The very short of it is, I have a friend who is coming around to Liberty, but is convinced that in our vision of Government, the power vacuum left would encorage corporations to take over. Think Neal Stephenson, etc…
Is there a good Libertarian treaty out there that concisely makes a good case for why this wouldn’t happen?
Keep in kind I’ve given him some great answers on balance of power over the course of about 4 hours of discussion, and he’s still not quite there. We’re both highly educated, so a section out of Human Action or something would be preferable.
So; is your friend trying to argue that without socialism there will be fascism? “On the ashes of socialisms sprout fascisms” I think a truly liberal agenda will not be one that replaces one power with another. Without special government privilege, monopolism is untenable. Even a really good entrepreneur, or group of them, would have to be just that, really good and maintain being really good. In a market system the consumer is the real boss. So a an article that I found good on this subject was The Corporation at Issue, Part 1:The Clash With Classical Liberal Values and the Negative Consequences For Capitalist Practice.
and that would be worse than social democracy? i assume he’s afraid of coercion and expropriation.
Lets say the government was abolished and Walmart and DuPont took over. by taking over and assuming a role from the power vacuum, what bad things could they do? Tax, regulate (tell others what to do), pryamid schemes (SS, Medicare)? If they become institutions that took money from you and regulated society they would no longer become market participants, but governments. Maybe your friend is afraid that if the government is abolished, new governments would take its place, well then back to square one
Ha! I know that, and I tried to convey to him the nature of competition would ensure the separation of powers. That the evil corporations we have seen throughout history have all had support from the State. Companies like the East India Companies of the world were are State sponsored monopolies.
Because he is obsessed with his inflated sense of self-importence. Any second that his mouth isnt moving is a second he could be converting someone to his own vision of ‘libertarianism’, which includes living a non productive life living off of donations like a welfare receiptant while playing a cyber-Freud to 18 year olds.
Yes, there’s no difference between voluntary donations and extorted funds. You might disagree with him, but at least he’s doing something. I know it takes a big man to come on the internet and attack someone without provocation, but you can at least back up your talk with a long list of things that you’ve done to further the cause of liberty, right? Are you doing more than Steph?