Balloon Juice � Blog Archive � Libertarianism is not an ideology

7.6.12

Balloon Juice � Blog Archive � Libertarianism is not an ideology: By Freddie deBoer June 6th, 2012

Were libertarianism a political philosophy, one undergirded by moral convictions and developed through consistent application of principles to political questions, last night in Wisconsin should have been a moment of conflict. After all, union rights are a matter of liberty; union rights stem from the right of free assembly, the right of free association, the right of free speech, the control of one’s own labor power. So too with raiding of public pensions: pensions are previously negotiated, previously acquired compensation. They are property, and if libertarianism stands for anything, it’s for the defense of property. So surely the raiding of pension funds, in violation of contract and after they’ve been awarded in fair exchange for work, should be a matter of controversy and debate within libertarianism.