Re: Libertarian theory breaking down

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Mar 21 2003 - 17:42:54 MST

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    --- Amara Graps <amara@amara.com> wrote:
    > >### Reading the "Machinery of freedom" it seems to me that David
    > >Friedman wasn't able to come up with a plausible anarchist solution
    > to
    > >the problem of defense against organized external aggression, and he
    > >admits it.
    >
    > yes, and...? I don't think that this is inconsistent with his
    > political anarchocapitalist position. He has many places in his
    > book where he points out difficulties (I've read the book too.)
    >
    > However, your comment, Rafal, doesn't connect with my comment
    > that I don't think that there are ways to distinguish libertarians
    > from anarchists, libertarians being the larger category.
    >
    > Amara
    >
    > BTW, A central government.. of any kind.. provides a big fat target
    > for any kind of aggression. If your society consists of a network
    > of inconsequential nodes, then where do any possible aggressors
    > attack? A network of nodes have little need of a defense against
    > organized external aggression.

    Wrong. At the present time, it seems that Iraq has little central
    government of any kind (alive, anyways, or able to communicate) yet is
    very much in need of a defense against invasion by an external threat.
    Consequently, the Iraqi infantryman is demonstrating his French
    training and surrendering by the thousands... more than in the GW I,
    the US troops say, and lots are Republican Guards this time.

    An ungoverned zone is a very tempting economic target for an organized
    government (just the motivation of the New Mexicans in Vinge's
    novella). Such a zone has high economic output which would outcompete
    neighboring governed areas, yet would pay no taxes to support the
    socialized infrastructure they would utilize in their trade with
    governed areas.

    Anybody who lives on the border between low tax and high tax states
    sees this in demonstration every day. I do, living on the border of NH
    and VT as I do. The NH side of the river is awash in shopping malls,
    and Vermonters are primarily interested in getting to NH to conduct
    business. I imagine that residents of the Tahoe area would see a
    similar effect.

    =====
    Mike Lorrey
    "Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                                         - Gen. John Stark
    "Pacifists are Objectively Pro-Fascist." - George Orwell
    "Treason doth never Prosper. What is the Reason?
    For if it Prosper, none Dare call it Treason..." - Ovid

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