Money, money, money!

Grassroots! Where have all the Libertarians gone?

What does it remind me of? Well, besides that wealth of Beltway think tanks labeling themselves libertarian [on a special kind of regimen, I suppose; see, Lew, I added a letter to your Regime Libertarians and moved the stress ;-)], of our beautiful people, our libertarian jet set which, when not on some libertarian cruise ship, is jetting around the US and the world to attend all those posh conferences and conventions, summits and fests, exactly like politicians (with the difference that it is not on taxpayer's money, but on their own, or let's hope so at least), with entrance fees that are pocket money to them but not to common folk, with gala dinners, first class accommodation, post conference tours, etc., the whole gamut to feel well and selected. The rank and file can applaud from a distance. Our monarchs dress so well. And are waving from the balconies...

What I actually want to admonish only, is that prevailing and pervading mentality in the heads of our activists, gurus and pundits in office that totally ignores that there must be more than scholarships for students in the former Soviet Union ~~ in order to have in the future new markets and friendly regimes for the United States mainly, a funny improvement, considering how in the States and the European Union everything that should be dear to a libertarian heart is for the most part crumbling. Some surface "neo-liberalism" (as it is called names by the Left) introduced here and there with a parallel strengthening of the State and the EU Super-State will not bring about what we want and need, what every individual really needs, if, like governments, we effectively exclude those young (or even old, like me) and economically underprivileged from participating in those summits. It can be done differently. Let's compare Gummersbach (ISIL's World Freedom Summit, 24th World Conference, 2005) and Kerpen-Manheim (Freenetwork's Open Mind Festival, 1986), BOTH NEAR Cologne, Germany. As many can testify, Kerpen-Manheim was the better formula (regarding fees, accommodation, food, entertainment, wide range of audience etc.). I think that Stefan Blankertz, attending both, would not contradict me. Nor John Zube, who attended both Kerpen-Manheim and Rotorua (ISIL's World Freedom Summit, 23rd World Conference, 2004). Though Kerpen-Manheim was not a world conference, but "only" a German one, it offered in many ways more with less, and continues to catalyze some still now, 19 years later. It was above all much more daring in many fields.

If an elite we are, we should nevertheless not become elitist and discard the not moneyed intelligentsia. Or the moneyed pack might do better retiring to (though a lot of talent attracting) Versailles (that pioneer of a gated community Hoppe style). But they should take their Cokes and Burgers and Marlboros with them, to the new Versailles, in Alma-Ata, Ulan Bator, Hick(s)ville or wherever.