Forget Negativity—Libertarians for Positive Liberty?

Ronald Bailey | March 12, 2007

My friend Jonah Goldberg, posting a blog item over at National Review, muses on what he sees as a momentous shift in libertarian thinking. Libertarians, he argues, have moved from primarily focusing on the struggle to keep the government out of our businesses and bedrooms to championing the maximization of our cultural and life choices. He points to economist Tyler Cowen's interesting observation that as wealth increases so too does government.

I can't help but note that it is not as though a lot of Jonah's conservative buddies have shown themselves to be overly concerned about the size and scope of government intrusion in our lives.

Anyway, are libertarians in danger of selling their liberty for the mess of pottage of mere material wealth and comfort? Discuss.