On Thu, 4 Dec 1997 17:22:23 -0700 (MST), Jim Burnes wrote:
In either case, the act of buying and selling things is the ultimate expression of free association/assembly. I voluntarily associate with the guy who makes my pizza, builds my car, mows my law etc.
Really? I avoid associating with those who mow my laws. Ha ha. Seriously, I've never lived in Sweden or Singapore -- if I do, I'll get back to the list on which I prefer -- but I'm troubled by the tendency of Libertarians to err on the side of big business fetishism rather than civil liberties. Both are part of the Doctrine, of course*, but I often hear them argue that wild-west capitalism inevitably leads to political freedom -- so, not to worry -- but rarely that political freedom invariably leads to laissez-faire capitalism (so, not to worry). You might say that the latter is NOT TRUE. Well, right-o, but neither is the former. Economic progress under a fascist regime leads inevitably to political freedom? You guys actually make this argument. Paul *Yes, Libertarians criticize corporate welfare, but just because it corrupts the notion that a person's entire worth can be summarized in a stock portfolio. http://www.nihidyll.com/gallery/Tornado.jpg