[Buddha-l] Re: Buddhism and Politics

[curt]

Genuine libertarianism is completely incompatible with
conservatism. That doesn't mean some people don't try to
make a go of it - but it just flies in the face of common
sense and all that is decent and right. So called "conservative
libertarians" don't really believe in freedom - because freedom
means freedom for everyone. Economic inequality - which
is the primary thing that conservatives want to conserve -
is only possible with a proportionate amount of political
repression. The greater the inequality, the greater repression
is necessary to keep it going. Without the repression the
inequality will quickly be eliminated by people taking matters
into their own hands.

Oscar Wilde, probably the worlds most famous Libertine, once
wrote a wonderful little essay on why he was a Socialist. To
truly enjoy oneself, he wrote, you have to be surrounded by
people who are happy. Being around poverty and oppression
is, as the kids say today, a real buzzkill.

- Curt


Steven Rhodes wrote:

> Dear Curt,
>
> I believe that there is another way to look at the term "libertarian." 
> This is within the context of discerning two strands within 
> conservatism:  the authoritarian and the libertarian.  An 
> authoritarian conservative is one who wants to tell other adults how 
> to conduct their lives (you may not take drugs, you may not gamble, 
> you may not have abortions, etc.), whereas a libertarian conservative 
> wants to minimize government control over one's personal affairs.  
> Some might see the latter as "compassionate," others may not.  How to 
> correlate this with Buddhist thought escapes me at the moment.
>
> Steven Rhodes