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From: judy@ism780.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Re: whither...  libertarianism & tec - (nf)
Message-ID: <314@ism780.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Jul-84 20:37:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: ism780.314
Posted: Thu Jul 12 20:37:43 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Jul-84 02:12:18 EDT
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#R:pyuxn:-82800:ism780:20200011:000:1075
ism780!judy    Jul 11 14:35:00 1984

As the resident Libertarian I object to your GROSS generalizations.  You are
confusing outright selfisheness (which would become an anarchic philosophy)
with the philosophy of responsibility.

I am willing to take full responsibility for my life and my actions.
Therefore, I do not want a government taking that responsibility for me
and telling me what is good for me and what is bad for me.  I do NOT
have the right to abuse any other person.  I DO have a moral obligation
to the others that live in this world with me.  I would like to teach them
to take responsibility for their lives too.  Thus, if the flow of traffic
is going 55, I do not have the right to endanger other drivers by driving
80.  However, I object to the 55 mile speed limit because it is arbitrary.
If the traffic is going 80, I shouldn't drive 55.  Speed limits should be
set according to the safety conditions of the roads.

The people you were describing as Libertarians sound much more like
adolescents.  A government based on individual responsibility is of neccessity
anti-adolescent mentality.