Refreshing to read an article by a woman, that doesn't ask for more money to be given to them by someone else.

Who's Ron Paul?

"libertarianism abhors discrimination"

Unless it involves someone you don't like, or someone not from your "side"

Libertarians regularly are silent on important social issues, when their side has no interest in the individual or group being discriminated against.

In Australia, we see this constantly, for instance, where are the street marches and outrage now of the libertarians, that we saw regularly under the previous government? Nothing has changed and much is worse, for instance, there is less freedom of speech, we have now a concocted review of the "hate media" (punish) and no questioning of the "love media" (reward).

We have a government intolerant of criticism and of any questioning of their behavior.

Where's the outrage?

It has little to do with principle and everything to do with which side you have chosen. The libertarians in Australia have no credibility in the community, at least conservatives are consistent and reliable.

So when libertarians do dabble and insist on "action now!", there is much suspicion it is just some fashionable distraction and they will soon lose interest.

Very good article. Nice to see someone offering an alternative to the stultifying nanny state.

"If public education encouraging individuals to voluntarily contribute to superannuation funds does not work in some cases, it then becomes up to the community to house and care for those who become destitute in their old age."

Maybe the phrasing but I only see it as a community responsibility where it's overwhelming circumstance which leads to the destitute state, rather than ongoing individual choices along the way (a failure to heed the publci education). Unfortunately we don't start from a clean slate, those working now have had their ability to provide for their own age substantaily impacted by the existing non-libetarian tax system.

Nor do I agree that the issue of a communities right to impose a spelt out tax system on members of the community is as clear cut as the author suggests. The community should never have the right to take from my income to give to another (government bonus and incentive schemes) regardless of how clear the plans are in advance.

There is a practical balancing act between keeping society running and respect for individual autonomy. Whilst I do think that we need a tax system, that we do need to care for those genuinely unable to help themselves, that we need to fund a police force and minimise the impact of the profit motive on essential services I also think that governments have become way to keen to overstep the mark in taking money from individuals to give to others for all sorts of reasons which often have little to do with meeting the survival needs of those others.

R0bert

Melody Ayres Griffiths,

Libertarianism, like Freedom and God, has as many meanings as there are people. Each one of us has an idea of God not equal to the one of anybody else.

We have to say that everyone is a libertarian of a kind, his or her kind, and his or her libertarianisms are not comparable or compatible with the libertarianism of anybody else.

In my readings there have been libertarians like Pierre-Paul Prudhon, Peter Kropotkin, Emma Goldman and lately the economic libertarian Friedrich Hayek and many, many others who haven’t made an entry into the history books but for their killing or attempts to kill Kings or Politicians.

Hopefully in next article to OLO you will better define your kind of Libertarianism