# Sears: A Libertarian Case-study **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 16, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-a-libertarian-case-study/663681 "2013-07-16T16:52:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-a-libertarian-case-study/663681/161 "2013-07-25T21:33:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > So if libertarianism fails for a business, it does mean that, at least, in some cases, it would fail for a country. That doesn’t follow at all. Can you think of any political system that works well as a model for a company as well as for a society at large? If not, perhaps we shouldn’t be trying to compare them at all at such a high level. > [@](#): > > Would you guys agree that you can’t have a libertarian dictatorship? That you can’t have a king from on high saying that you must be libertarian–you must become libertarian by choice? Not necessarily. The example of the governor of Hong Kong was already given. And isn’t a constitution a form of dictatorship in that it proscribes certain government actions even if there is widespread political support? Inalienable rights are those which cannot be taken away even if a large percentage of the population wants to do so. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-a-libertarian-case-study/663681/162 "2013-07-25T21:46:29Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Neat, and good for him, but that means Bhutan would cease to be a dictatorship, and thus couldn’t be a libertarian dictatorship. Maybe its an ironic dictatorship? 😉 “Do what I say or die! And what I say is you don’t need to do what I say!” ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-a-libertarian-case-study/663681/163 "2013-07-26T12:32:56Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Maybe its an ironic dictatorship? 😉 > > “Do what I say or die! And what I say is you don’t need to do what I say!” It would probably take something like the conditions that existed in Hong Kong: a small corner of a far-flung empire, with the local governor free to implement his own policies without fear of overthrow, as he’s backed by the empire. That’s why you won’t see a libertarian dictator of an independent state, they’d be too easily overthrown. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-a-libertarian-case-study/663681/164 "2013-07-27T11:20:33Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Very interesting. Except department stores predate malls by kind of a lot, and the first malls had department store anchors. > Department stores got all the businesses in a city under one roof. > We have Westfield malls in the Bay Area. They market the mall, they try to get a good mix of stores, they set the tone of the mall, I’m sorry, that was a language error. Perhaps I should have said ‘arcade’? Although that term has serveral distinct meanings too. In either case, shopping mall or shopping arcade, they existed long before the popularity of the motor-car moved them out into large suburban locations surrounded by parking lots. Have a look at the original meanings: > **[Definition of MALL](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mall)** > > an alley used for pall-mall; a usually public area often set with shade trees and designed as a promenade or as a pedestrian walk; a usually paved or grassy strip between two roadways… See the full definition > [@Voyager](#): > > but do you have evidence that they do detailed retailing like a department store or specialty store does? I’m not sure what you mean by detailed retailing, or how it is relevant to retail management. Here is a job add for a retail managment position: [https://westfield.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl](https://westfield.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-a-libertarian-case-study/663681.md?page=8)