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Originally Posted by Willravel
Things seem to have died down so it's time for more questions. I'll start with an easy one:
Let us say that the US successfully made a shift to libertarian political and economic theory in the late 40s during reconstruction and it spread throughout Europe and many other industrialized countries. Things seem to be going well, though the space between classes seems to be increasing. Meanwhile, the greatest threat to our species suddenly rears its ugly head for the first time in several hundred years; the smallpox pandemic begins.
In the real world, the Pan American Health Organization and other government and international non-profit organizations were responsible for the eradication of smallpox. Tax dollars ended up footing a great deal of the bill. I have always considered this one of the greatest achievements in human history and a testament to what mankind is capable of when we are forced to set aside our petty arguments and face a true threat.
What would have happened in a world where most of the economic and political power was libertarian? Would a vaccine be possible when different companies were hiding any progress from one another lest they lose the opportunity to make an incredible profit off a cure? Even if a vaccine were created, would poor people be able to afford it?
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i'm a registered libertarian. what the LP stands for, to me, is a small, non-intrusive government who doesn't pass laws that dictate what i do in private, who doesn't meddle in private business, who allows personal freedoms. the fairy tale part is, with the freedom comes personal responsibility, and there are many people who do not want the responsibility, and so it isn't exactly a 100% viable solution. we need a government, we need to pay taxes, we need things like OSHA and CDC and government organizations that make sure things run well for everyone. government should not meddle in private business, but there should be federal regulations to ensure workplace safety. government should make sure roads are maintained and safe, but not tell me i HAVE to wear a seatbelt and i CANNOT smoke pot.
it's not black/white, either/or to me, i want a bit of both, so i guess i'm not a good libertarian.
in your question, you assume a libertarian government would not use tax dollars to help eradicate small pox and say "its up to the individual to not get smallpox," correct? Making the country safe and healthy for everyone is part of government's role, and so i would think a libertarian government would use tax dollars to help stop something that would kill off the majority of people, if not all, but they would not force me to get inoculated. i would think if the governments were libertarian, they still would have gotten together, figured out how to stop smallpox, and done so, in the same way they did in real life.
i'm a libertarian like Derwood talks about. i started with nothing and now i'm pretty well off. i figure if i did it, why can't others? i wasn't lucky, i didn't get a break, i worked and saved and went without and now i'm where i'm at. when i see a homeless guy i think "that guy doesn't have to live like that, he could get a job and work and live better." at the same time, i still see a human who needs help and i would still help him. my political beliefs do not trump my humanity. i have to believe a person acts how he will act, regardless of their political affiliation. being a libertarian doesn't automatically make someone an "anti government, pro business, heartless self centered money hoarding loner."