However, what libertarians do not realize is that there are a whole
realm of decisions, mostly about the common good(back to Rousseau
again)-which I define as anything which has a non-economic value to
us as a group-which cannot be left to the marketplace. Some examples
would be: the building of roads, creation of signs on those roads,
avoidance of harmful effects of deforestation and of pollution are all
matters which cannot be trusted to the marketplace.
I'm all for government programs for roads, road signs, and pollution, too. I'm not a "fundamentalist libertarian" as Steven would say. What started this discussion was my suggestion that, when a problem is identified, there be some thought process about whether the government or some other entity is appropriate for solving the problem. It doesn't seem that we disagree on this. Your criteria, as you've described them, have to do do with whether or not the problem is economic. My criteria would be whether or not the government has the legitimate authority and whether or not the government would be most effective in solving it. There's a basis for consensus there, I think.
Karen |
