Friday, December 18, 2009
Teabaggers want ASUN to go away; world yawns
We've discussed UNR Student for Liberty before, particularly their radical views and single-mindedness. We didn't realize just how crazy these folks are until a recent comment popped up on their blog (the one about constitutions not having binding force). Traditional libertarians argue for the minimization of the power of the state so as to maximize individual liberty. UNR Students for Liberty adhere to what they call "anarcho-capitalism," but let's get straight, what they advocate is anarchy. Libertarians recognize that the state is sometimes necessary to secure individual liberty.
Enter their "10 Days Before Christmas" campaign for improvements to ASUN. On the one hand, they believe no government can have legitimacy and thus no government should exist. Ever. On the other hand, they are telling ASUN what it is doing wrong and offering ideas for improvement. Leaving alone their condescension, these guys might be taken more seriously if it weren't for their total hypocrisy about government. (This was a problem for their political party, UNR START, which we explored here.)
If your underlying position is "ASUN should not exist," why should anyone listen to any of your ideas? What they are doing is like a vegan telling a burger lover how to cook his meat for a juicier burger.
If the Senate is looking for ways to improve the club funding policies, let's start with an easy one. Pass a law prohibiting the fraudulent use of club funding. If a club files a request that is approved but tries to spend the money on something else, not only will the club not get reimbursed for the expense but it will risk losing institutional recognition. In other words, lie and risk losing recognition.
None is this will actually change their views or behavior. You can't engage in a constructive dialog with those who are so single-mindedly immature they can't agree to middle ground.
Posts
"but let's get straight, what they advocate is anarchy"
ReplyDeleteI can't say much about this group because I don't know anything about them.
Remember, anarcho-capitalism uses a very different definition of anarchy, with anarchy defined as a society where no state authority can instigate aggression on property rights. This should not be conflated with the popular conception of anarchy as equivalent to chaos.
"Teabaggers want ASUN to go away"
I have never met an Ancap who was especially fond of the teabagger movement. We like their anti-tax views, but in general there is too much disagreement between ancaps and the far right for a sustainable coalition.
Pirate Rothbard