower]

Maybe it's my backpain, tinittus? perhaps my failing eyesight, but no I read it again, Ah that's it, Harpers just trying to get elected with a majority. I knew there was something wrong.

Perhaps Harper could do with a course in the advantages of economic moralism.

[liberty]

A basic lesson of politics 101 is: don't alienate your base, or take them for granted.

It's not just libertarians that Harper is smacking down, his remarks are also directed at the core small 'c' fiscal conservative base of his party. He basically told them to get with his program on deficit spending or get lost. It's going to cause a lot of Tory voters to sit on their hands in the next election. A sure way to ruin your chances of getting a majority.

If he's trying to appeal to big 'L' liberals or NDP voters, it's not likely to work. They're always going to be suspicious of a conservative politician who claims to love big government; if Harper is sincere about his belief that the free market is inherently unstable, a Liberal voter will be wondering why he doesn't run for the leadership of the liberals. Does he have a hidden agenda or something? Remarks like Harper's only serve to reinforce that notion, not dispel it.

According to Harper,

“The libertarian says, ‘Let individuals exercise full freedom and take full responsibility for their actions.' The problem with this notion is that people who act irresponsibly in the name of freedom are almost never willing to take responsibility for their actions.”

While this is often true, the solution is simple: let irresponsible people live with the consequences of their actions. If GM cannot build cars competently, let them go broke instead of throwing billions of tax dollars into their lap. I sincerely doubt that GM was acting irresponsibly "in the name of freedom". Their board of directors wouldn't know a free market economic system if it hit them on the head.

Whatever sympathies Harper ever had for libertarians, he's clearly tossed those aside. He's now firmly allied a more ancient, and archaic, conservative view of human beings as being unfit for freedom due to their innate sinfulness and impurity, and thus in need of a semi-dictatorship which will supposedly "correct" their failings with the purgative of omnipotent government.

[cottonpicken]

Love Casey

http://theburningplatform.com/groups/quinns-daily-dose-of-reality/discussions/be-scared-be-very-scared

[Fransisco]

“The libertarian says, ‘Let individuals exercise full freedom and take full responsibility for their actions.' The problem with this notion is that people who act irresponsibly in the name of freedom are almost never willing to take responsibility for their actions.”

That's great Steve-O misrepresent and smear the Liberitarian and fiscal conservative positions, set up a straw dog and then call them hypocrites. Way to win friends and influence people.

[classicalliberal]

The only reason that I can think he would say that is to try to get votes in the more socialist eastern Canada regions where this country is run. Anyone want to seperate?