Libertarian without the crazy stuff

I like that description. I stole it from a Scott Adams Dilbert Blog post. He said:

"I should disclose my own biases on this topic. I have described my philosophy as "Libertarian, but without the crazy stuff." Libertarians are for personal freedom, small government, and a defensive-sized military."

He has a qualifying example that explains the "crazy stuff" that libertarians (with a big L) might not have a problem with:

"That sounds good to me. But I think a better objective is something along the lines of maximizing the public's long term happiness. So while a libertarian might favor allowing his suburban neighbor to operate a bazooka firing range in his back yard, I'd be against that, even if it required a slightly larger government to prevent it. "

And this next part is spot on!

"Furthermore, I believe that if you identify with any political group or philosophy that has a name, you are far more susceptible to confirmation bias* than someone who doesn't. And as a general rule, I don't trust anyone with a strong opinion on a complicated topic."


* Google that one - it's something we all do to some extent. Guilty as charged, I'm sure.