Subject:
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Re: From Harry Browne
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 7 Nov 2000 23:02:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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562 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
> This might be the biggest obstacle the LP has to overcome. In addition to
> having lived in an entitlement mentality for too long, society as a whole
> (in my view, and not in any way to exclude myself from the generalization)
> is too undisciplined to live in Libertopia. Libertopia calls for more
> personal responsibility and accountability than current society is able to
> tolerate. That's not to say certain libertarian attitudes have no place, but
> I just don't believe US culture is sufficiently evolved to allow full
> personal sovereignty. Would that it were...
I'm not convinced that's as big a problem as you might think. Think about it,
every consumer protection regulation we have is there because enough people
complained that the government addressed the issue. In a Libertopia, with it's
free market, that same level of complaint should get the same or better results
directly. The primary difference between a Libertopia and our current system is
that costs of things aren't hidden. If the cost of poorly made tires is high
enough (to take a current example), the public and the insurance companies will
be quite able to put pressure on the tire maker or the car maker. What is
happening today is that the same market forces are putting some of their
pressure on the government because that appears to be cheaper (but of course
isn't since all you're doing is engaging another party into the discussion,
another party which must be paid).
On the other hand, I think that I agree that during the transition from the
current system to a Libertopia, a certain number of folks will get caught under
the feet of the stampede, but will that number really be any higher than the
number that currently get trampled by the current system? How many lives might
not have been lost to tire failures if we didn't depend on a relatively slow
moving government to respond to the complaints?
Another angle, how much money is wasted in end of life care of people because
the current health system is paralyzed with fear. Sure, some of that fear would
still exist in a Libertopia, but the health system could not be forced to
provide you treatment you didn't pay for. Of course, the predictable complaint
will be: "What about the poor?" Well, what about them? Should society pay 1000s
of dollars to try and keep some poor person alive for a few months longer? Some
people will say yes of course, and those people should back up their ideals
with their own money. Me? I'll put my money into a health system which offers
high benefit to cost ratio preventive care to the poor, and provides those
services which will measurably improve the life of the poor, and provides
compassionate care for those who are going to die anywise. I also want the same
for myself. I don't want anyone to spend 1000s of dollars to keep me in pain
for an extra few months when my number comes up. If I'm dying, do enough to
make the journey less painfull (and don't try heroic measures if I decide
enough is enough and figure some way to pull the plug a little early).
I trust the system to work. The biggest reason for that trust is that
ultimately, there is nothing good the government has ever done that wasn't done
because a large number of people supported it. Especially when you think about
how much the government is in the pockets of big money (corporate or private),
what other than numbers of people who demand something could possibly drive
government to do something that is in the interest of the small person rather
than big money?
Frank
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: From Harry Browne
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| (...) That makes sense; you're taking the long view rather than a get-it-done-now approach, and I think such a plan of attack is therefore more reasonable and likely to succeed. At the same time, you're calling for immediate addressing of the most (...) (24 years ago, 7-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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