6 ms·

Isn't calling this the Libertarian dream a bit of a strawman fallacy? The title is needlessly provocative and potentially insulting. It's an interesting enoug

Isn't calling this the Libertarian dream a bit of a strawman fallacy? The title is needlessly provocative and potentially insulting. It's an interesting enough topic/piece with out the political slander mixed in.

fishtaco 15y ago
It's a real man though. I'm a libertarian and I regard this as a positive development.
adelevie 15y ago
Not really. Ron Paul spoke in favor of drug legalization[1] and is highly critical of the US monetary system[2]. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIgT_NGgek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIgT_NGgek [2] http://www.ronpaul.com/tag/monetary-system/ http://www.ronpaul.com/tag/monetary-system/
- uvdiv 15y ago
  Someone who advocates for legalized drugs is no more a supporter of the illegal drug trade than someone who advocates lower taxes is a proponent of tax evasion. This is a silly and insulting conflation. Likewise, someone who advocates for legalized private currency isn't a supporter of illegal, black-market currencies designed for hired crime, money laundering and tax evasion. The disconnect is even greater when you consider that Ron Paul, and advocates of "sound money", advocate for commodity backed currency, while BitCoin is backed by nothing and is as "unsound" as money can possibly get.
- olalonde 15y ago
  Yes, but he is not in favor of drug use. A crack house isn't Ron Paul's "paradise". An abortion clinic isn't a pro-choice's "paradise".
scythe 15y ago
Well, except for the part where drug prohibition is one of the most absurd legal philosophies of the modern era. http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_the_war_on_drugs/ http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_the_war_on_drugs/
- hugh3 15y ago
  http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Please avoid introducing classic flamewar topics unless you have something genuinely new to say about them
mindcrime 15y ago
As a Libertarian / Anarcho-capitalist myself, I didn't see it as insulting at all. In fact, I do dream of a totally free marketplace where anyone can buy and sell whatever they want, anonymously if they choose, so long as they aren't violating anyone else's rights in the process. And if you narrow it down a little more still, and think in terms of the "techno-libertarian" mindset, something like this probably is pretty close to a "dream" to many techno-libertarian types. That said, it probably wasn't necessary to put the Libertarian bit in the headline. Whether it was intended to be insulting to Libertarians or not, is unclear to me.

fishtaco 15y ago

It's a real man though. I'm a libertarian and I regard this as a positive development.

adelevie 15y ago

Not really. Ron Paul spoke in favor of drug legalization[1] and is highly critical of the US monetary system[2]. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIgT_NGgek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIgT_NGgek [2] http://www.ronpaul.com/tag/monetary-system/ http://www.ronpaul.com/tag/monetary-system/

uvdiv 15y ago
Someone who advocates for legalized drugs is no more a supporter of the illegal drug trade than someone who advocates lower taxes is a proponent of tax evasion. This is a silly and insulting conflation. Likewise, someone who advocates for legalized private currency isn't a supporter of illegal, black-market currencies designed for hired crime, money laundering and tax evasion. The disconnect is even greater when you consider that Ron Paul, and advocates of "sound money", advocate for commodity backed currency, while BitCoin is backed by nothing and is as "unsound" as money can possibly get.
olalonde 15y ago
Yes, but he is not in favor of drug use. A crack house isn't Ron Paul's "paradise". An abortion clinic isn't a pro-choice's "paradise".

scythe 15y ago

Well, except for the part where drug prohibition is one of the most absurd legal philosophies of the modern era. http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_the_war_on_drugs/ http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_the_war_on_drugs/

hugh3 15y ago
http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Please avoid introducing classic flamewar topics unless you have something genuinely new to say about them

mindcrime 15y ago

As a Libertarian / Anarcho-capitalist myself, I didn't see it as insulting at all. In fact, I do dream of a totally free marketplace where anyone can buy and sell whatever they want, anonymously if they choose, so long as they aren't violating anyone else's rights in the process. And if you narrow it down a little more still, and think in terms of the "techno-libertarian" mindset, something like this probably is pretty close to a "dream" to many techno-libertarian types. That said, it probably wasn't necessary to put the Libertarian bit in the headline. Whether it was intended to be insulting to Libertarians or not, is unclear to me.