A friend, a former Libertarian, realizes he's become a liberal

[starroute]

7. The non-Randist libertarians do have useful things to contribute

A focus on small business and entrepreneurship isn't a bad thing -- as long as you don't use it to promote giant corporate monopolies.

A skepticism about rushing to enact new government programs and regulations as the solution to every social ill can be a reminder of where our priorities should lie -- as long as it isn't used as an excuse for doing nothing or privatizing the commons.

An insistence that freedom sometimes trumps security is refreshing -- as long as you apply it to NSA surveillance and not to little old ladies trying to survive on Social Security.

Libertarianism has become a shield for the 1% to hide behind, but if it's wrested out of the hands of the corporatists, and given a healthy dose of altruism to cancel out its innate self-centeredness, it can be a good balance for the occasional statist tendencies of some so-called liberals.