One of the standard accusations that liberals, Democrats, progressives and other statists lob at libertarians is that libertarians are simply closeted Republicans, conservative-lite, or right-wingers who want to use drugs. As “proof” of this, they flesh out the blanket accusation with rants against corporate welfare.
The reflexive response to this is often an explanation that libertarians oppose corporate welfare in all forms, that we oppose bailouts, that we oppose cronyism, and so forth. All true, and all valid responses. However, considering the hollow, emotional and somewhat personal form of the accusation, measured, detailed and rational response doesn’t seem all that target-appropriate. If someone slams a door in your face, what’s more fitting, getting out some lock picks or kicking it?
Can any liberal, Democrat, progressive or other statist of the modern era deny that his end of the political spectrum is absolutely drowning in corporate welfare, handouts, bailouts, subsidies, and protectionism? Solyndra and other failed ‘green’ companies are just a starting point. The Dems were all too happy to go along with the Wall Street bailout. They were all gung-ho for the GM and Chrysler bailouts. Big government is ALL about subsidizing companies, erecting trade barriers to protect industries, establishing regulations that protect existing big players from competition, funding research in favored technologies and ideas, et cetera and so forth ad nauseum (and ad pauperem). Liberals claim that they want to get tough on corporations, that they are the bulwark against corporate predation, but one look at history and they’re little different and oftentimes worse than the right-wingers they decry and denounce.
So, next time some liberal troll uses the “corporate welfare” straw man as an attack against your small-government bona fides, remind him, with equivalent vociferousness, that his crowd is eyeballs deep in what he claims to despise.
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