Tom Palmer on positive and negative liberty

My view, simply put, is that "Libertarian Liberty" (to be specific with the terminology) is for the most
part an instrumental value subordinate to the enhancement of positive
capabilities.  When the two conflict, I opt for the capabilities, and
in that sense I admire the philosophical premises of many contemporary
American liberals.  I also believe in a governmental safety net, unlike many of the people at Cato, and partly for this reason.

On the other hand, I favor zero taxation of capital income, deregulation of the medical sector, cuts in government spending, no special privileges for labor unions, and I reject the philosophy of egalitarianism.  So I’m not quite ready to be writing for The American Prospect and competing down the wages of Matt and Ezra.