What drives people towards libertarianism?

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what is democracy other than mob rule?

It is not Mob Rule. It is rule by and under law. Perhaps some of the laws need looking at.

ruveyn

How do I accumulate wealth in a participatory democracy?

I was attracted to it for some time, and even registered libertarian, because it sounds wonderful and great on paper. I dug the anti-authoritarianism bent to it and even still adhere to some of the limited government views. I realized over time though that communism shared a lot of the utopian elements of libertarianism (or at least certain variants of it) and changed my views to be less theoretical and idealistic and more practical and pragmatic. I think any ideology that seeks to fix all of societies problems by rapidly reorganizing and restructuring it is dangerous and will only lead to a system far worse than the one it replaced. Another thing I didn't like about libertarianism is there's a simple answer for everything. Government = bad, Private ownership = good. Things are much more complex than this though, and when addressing the problems of government or society in general, its important to address every issue directly rather than lump them altogether. For example, I notice libertarians tend to be very anti-union for example. Its just a knee jerk reaction for them to condemn all unions collectively or to condemn all forms of government spending. The truth is that not all unions nor government sectors are the same, as they serve different purposes and are organized differently. From what I've seen, Libertarianism is a type of sloppy, lazy thinking that parades itself around as being logical and rational.

I also abandoned right-libertarianism, because I learned over time that private corporations function an awful lot like government through the massive leverage that they wield in high concentrations of capital. Power structures are much more complex than the government vs. private ownership paradigm would have you believe.

Now, I'm just a mix of what would be considered left and right wing views. I hold no ideology that could have a name affixed to it, and I want to keep it that way. I believe in a minimal safety net and sensible government spending. I don't even like the label moderate as it limits me from the option of taking "extreme" positions on things if I see it fit. One time ending slavery or Jim Crowe was seen as "extreme" for example. I'm an individual with a functioning brain and a capacity for reason, not a label with a formulaic, canned answer for everything. I have no desire to be a part of the right wing or left wing of the hubristic dragon that's flying us all straight toward the abyss of our own demise and destruction.

Nathan,

This may sound like I'm attacking you, but it's not my intent.

It sounds like you got on board with the "Ron Paul libertarians". These are conservatives who are rebelling against the republican social philosophies. Most didn't really understand libertarianism.

Libertarianism is not in the least bit "sloppy" or "lazy". It's actually quite intellectual and takes some time to fully understand. Sure, individuals will hop on the bandwagon based on the anti-authoritarianism you speak of, but that's not what libertarianism is about.

A libertarian shouldn't be against unions. A libertarian should recognize the freedom of individuals to associate and collectively bargain. Libertarians get upset about unions because they receive political favoritism. It's not the unions that are the problem -- it's the government's participation in the market and picking unions as the winners over business.

A libertarian also shouldn't be wholly against government spending. Libertarianism is not anarchism. That said, there is very little government spending in the US right now that would qualify as a justifiable use of tax revenue.