From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Thu Mar 20 2003 - 22:04:26 MST
>
> I came to many of the same conclusions as Mike and
> Alex independently, after pondering the question for
> some time. Communism doesn't work well unless the
> whole planet is communist. If one capitalist society
> exists next to a communist, it prospers like crazy;
> the go-getters in the commie society want to escape
> to live with the rich capitalists. Examples North
> and South Korea, East and West Berlin.
>
> Similarly, it seems to me that a libertarian society
> next to a totalitarian society is at a military
> disadvantage, altho at a great advantage in every
> other sense.
>
> I would suggest a mostly libertarian society that
> allows great personal and financial freedom but still
> reserves the right to raise taxes for common defense,
> and even the right to draft citizens in a dire
> emergency.
>
> spike
Well, hang on a second there. Socialist countries do badly compared to
capitalist countries in a capitalist global system (as the 20th century
socialists discovered to their chagrin). Socialists might fare better in a
socialist world system (say a socialist world government, perhaps? Something
like the EU on steroids maybe :-). However, isolated capitalist countries
within a socialist world system might not fare so well.
As to a libertarian pseudo-state in a capitalist world system, you might try
Vinge's "The Ungoverned" (from "The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge"), for
a somewhat idealistic but interesting investigation of the possibilities.
Any libertarian who hasn't read this story really should; you'll really
enjoy it.
Emlyn
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