Note: Mr. Kraegel wrote this letter in response to Mr. Stolyarov's article, "On Old-Fashioned Progress." TRA has reprinted it with his permission, in the effort to promote discussion and debate on the ideas said article had raised.

While I do deeply respect the opinions and perspectives of one, G. Stolyarov II, I was dismayed to find him placing libertarians and "minarchists" under the general umbrella of the Right-wing in his article "On old fashioned progress." I consider myself to be a libertarian of the radical "anarcho-capitalist" variety, but I do not see myself as a member of the Right. If anything, I consider the Right an enemy to libertarianism and progress.

That libertarians are extreme Right-wingers is a common misconception. Libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard, an important student of Ludwig von Mises, long ago exploded this fallacy. In fact, historically, it was the Right that most disagreed with notions of progress and change. They were supporters of the ancien regime, of aristocracy, monarchy, the Church, feudalism, theocracy, continual warfare and the like. Most of the history of mankind has been this way: A few aristocrats lording it over the mass of peasants with their supposedly divine ordination. Nothing ever changed. Life was "brutish, nasty and short." But it was the liberals of old who challenged this ruling regime and brought about the radical change of society that still exists today, that of laissez faire capitalism, the industrial revolution, an end to monarchy, equality before the law, separation of church and state, and individualism. These liberals were the radicals who changed the Western world. The world of capitalism is in constant flux and thus opposition to change is an untenable position. Conservatives favoring the "good old days" opposed this. Rothbard saw socialism then as a confused middle-of-the-road movement, which tried to gain liberal ends (prosperity, liberty, industry, reason) through conservative means (collectivism, State power etc.). When the old liberals withered out, due mainly to their failure to constantly advocate change, socialism took over the Left. Reacting to this, many libertarians see themselves as to the right of conservatives, as if to believe that the further right one went the less government one favored. However, Rothbard argued that a creative approach to liberty must transcend the out-dated labels of Right and Left.

While even in Rothbard's day the Right used libertarian rhetoric, their aims have never been liberal. The Right has been the side of power for all times, and today the American Right-wing seems to be all about statism, militarism and theocracy. They makes overtures to capitalism in word, but they make very little in deeds toward rolling back state interference in the market economy. The Right-wing of America was never really been a proto-libertarian movement, but now with Republicans in power, it most certainly is not. The GOP government has increased government spending at astounding rates, further centralized education, executed an imperialist, militarist foreign agenda, and they are all for using state power to smash "terrorists," "sinners," and whoever disagrees with the Bush administration.

I dissent. As a passionate libertarian, a pure capitalist, an individualist, and a radical anti-statist, I do not want my cherished libertarian heritage to be confused with the clearly anti-liberal Right and the egregious transgressions of the Republican Party (which is not too different from the equally wrongheaded Democratic Party). If Stolyarov had read his Rothbard he would have felt likewise I am sure.

Sincerely,

Martin Kraegel III

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