Comment Re:LIbertarian principle (Score 1) 438
No, if there is one thing everyone should realize by now is that all ideologies think they're doing good for everyone.
I mean, you really can't get the average person to 'believe' in your ideology without in some way making it 'good' and 'moral'.
Now, how practical and how beneficial it is is a function of how it all plays out, which is very complex.
Someone could make an equal statement on say socialism where at its core is the desire to have all the power in government and trample other people, with the focus being preventing the weaker from having any control of their own lives and having people serve the interests of the powerful in government and connected industries.
I've found that arguing on broad principles of ideologies is pretty pointless. The implementation and how it plays out is the most important.
The big problem with Republicans and you see it here with Rand Paul is the policies that could help people tend to not be doable. So the only policies that tend to pass are those that benefit the rich/corporations. Again, it is not a problem with the ideology, but how it plays out.
Consider something like legalizing drugs or school choice or low cost of living, which are all features of the freedom ideology which would benefit the poor in their ideology. A lot of these don't stand a chance of getting realistically into law. But laws like cutting taxes or deregulating business are more plausible.
Republicans have done a horrible job of picking which policies they choose to push through. Obama for example used his might to push through Obama Care. For good or bad, he used it for something that might help the people.
You see this happening now with the left parties to some extent. Their policies to benefit the poor are increasingly hamstrung. Guaranteed income, subsidized housing, subsidized food... The only laws they seem to get through benefit mainly those in government/finance. They can give raises to the public sector unions, but can't help the poor. They prop up the housing market and drive up the cost of living, but can't help the poor or young with housing.
And so we see Rand Paul blocking Net Neutrality. This is on the backdrop how these big telecoms have received subsidies, have monopoly contracts with local governments...
It's just silly.