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I think a lot of people would agree there's a lot wrong with government, but most would also rather have one. I would argue that most libertarians aren't anarc

I think a lot of people would agree there's a lot wrong with government, but most would also rather have one. I would argue that most libertarians aren't anarchists, but it's a popular strawman tactic from those arguing against it (particularly on the left). It's almost a cliche: "You know where is a libertarian paradise with no government? Somalia! Hurr durr!" I think we all agree that government has problems. Libertarians just think that the problems of government are inherent and fundamental, so the solution is usually in less government (but not no government), while "liberals" (huge spectrum here, I know) seem to think that the answer is more government. And we all agree that we need better government, but libertarians think that public accountability works better the closer the citizenry is to the decisions being made, and liberals seem to favor more centralized decision-making, I guess for efficiency? I'm not entirely clear on why :)

Nursie 9y ago
I don't much care for that, but like I said, I do like a welfare safety net, public health service and other public services. I'm not saying it's all libertarians, but I have interacted with quite a number on the net, over the years, who would scrap those things entirely. I, personally, think inefficient government is a price worth paying for such things, but that we must seek to do better.
_Tev 9y ago
The more / less government is false dichotomy. That's why leftists make jokes about you, even smart-sounding libertarians like you always make these stupid black / white statements. Universal healthcare being one example (at least our system seems simpler than your deductible / premium / medicare / medicaid / etc. chaos), UBI being another.
- ryanwaggoner 9y ago
  More / less is a spectrum, so by definition it can’t be a dichotomy :) Also, don’t know what “our system” or “your chaos” refers to, but if it’s the setup for another screed about how universal healthcare is superior to the current US system, save the wear and tear on your keyboard. I’ve heard it many times and I agree.
  - _Tev 9y ago
    You are right, not a dichotomy. But main point stands - it is useless metric.

Nursie 9y ago

I don't much care for that, but like I said, I do like a welfare safety net, public health service and other public services. I'm not saying it's all libertarians, but I have interacted with quite a number on the net, over the years, who would scrap those things entirely. I, personally, think inefficient government is a price worth paying for such things, but that we must seek to do better.

_Tev 9y ago

The more / less government is false dichotomy. That's why leftists make jokes about you, even smart-sounding libertarians like you always make these stupid black / white statements. Universal healthcare being one example (at least our system seems simpler than your deductible / premium / medicare / medicaid / etc. chaos), UBI being another.

ryanwaggoner 9y ago
More / less is a spectrum, so by definition it can’t be a dichotomy :) Also, don’t know what “our system” or “your chaos” refers to, but if it’s the setup for another screed about how universal healthcare is superior to the current US system, save the wear and tear on your keyboard. I’ve heard it many times and I agree.
- _Tev 9y ago
  You are right, not a dichotomy. But main point stands - it is useless metric.