In a society were how much liberty you have depends mostly on the zip code you are born in your discussion is academic and not practical.

It also lacks nuance regarding the other policies that separate Progressives from Conservatives. You should not so tightly associate Libertarians with Conservatives, the right is not united.

Total liberty leads to tyranny. If there are no rules the powerful will come to dominate the less powerful and impose an authoritarian structure with less liberty.

As another response indicates we all accept some restrictions on liberty for the benefit of society. The key is the right balance. Taxing the rich to give to the poor is on net a plus for society. The rich hardly miss the money and the poor are greatly benefited.

I chafe at some restrictions, like needing a prescription to buy antibiotics or needing a license to run a still. I don’t chafe at paying my taxes. I don’t even try to minimize them. I don’t see taxes as a imposition on my liberty but as the price of liberty. If we don’t pay to protect liberty we will lose it to an authoritarian regime.

The lack of opportunity that you call negative liberty is often the result of past oppression.

Liberté égalité fraternité one without the others is tyranny.

TEK