boutons_deux
09-20-2016, 02:39 PM
Paul Krugman Reveals What Libertarian Gary Johnson Really Stands For—and It's Terrifying
The Libertarian Party essentially stands for a return to all the worst abuses of the Gilded Age.
you have to believe that America will be better off in the long run if we eliminate environmental regulation, abolish the income tax, do away with public schools, and dismantle Social Security and Medicare — which is what the Libertarian platform (https://www.lp.org/platform) calls for."
Johnson's platform in particular makes for some appalling reading. Krugman summarizes:
It calls for abolition of the income tax and
the privatization of almost everything the government does, including education.
“We would restore authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government.”
And if parents don’t want their children educated, or want them indoctrinated in a cult, or put them to work in a sweatshop instead of learning to read? Not our problem.
What really struck me, however, was what the platform says
about the environment. It opposes any kind of regulation;
instead, it argues that we can rely on the courts.
Is a giant corporation poisoning the air you breathe or the water you drink? Just sue:
“Where damages can be proven and quantified in a court of law, restitution to the injured parties must be required.”
Ordinary citizens against teams of high-priced corporate lawyers — what could go wrong?
http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-reveals-what-libertarian-gary-johnson-really-stands-and-its-terrifying
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/opinion/vote-as-if-it-matters.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region
The Libertarian Party essentially stands for a return to all the worst abuses of the Gilded Age.
you have to believe that America will be better off in the long run if we eliminate environmental regulation, abolish the income tax, do away with public schools, and dismantle Social Security and Medicare — which is what the Libertarian platform (https://www.lp.org/platform) calls for."
Johnson's platform in particular makes for some appalling reading. Krugman summarizes:
It calls for abolition of the income tax and
the privatization of almost everything the government does, including education.
“We would restore authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government.”
And if parents don’t want their children educated, or want them indoctrinated in a cult, or put them to work in a sweatshop instead of learning to read? Not our problem.
What really struck me, however, was what the platform says
about the environment. It opposes any kind of regulation;
instead, it argues that we can rely on the courts.
Is a giant corporation poisoning the air you breathe or the water you drink? Just sue:
“Where damages can be proven and quantified in a court of law, restitution to the injured parties must be required.”
Ordinary citizens against teams of high-priced corporate lawyers — what could go wrong?
http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-reveals-what-libertarian-gary-johnson-really-stands-and-its-terrifying
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/opinion/vote-as-if-it-matters.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region