Minarchy vs. Anarchy

I consider myself a libertarian with a small "L." I do not belong to the Libertarian Party, and I consider it a bit of a joke. I don't see the LP or any kind of third party being viable in the American political scene. Even if it were, it would dilute its principles anyway and be worthless.

I am coming to believe that a libertarian's best chance to affect political change is to become active in the Republican party especially the Republican Liberty Caucus. The GOP is beholden to so many interest groups and religious fucknuts that it has sold out on just about any libertarian leanings it ever had during the Reagan revolution. But if all the libertarians in the US were to become a part of the RLC, this would change dramatically. Instead, the libertarian movement is atomized which is what you would expect from a bunch of individualists.

The conflict among libertarians is between principles and pragmatism. The anarcho-capitalists are the most principled of libertarians advocating a stateless society free of coercion and based upon voluntary exchange. But even they admit a need for police and courts. As nice as it sounds, it is a utopian fantasy never to be realized in the real world.

I am a minarchist. I believe the best hope for liberty lies in small government. This is based upon empirical observation. The reality is that market anarchism has largely been a failure in the real world. If you could get everyone to go along with non-coercion, it would work. It would be a thoroughly just society. But this is never going to happen. There will always be those who find it easier to kill and steal. The same private police forces that would protect our liberties are often the same ones who would exploit our weakness and take over. This is probably how governments evolved in the first place.

We already know the consequences of extreme statism. From Nazi Germany to the USSR, we see what totalitarianism brings. But the USA is an example of the blessings of liberty and what can happen when you give freedom a chance.

I believe the purpose and end of government is to secure our liberty. It has no other legitimate purpose. The best government is the one that governs least. I am a minarchist. The government I prefer is the one that acts as a nightwatchman and nothing more. I abhor both the police state and the welfare state.

This government would require taxation to support it. I believe taxation is theft, but government is a necessary evil. The best form of tax would be a national sales tax, and it would be extremely low.

Will we ever have minarchy in the USA? Well, we already did. I don't know if we could ever return to that, but I think it is worth working for. I'll have more on this topic in future posts.

Posted in: