If you don't think I understand your ideology, then explain it. What is your definition of free markets and how, in practice, do they work?
In economic theory, free markets have no friction and no costs. Tell me, practically, what market in the entire world fits this description.
The problem with the free market idea is that it's simply wrong. It is not the world in which we live in and it does not describe the human species. Since the premise is wrong, all the ideologies that grow from it are wrong as well.
So, as a libertarian, you like some laws like driving on the agreed upon side of the road but you don't like others like mandated public service AKA the draft or something like that. Why?
Driving on the agreed upon side of the ride prevents traffic chaos. That's a public good created by preventing some people from driving on people's lawns or on sidewalks or in the wrong direction. Those people are giving up the right to drive where they want for the public good.
What is the difference between that and mandated public service for the public good? Say, for example, that no one wanted to join the local volunteer fire station and the town had no money to hire professional firefighters. The elected town council then gets together and says, we must have a fire station so we're going to mandate that every able bodied adult will have to spend 5 hours a month manning the firestation.
Is that slavery?
If not, how is that appreciably different from a draft to 'defend' the country (I'm not arguing here whether the war is good or bad, I'm just talking about a draft in general)? If so, how is that appreciably different from forcing people to drive down the agreed upon lane of the highway? |
