triticale - the wheat / rye guy

Dissonance Dismissed

There has been some discussion hither and yon as to whether it is possible to be a "left libertarian", a position which some bloggers claim identify themselves. One stereotype, balancing others, would that they believe the government should pay for medical marijuana.

It must be recognised that, in general, leftists do not see property rights the way the rest of us do. They do not see taxes as a coercive taking, but as a way for everyone else to contribute their own share. Thus it is internally logical to take the libertarian ideal that the sole function of government is to protect people from things from which they cannot protect themselves, and extend this to such threats as relative povery and secondhand smoke. It really isn't that much less well thought out a position than the Big L notion that vouchers constitute a victory for the government school monopoly.