logoalt Hacker News

actionfromafaryesterday at 2:24 PM3 repliesview on HN

I feel that as soon as the existential threat easened with the splintering of the Soviet Union, the US started doing some self-harming libertarian flavored shit to itself.

In the 1980s, I assume getting rid of the "strategic reserve" of anything would have met more pushback, because of primal fear overriding greed.


Replies

trollbridgeyesterday at 8:03 PM

Wasn’t the original purpose of the strategic helium reserve to build fleets of zeppelins?

scytheyesterday at 7:53 PM

> We are going to do a terrible thing to you — we are going to deprive you of an enemy.

– Georgi Arbatov, Soviet political scientist, 1988

noah_buddyyesterday at 7:47 PM

Yes, Reagan was noted for his desire to avoid privatization of anything. /s

Kidding aside, the US has had libertarian pipe dreams for the better part of its history. The aberration was the New Deal period up until the mid 60s.