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I personally don't think that Libertarianism (and anarcho-capitalism by extension) have a blindspot when it comes to public health. Right now we're seeing huge

by zo1 7y ago

I personally don't think that Libertarianism (and anarcho-capitalism by extension) have a blindspot when it comes to public health. Right now we're seeing huge efforts in the private sector to mitigate this disaster, that can not be discounted. As simple examples, private entities are giving out sanitizers, increasing hygiene and cleaning policies, putting up posters for awareness, coming up with contact-less procedures for public interaction, hiring people to fix online shopping demand, etc. When people are scared, they act. When a business's continuation is threatened, it will act. My private health-care provider and insurance provider have already extended (without government mandate, direction or legislation or extra-cost) my cover for any corona-related treatment/illness/death. In-case I lose my income due to this, they've also extended my unemployment to cover that so I won't be losing my income if it comes to that. And I can get a private test at my-cost (or healthcare provider will reimburse me) for less than $70. So that just leaves what...Mass coordination of "public" spaces? Again, tragically those spots are both everybody's and nobody's at the same time, essentially paralyzing them from doing anything too drastic without government approval. Not to mention the government is now stepping in and stopping some of these efforts because "human rights". They're planning on commandeering private hospitals and facilities to provide healthcare for free for those that don't pay and to deal with the fact that they were inadequately prepared for this crisis. They've also started with curfews, sent military police to private premises to "count" heads in case they go above some magical government number, prohibited public-dissemination of information by epidemiologists without government-approval.

mindslight 7y ago
> private entities are giving out sanitizers, increasing hygiene and cleaning policies, putting up posters for awareness, coming up with contact-less procedures for public interaction, hiring people to fix online shopping demand You're helping to prove my point. These are all reactive actions that simply attempt to mitigate the problem. I've personally upped my hygiene, policies, and mask / hand sanitizer use as well. This isn't going to actually solve the epidemic, but it will reduce my own exposure now that it's a major problem. Where was the private company temperature-checking international travelers in February, testing, and quarantining or contact tracing as necessary? Proactive prevention requires focus and coordination. A team that is paid to sit around looking for specific threats will take them seriously, while businesses (really all entities, including individuals and the non-specialized parts of government) only respond to the current conditions. Large companies could certainly employ similar risk teams, but don't seem to have done so for the current problem. > deal with the fact that they were inadequately prepared for this crisis The entire medical system, public and "private", is unprepared for the crisis. One could make the argument that if healthcare had been a freer market there would be much increased hospital capacity, but I don't see how this makes sense given businesses tendency to be reactive. Supplies like masks could have been easily stockpiled by companies and sold at a decent profit when needed, but weren't. > They've also started with curfews, sent military police to private premises to "count" heads in case they go above some magical government number, prohibited public-dissemination of information by epidemiologists without government-approval. You'll get no argument from me about these being injustices. But I think the real anti-freedom jackboots are going to come out when people start dying in significant numbers from hospital crowding. Which is kind of my entire larger point - when situations are allowed to get out of hand, restoring forces step in and none of them are conducive to lofty ideals of freedom.

by zo1 7y ago

mindslight 7y ago

> private entities are giving out sanitizers, increasing hygiene and cleaning policies, putting up posters for awareness, coming up with contact-less procedures for public interaction, hiring people to fix online shopping demand You're helping to prove my point. These are all reactive actions that simply attempt to mitigate the problem. I've personally upped my hygiene, policies, and mask / hand sanitizer use as well. This isn't going to actually solve the epidemic, but it will reduce my own exposure now that it's a major problem. Where was the private company temperature-checking international travelers in February, testing, and quarantining or contact tracing as necessary? Proactive prevention requires focus and coordination. A team that is paid to sit around looking for specific threats will take them seriously, while businesses (really all entities, including individuals and the non-specialized parts of government) only respond to the current conditions. Large companies could certainly employ similar risk teams, but don't seem to have done so for the current problem. > deal with the fact that they were inadequately prepared for this crisis The entire medical system, public and "private", is unprepared for the crisis. One could make the argument that if healthcare had been a freer market there would be much increased hospital capacity, but I don't see how this makes sense given businesses tendency to be reactive. Supplies like masks could have been easily stockpiled by companies and sold at a decent profit when needed, but weren't. > They've also started with curfews, sent military police to private premises to "count" heads in case they go above some magical government number, prohibited public-dissemination of information by epidemiologists without government-approval. You'll get no argument from me about these being injustices. But I think the real anti-freedom jackboots are going to come out when people start dying in significant numbers from hospital crowding. Which is kind of my entire larger point - when situations are allowed to get out of hand, restoring forces step in and none of them are conducive to lofty ideals of freedom.