Seder DEBATES Ayn Rand Institute Libertarian Yaron Brook

This started off well, then both Sam and Yaron went off on tangents, and got into the weeds of the complexity of free trade between accountable individuals.

Both agree that the only ligitimate purpose of GOVERNMENT is to protect the people. What they disagree about is HOW MUCH responsibility should be PERSONAL (individual) and how much the government should step in.

The point of the PROGRESSIVE LEFT is that all people are equal and should be treated JUSTLY, and the GOVERNMENT should provide justice, and provide security even against the bad decisions of the individual. The FAR LEFT would go even further and ask government to provide food, shelter, healthcare, etc. for everyone, because SOME PEOPLE can not EARN those things for themselves through free (fair) trade.

The point of Yaron Brook's Libertarians is that justice and security are the personal responsibility of the individuals involved, and the government should not be a parent, just a guard dog. People need personal responsibility to LEARN.

Thus Yaron believes that it is immoral for the government to tax everyone to protect those who make bad decisions from themselves, even if it is the MAJORITY decision of our population in this DEMOCRACY. It is a reasonable disagreement, as the MAJORITY can make bad decisions (see Slavery, Housing Crisis bailouts, mask wearing, etc).

Mr. Brooks voluntarily choose to JOIN this DEMOCRACY and must therefore voluntarily pay his taxes, but he has the right to disagree with how the tax money is spent and the freedom to try and convince others. I note that Yaron is very clear on Ayn Rand and Objectivist Philosophy, and that he simply doesn't agree that everyone is 'equal', so those who lack MERIT shouldn't be rewarded and protected from their personal decisions. He's very EXPLICIT about his beliefs.

What fascinates me is that SAM doesn't recognize that his PERSONAL decision to recognize human suffering, his VALUE of empathy, shouldn't be imposed upon everyone, just because it's his INDIVIDUAL choice. It's not wrong to provide charity if you BELIEVE that you are paying for something you freely choose to desire (ending suffering, etc.), but it is WRONG to enforce your beliefs on others.