What's wrong with libertarianism

[yesthattom]

I’ve been meaning to write an article with that title for so long (except it was going to be titled, “Libertarians are a bunch of pussies”) but now someone has written a better article. Much more informed, better researched, and it doesn’t stoop to name-calling. In fact, he never uses the word “pussies”.

There are a bunch of things I’d like to quote, but when I was done reading the article this was in my cut-n-paste buffer:

Perhaps the most communicable libertarian meme-- and one of the most mischievous-- is the attempt to paint taxation as theft.

First, it’s dishonest. Most libertarians theoretically accept government for defense and law enforcement. (There are some absolutists who don’t even believe in national defense; I guess they want to have a libertarian utopia for awhile, then hand it over to foreign invaders.)

Now, national defense and law enforcement cost money: about 22% of the 2002 budget-- 33% of the non-social-security budget. You can’t swallow that and maintain that all taxes are bad. At least the cost of those functions is not “your money”; it’s a legitimate charge for necessary services.

Americans enjoy the fruits of public scientific research, a well-educated job force, highways and airports, clean food, honest labelling, Social Security, unemployment insurance, trustworthy banks, national parks. Libertarianism has encouraged the peculiarly American delusion that these things come for free. It makes a philosophy out of biting the hand that feeds you.

http://www.zompist.com/libertos.html