Written by David Starr   

Less or no government and individual rights; these would be things among others that provide a general description of libertarianism.

But under the surface of these things, it's a different matter. As with other philosophies, libertarianism has its tendencies. The libertarianism that exists in the United States is of the right-wing strain. Under the surface, there is the anarchy and chaos of a depraved world contradicting a utopian vision of people pursuing their self-interests which benefits all.

RW (right-wing) libertarians sound similar to conservatives when obsessing about government. They say government is too big with its social programs, the EPA and other "boondoggles." They obsess over government interfering with business. Thus, they want deregulation.

But years of deregulation was one factor that ultimately caused the 2008 Great Recession.

RW libertarians want a "bare-bones" government, if any. But government has a public obligation to promote the general welfare; to uphold laws enacted in a legislature that benefit the public, to implement free/affordable healthcare and educational systems, to implement regulation against corporations that are more likely to be held unaccountable than otherwise. It is rather perverse to profit off of healthcare and education. But RW libertarians support this kind of profiteering.

Government also helps to protect a country's sovereignty. Federalism helped the U.S. to organize into a secure nation. It helped lead into discarding the Articles of Confederation (the latter of which allowed near-chaos and kept the newly-formed states vulnerable to potential attack by European colonial powers) and implementing the U.S. Constitution. Thus, a strong central government has had its positives. (But that's not to say that it should control everything.)

Government isn't going away anytime soon. So, we may as well put it to good use.

The perception of individuality from a RW libertarian position is rather simplistic. They say you can do anything you want, as long as it doesn't hurt other people. This doesn't take into account how humans interact with each other and how that interaction relates to the current world order. A person may, e.g., be head of a corporation that imports bananas. This person may feel fulfilled about the work he/she is doing. This individual feels satisfied. But what about the workers who are paid slave wages to pick the bananas? Here there are people whose individuality is not respected. But the head of the corporation ignores this and follows his/her own self-interest.

A negative trait, in this case selfishness, is prioritized within human nature. Strictly following one's self-interest will have negative traits prioritized over positive traits. Inevitably, this causes conflict, particularly class conflict.

Today we have a bourgeois/capitalist-dominated world order. But RW libertarians want more. They want to gut government, more deregulation and massive privatization. They want a Gilded Age on steroids and call it utopia; a utopia for the few who have the wealth to pay for it.

For RW libertarians who want to practice their warped philosophy, let them be shipped to a deserted island and let's see how long they would survive.

David Starr writes on various issues, both national and international