gabor@qantel.UUCP (Gabor Fencsik@ex2642) (12/10/84)
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When a line of reasoning that starts from opposition to all forms of
coercion leads to a social landscape with rent-a-thug private
armies roaming around, enforcing 'contracts', then a person with
normal critical faculties (as opposed to an ideological zealot) would
stop and retrace his steps to find out where the argument went wrong.
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Gabor Fencsik {dual,nsc,intelca,proper}!qantel!gabor 87064023@sdcc3.UUCP ({|lit) (12/21/84)
> [] > When a line of reasoning that starts from opposition to all forms of > coercion leads to a social landscape with rent-a-thug private > armies roaming around, enforcing 'contracts', then a person with > normal critical faculties (as opposed to an ideological zealot) would > stop and retrace his steps to find out where the argument went wrong. > Good point. The initial mis-step was to assume that libertarians do not believe that police departments are legitimate functions of government. In fact, police departments ARE legitimate functions of government, according to official libertarian party literature. (Sorry, I cannot speak for all libertarans, I can only refer to its literature.) Government is characterized by a monopoly of legitimate force in an area (all other "services" are, in fact, duplicated by other institutions in this country. For instance, labor unions tax, albiet non-coercively.) Libertarians believe that this force should be used to protect the citezenry's life, liberty, and property. To do this, a police force exists. This is one of the three legitimate functions of government conceded by libertarians. The other two: National defense, to protect people's lives, liberty and property from foreign aggression. Judicial system: as part of the policing system necessary to protect lives, liberty and property. Also, to solve disputes between free individuals. Interesting note: all of these governmental functions utilize the force inherent in government only in RESPONSIVE ways (in a Libertarian society, that is). We do not condone the initial use of force to solve problems. John Wallner