What the hell is libertarianism?

[CitizenCain]

I'd swear this is more or less exactly what I was saying.

If you say so... could be I'm just splitting hairs again. <shrug> It's something to do while I'm waiting to die of fin rot...

I did NOT say that. I even went so far as to say I wasn't saying that. Just that there is no historical precendent for our current civlization.

Sure, but you base that belief (or seem to) on the fact that our toys are newer and shinier. Seems like that's pretty much the same thing as saying we're better because our toys are.

That's odd, becasue the worlds #2 and #3 economies were destroyed in the wars - China (which technically didn't have much of an economy anyway before it was attacked by Japan) and Japan. And Germany just lost the #1 spot of largest export economy in the world. Kind of flies in the face of your theory there.

Not really, since practically *every* other economy in the world was destroyed too. Certainly every other economy of note... and someone has to be second and third, so the fact that the 2nd and 3rd place economies were also destroyed in WWII doesn't mean much. But the fact that practically every economy in the world was destroyed does explain why there's such a big gap between first place (USA) and everyone else. We account for ~5% of the world's population and ~one third of its GDP. If you've got another explanation for why, I'm all ears.

One thing all those countries do have is healthy investment in their economic, educational and technological infrastructure by the government via tax dollars. Dude, you have to face it - libertarianism would be the death of this nation as any kind of a world power - military, economic or technological.

And, by that logic, the way to solidify our status as a world power is to go communist. Brilliant!