Imagine if we relied on “personal responsibility” instead of the law to combat other public health issues like drunk driving. No rules--just “you do you”. If you're comfortable driving drunk and wish to take the risk, go ahead and do it--why worry yourself with harming anyone else?
Wait, that doesn't work? Then why do maskless conferences, flights, and events work at a time when we know #COVID19 risks are rising. Don't take personal responsibility; take public responsibility. #WearAMask
@augieray It does work though, every day. There's no rule saying you can't lick a bathroom stall, but people don't do it because they understand it's a bad idea. In fact if masks hadn't been mandated they wouldn't have been politicized to begin with.
That being said, the principle of harm always needs to apply, I have no problem with freedom as long as people don't use it to harm others for no good reason.
@augieray If you're taking an authoritarian approach then don't be surprised by push back. There are lots of people who will do something simply because they've been told they can't, and won't because they've been told they must.
Unless we can find a way to foster pro-social behavior from a place of freedom then what's the alternative? Fascism?
This whole "crimes are caused by laws" idea you have - what possibly makes you think it is true?
@TomSwirly @augieray Not 'illegal' = no 'crime'.
We are only talking about laws here though, not right and wrong or harmful and not harmful. What's harmful remains so whether or not it's illegal, and what's right and wrong remains so regardless of what congress thinks.
This is sophistry.
If you drive drunk and kill someone, it's wrong even if it happens to be legal.
Laws codify what society believes is wrong.
And we need these laws, because some portion of society is antisocial, and would do whatever benefits them no matter what.
@TomSwirly @augieray No. they codify what benefits some congressman.
Law has nothing to to with right and wrong.
I'm sorry, but you have clearly spent no time critically thinking about your ideas, and aren't interested in doing so.
Have a good day.
@TomSwirly @augieray My ideas have centuries of critical thinking behind them.
@SocialistStan @TomSwirly Unlike you, I do click. I read much of the Wikipedia entry. There has never been a functional libertarian society. Societies only thrive with common rules.
In this entire thread, all you've argued for is more people to get sick, die, and suffer from Long COVID. You can pat yourself on your back for your firm commitment to political beliefs, but trust me, it doesn't make you a better person.
"Libertarian socialists advocate for decentralized structures based on direct democracy and federal or confederal associations such as citizens'/popular assemblies, cooperatives, libertarian municipalism, trade unions and workers' councils"
You can't truly have common rules without freedom and association of likeminded people.
It sounds to me like your ideology is a totalitarian one, it only works if you force everyone to comply with congress's rules through violence.
Augie Ray
SocialistStan
Tom Ritchford