Hucksterism, Flim-Flam

From: J
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2019 12:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: libertarians

Walter,

I tend to think of myself as a libertarian, but in addition to the usual freedoms from government controls and limits, I subscribe to the adherence to honesty and to the basic responsibility to not deceive or otherwise “flim-flam” folks.

Does this place me into a different category than “libertarian”?

J

 

Dear J:

In my view, libertarianism is incompatible with fraud. People who commit fraud are thieves and should be considered criminals. On the other hand, selling expensive encyclopedias to poor people who can’t read is highly problematic, but not a crime. I’m not sure what is “flim flam.” I assume that’s what hucksters do.

As far as I’m concerned, you’re a libertarian if you support the non aggression principle and private property rights based on initial homesteading and legitimate title transfer afterward. But, this is a complex issue. Libertarians do disagree amongst ourselves on the implications of these two principles. I’m a big tent kind of libertarian.

Best regards,

Walter

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3:36 am on June 2, 2019