Re: Definition of Libertarianism (was: prejudices)

Lee Daniel Crocker (lcrocker@calweb.com)
Wed, 17 Sep 1997 14:33:58 -0700 (PDT)


> With sufficient effort one could probably divert the definition
> to support almost any viewpoint.

Absolutely. But that problem is not unique to libertarians. :)

> But anyway, i have a hard time reconciling the libertarian
> view of little-or-no-government with the need for a system of
> basic laws and enforcement. How does one keep a city safe
> without spending a sizable amount of money on a police force?

You don't. Libertarians probably /would/ spend a large amount
of money on a police force. We'd just spend our own, not yours.
There's nothing magical about "government" that makes it better
at doing the things that people need done, like self-defense,
roads, mail, medicine. Businesses can do those things for a
profit, just like other services--and will do so only when the
people actually want them enough to pay for them voluntarily.

-- 
Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>
"All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC