Holier-than-thou virtue-signaling on the left?

[Yukaphile]

I didn't claim the former (I just object to your unrealistic "yee-haw!" cowboy mentality) and the latter is sometimes necessary if it means saving us. Can you dispute that? Even ignoring how you think it will be abused over 90% of the time in the current political climate? Probably not. Like all Libertarians, you want the big, bad government to go away, "states' rights" on all the wrong issues, and keep the big corps around, so they'll just keep abusing us, in ever increasing monopolies. Gimme a break.

[CmdrKing]

Broadly the reason I moved away from Libertarianism myself. Policies like ending drug prohibition, emphasis on freedoms like speech and privacy, a strong rejection of allowing institutional power to religion, those are all very attractive in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and seeing scary bullshit like the Patriot Act sail through uncontested.

But then you see how the rise of social media and the unprecedented control this let specific companies exert over those same things without a peep? How things like lack of access to health care benefits trapped people in shitty jobs due to lack of bargaining power, and that’s just The Way Things Are? When basically whether you could exercise your rights was solely a function of your access to capital, and Libertarians don’t seem to notice this means your “rights” are dead paper so long as you need to be employed?

Yeah, the world I want would never be achieved under a Libertarian system.

[Yukaphile]

I still like a few Libertarian policies. Their desire to purge all big government while keeping the big corporations around... yeah, not so much. If you're gonna go full-blown anarchist, break 'em ALL up. Big banks, big government, big corporations, basically decentralize the system down to the level of individual people, which might be possible someday via changing technology. Keeping the big corporations or big banks around while decreasing power of central government (instead of trying a balance like the founding Fathers intended, of states' rights versus federal authority) is just asking for trouble, especially in our standing in the world among other countries.

[Admiral X]

You seem to be conflating libertarianism with anarchism. Again.

[Yukaphile]

Well, I know an 18-year-old who calls himself Libertarian, and yet, I might be passing that onto you. He is young and naive, yet has a pathological need to make himself look smarter than he is. I'm sorry, again. This keeps happening. He really has very... warped and apathetic views fueled by an online worldwide social medial presence.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

How does everybody feel about net neutrality?

[Yukaphile]

I don't even know what it is past how they repealed it recently.

[ProfessorDetective]

I don't even know what it is past how they repealed it recently.

NN is 'the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.'

Imagine if Comcast started slowing down the connection to your streaming service of choice in a bid to force you to get their Cable TV plan.

For the record, I'm all for it. Honestly, we need to do to the cable lines like we did with the phone lines back in the Thirties. It feels like NN should be an extension of anti-trust laws, at this point.

[Admiral X]

I feel pretty much the same way, actually.

[ProfessorDetective]

I feel pretty much the same way, actually.

I mean, both Regan and Obama fought for Return-Free Tax Filing. There are some things almost everyone can agree should be a thing. Sadly, the few who don't are typically making a profit off it NOT being a thing. Cable companies, developers of tax-filing software...

Sorry, tangent.