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Javier Milei, Libertarian Anarcho-Capitalist

PAF

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Feb 26, 2012
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By Walter E. Block and Frank J. Tipler
January 29, 2024


Javier Milei, a libertarian anarcho-capitalist, has just been elected President of Argentina.

What is that all about? What kind of political economic philosophy is libertarian anarcho-capitalism? The non-cognoscenti may need a road map. Let us break this down into three parts.

First libertarianism. What is that? It is a theory of just law. One foundation is the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP): it would be a crime to initiate violence against anyone or his property. Thus, justified aspects of the law would prohibit murder, rape, theft, arson, kidnapping, fraud, etc. But we need a theory of justice in property to determine whether or not a forced transfer of goods is justified or not. It is if the act is one of returning stolen property, otherwise it is illicit. How, then, to determine justice in property rights? We start off with the primordial basic premise that we all own ourselves; we are self-owners. Then, when we mix our labor with the land, homestead it a la John Locke, we become its rightful owners. Property titles are just, also, if they are predicated upon any voluntary interaction. John clears some virgin land and grows corn on it. Peter domesticates a cow and obtains milk. Then they barter. John now owns the milk even though he did not produce it, ditto for Peter and the corn. But they can each trace their ownership to homesteading and agreed upon contract. Other licit transfers would include buying, selling, gambling, gift-giving, investing, lending, borrowing, etc.

There are several levels of libertarianism based on the degree of adherence to these two principles. At the lowest level is the classical liberalism of such figures as Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, and James Buchanan. They favor free enterprise, to be sure, but they also allow for all sorts of government intervention into the economy. For example, involving support for the Fed (instead of free enterprise money), school vouchers (instead of full educational privatization), a small amount of welfare (e.g., the negative income tax), anti-trust regulation, etc. A closer observance of the NAP would be the constitutionalism of Ron Paul, who would very strictly interpret this document. But, since in addition to armies, police, and courts, it allows for governmental highways, streets, and a post office, it is not as lean and mean as the minimal government libertarianism of advocates such as Ayn Rand and Robert Nozick, who only allow for the first three aforementioned functions.

Libertarianism is unique. It is neither of the right nor of the left. Followers of this view would, even more so than the left, legalize prostitution, pornography, gambling, and drugs (all of them); even more so than the right would support laissez-faire capitalism and free association.

Second, anarchism. Do such folk as Murray N. Rothbard and Javier Milei support riotous living, wildness in the streets, wokism, bomb-throwing, and other such acts usually associated with this viewpoint? Of course not. That would be left-wing anarchism, and the perspective we are now discussing has nothing in common with hippies of that sort. Rather, anarchism is justified on the ground that governments violate, and necessarily so, the NAP. They demand taxes from their citizens and residents, but the people have agreed to no such arrangements. All contracts, to be legitimate, should be unanimously agreed upon, for example, the one between John and Peter mentioned above. There never was a state that was formed on a unanimous basis; always, instead, they were based on mere majorities. But this is a clear and present violation of the NAP and of the private property rights of the minority.

Third, capitalism. One function of this characteristic is to distinguish this viewpoint from that of left-wing or socialist anarchism, advocates of which oppose money, profits, employment, hierarchies, etc. Adam Smith, no anarchist, had it right with his “invisible hand.” The idea is to privatize everything, with no exception. If it moves, privatize it; if it doesn’t move, privatize that too. Since everything either moves or does not move, privatize everything. This would certainly include not only money, education, welfare (charity), and post offices but also armies, courts, police, highways, and bodies of water.

Is there no tension, not to say a logical contradiction, between a libertarian anarcho-capitalist being an employee of the government, let alone the head of this organization? No. Members of this group are entirely justified in using government streets and state libraries, working for public universities, and enjoying public parks. Ron Paul was, for many years, a US congressman. Javier Milei is now the president (elect) of Argentina. This can be justified on the grounds of self-defense. The government is an illicit institution, a criminal organization, and thus is in no position to object to such infiltration on any ground of rights violation.





Walter Block is mentioned here as a prominent anarcho-capitalist:
Milei, Javier. 2023. “An interview with Javier Milei.”











This originally appeared on UncoverDC.com and was reprinted with the author’s permission.

Copyright © Walter E. Block, UncoverDC.com


https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/01/no_author/javier-milei-libertarian-anarcho-capitalist/
 
Then, when we mix our labor with the land, homestead it a la John Locke, we become its rightful owners.

However ...

KOL 037 | John Locke's Big Mistake: Stephan Kinsella at Liberty in the Pines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXh50Ac1_ug
{N. Stephan Kinisella | 16 May 2016}

Originally published on Apr 24, 2013. This one has a better audio track than the original.

Stephan Kinsella speaks on the topic of Locke's big mistake: How the labor theory of property ruined economics and political theory.

Podcast here: https://www.stephankinsella.com/paf...r-theory-of-property-ruined-political-theory/



See also:

Is there no tension, not to say a logical contradiction, between a libertarian anarcho-capitalist being an employee of the government, let alone the head of this organization? No. [...]

There are at least some tensions - and more than just a few:

wddW8Un.jpg
 
Last edited:
KOL 037 | John Locke's Big Mistake: Stephan Kinsella at Liberty in the Pines

Locke rehabilitated:



1. Everybody owns himself.

2. Any previously unused resource[a] can be originally appropriated simply by putting it to use. The first user owns it.

3. Everybody is free to transform the resources he owns into other resources by mixing them with his labor, e.g. a carpenter may transform the wood he owns into cabinets and no one has the right to stop him from doing this.

4. Everybody is free to exchange whatever he has for whatever someone else is willing to give him for it (voluntary trade). Lawful trade cannot rightly be either compelled or prohibited by anybody.

[a] -- this definition specifically excludes all forms of flag-planting... simply issuing an NFT-token of a satellite image of terra nullia does not make you the owner of the pictured land
 
^^^ [MENTION=1515]susano[/MENTION] ^^^

Thanks so much. I'm a fan and fascinated by him. I've read a bit about him and even looked at his astrological chart. Sounds like he had a dreadful childhood. I love his love for his dogs! Quite eccentric and very much his own person. I was disappointed to see him embrace Zelensky who is a corrupt little tyrant. I chalked it up to Melei hating communism and thought that as smart he is he may not be familiar with the details of what's going on over there. I hope that's it. I also saw that he converted Judaism after the election and saw a pic of him with some Chabad Lubavitch rabbis. Is that weird, or what? While I still think some libertarian ideas will never be realized and remain in the ideaspehere, I'm anxious to see what he can achieve. I will watch the interview. BTW, you probably don't care but I also find him extremely attractive and sexy which adds to his charisma.
 
Thanks so much. I'm a fan and fascinated by him. I've read a bit about him and even looked at his astrological chart. Sounds like he had a dreadful childhood. I love his love for his dogs! Quite eccentric and very much his own person. I was disappointed to see him embrace Zelensky who is a corrupt little tyrant. I chalked it up to Melei hating communism and thought that as smart he is he may not be familiar with the details of what's going on over there. I hope that's it. I also saw that he converted Judaism after the election and saw a pic of him with some Chabad Lubavitch rabbis. Is that weird, or what? While I still think some libertarian ideas will never be realized and remain in the ideaspehere, I'm anxious to see what he can achieve. I will watch the interview. BTW, you probably don't care but I also find him extremely attractive and sexy which adds to his charisma.

Good thing I’m a libertarian/agorist… if I was a Repuglican, I’d tell your husband :p
 
Good thing I’m a libertarian/agorist… if I was a Repuglican, I’d tell your husband :p

That would be bad as he might get suspicious about my sudden desire to learn Spanish.
 
That would be bad as he might get suspicious about my sudden desire to learn Spanish.

He estado aprendiendo español usando Duolingo, aunque la mayoría de mis interacciones son en inglés. ;-)
 
Man I was just talking to a friend from PR yesterday and asked him if he'd heard any Milei speeches ('cause I figured, if you can understand it without translators, why not watch) and he started spouting all sorts of hearsay about how he's in bed with the bankers.

My reply was basically 'why would someone who is in bed with central banks choose to represent a crank ideology that almost nobody understands - and represent that ideology more accurately than people who actively attack it???'
 
Man I was just talking to a friend from PR yesterday and asked him if he'd heard any Milei speeches ('cause I figured, if you can understand it without translators, why not watch) and he started spouting all sorts of hearsay about how he's in bed with the bankers.

My reply was basically 'why would someone who is in bed with central banks choose to represent a crank ideology that almost nobody understands - and represent that ideology more accurately than people who actively attack it???'

You know, I see this kind of stuff a lot, online. That is, people being extremely suspicious of hidden agendas behind everything and everyone. Everything is controlled opposition, so and so is secretly working for "them" (banksters, Jews, WEF, etc). While I know we inhabit a world where the "leaders" and famous are a bunch of lying sack of shit psychopaths, I find it intellectually lazy to just give up and not use any discernment. I still have some questions regarding Milei but I don't doubt that he is just as presents himself, ideologically. I think he's a very complex man and there's still a lot more to know, like about why he supports Zelensky, converted to Judaism and why he wants to use the dollar.
 
[MENTION=40029]PAF[/MENTION] - I'm reading the Agorist Primer and, other than materialist, it's exactly what my spiritual system is. IOW, something is either the truth or it isn't. Discovering what's true and then living it is the journey and the discovery process never ends. I get you now :-)
 
No, Milei Is Not a Fascist


Mises Wire
Benjamin Williams
05/10/2024


The electoral victory of Javier Milei in Argentina was a pleasant surprise to libertarians internationally. For the first time ever, an open anarchocapitalist was elected president of a sovereign nation. Milei’s fame isn’t limited to libertarian circles, though. Right-wingers all over the world have praised him for his battle against corruption and economic ruin. He was even given a spot headlining for former president Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2024, one of the biggest conservative events in the United States. Currently, he is one of the most popular heads of state in the world. Quite a lot of impressive feats for someone of a heterodox philosophy.

Milei is an Austrian economist. He taught economics for over twenty years and became quite the celebrity while doing it. Argentine TV stations would bring him on to debate leftists, and these station audiences grew very fond of his intellect and crass insults toward his opponents. His debate style is a reminder of Murray Rothbard’s hilarious quote: “I’ve always been in favor of refuting the doctrine and then attacking the person; that’s not an ad hominem fallacy.”

Milei’s competence as an economist has been very apparent in his presidency. Under his guidance, Argentina has seen “two consecutive months of financial surplus for the first time since early 2011,” quite an impressive feat. Its month-over-month inflation rate went from 25.5 percent in December to 20.6 percent in January, 13.2 percent in February, and 11 percent in March. Argentina is healing. Slowly, but surely.


The Attacks on Milei

Although Argentina is seeing improvements and Milei is doing an impressive job, he is the target of near-constant attacks from leftists all over the world. Some of the most common weapons being used are accusations of “far-right” politics and “fascism.” A writer at Foreign Policy called him a “wannabe dictator,” while the World Socialist Web Site said his speech at Davos, during which he condemned fascism, was a “fascist rant.” One viral post on Elon Musk’s X read:

"Javier Milei continues his fascist rampage in Argentina.

He has authorised the Privatising of all remaining State owned industries (thats his donors cashing in).

He has also authorised the sale of all Social Housing and removed all rent controls

It is going exactly as expected"​

It is almost a rite of passage for an Austrian economist to be labeled Far Right, fascist, a Nazi, racist, or homophobic. God knows Rothbard and Hans-Hermann Hoppe have been called those things thousands of times over. Leftists have even gone so far as to call Ludwig von Mises, a Jew who fled the Nazis, a supporter of fascism. Quite absurd. If any of these critics bothered to read into what actual fascists believed, they’d realize that these Austrian economists are the opposites of fascists in almost every way.


Milei versus Mussolini

The dictator Benito Mussolini and his close comrade Giovanni Gentile were indisputably fascists. They invented fascism, wrote fascist literature, and called themselves fascists. So it stands to reason that if you want to see if Javier Milei is a fascist, you’d compare him to these fascists. The critics never make these sorts of comparisons because they’re aware it would expose their ridiculous accusations for what they are: ahistorical and ignorant.

Mussolini viewed the state as almost something to be worshipped, with his works riddled with references to its greatness and importance. He summarized his view with the mantra, “Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” In stark contrast, Milei’s speeches, debates, and rants are filled with insults and criticisms directed at the state. One of his most famous quotes, “wipe my ass with the state,” encapsulates this disdain. Milei does not hold the state on a pedestal like Mussolini did.

Mussolini believed that capitalism was deeply flawed and needed to be abolished. In “The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism,” he states that the state was “the force which alone can provide a solution to the dramatic contradictions of capitalism” and that fascism would replace capitalism with “a system of syndicalism.” On the other hand, Milei holds a contrasting view. He frequently praises capitalism as morally and economically superior. In his World Economic Forum speech—dubbed a ‘fascist rant’ by socialists—he declared that people should resist the state, asserting, “The state is not the solution. The state is the problem itself.”

Milei’s policies are certainly not fascist either. Mussolini’s dictatorship supported the socialization of industry, not privatization. His dictatorship mandated union membership, harshly regulated industries, and socialized over eighty firms. In 1934, he bragged that “three quarters of the Italian industrial and agricultural economy” were controlled by the state. Mussolini poured investments into social housing. In Rome alone, ninety-seven thousand apartments were built from 1924 to 1930. The fascist government built 147 brand-new towns from 1922 to 1944. In April 1934, he declared a 12 percent reduction in rents and implemented rent control that wasn’t repealed until 1978. The X post by one of Milei’s critics demonstrates that Milei’s policies are exactly the opposite of this.


The Defeat of Fascism

Milei is no fascist; if anything, he defeated fascists. Milei’s opponent in the previous election was an open Peronist. The Peronists follow the ideas of Juan Peron, who is commonly identified as a fascist or very close to one. Peron praised Mussolini and credited him for some of his philosophy as well as helped Nazi war criminals escape Europe, and his economic policies were much closer to Mussolini’s than Milei’s. Milei’s victory marks a new beginning for Argentina, a beginning where fascism is no longer the dominating ideology.


https://mises.org/mises-wire/no-milei-not-fascist
 
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