I know the NASA space shuttle program is scheduled to have 4 more missions, but I keep having this feeling that it will suffer another disaster and be cancelled before the final 3 are flown. I hope I am wrong.
Being a government program, I don't find this particularly surprising, and even when the shuttle program began I kept wondering how the inevitable disasters would be handled, but I hate to think of the wasted lives and lost scientific data. After all, my money has been taken against my will to pay for it. (However, if my feelings are borne out by future events, and some govgoons are looking for someone to beat up as punishment and they run across this blog, I have neither the inclination nor the know-how nor the opportunity to sabotage any space mission. Nor would I assist anyone who did, since that would be as distasteful to me as assisting government. Just so you know.)
Until and unless government either gets out of the way, or people advance the science in defiance of government, space exploration will continue to be stalled where it sits now. I should be writing this blog from the moon or an asteroid by now. Or, at least have that option. Government keeps guarding the gates of the future, keeping humanity trapped in the solved problems of the past. That is inexcusable.
considering what we did during the space race of the 50s and 60s, we should be way further in space exploration than we are now. that much i do know.
ReplyDeletebut i have to admit, the ideals of libertarianism are quite new to me. somethin' tells me that i'd learn quickly if i keep comin' back here though.
i guess the number one question i have is: what would we do without government? wouldn't chaos ensue? i'm sure you've heard that question before, but again, i'm new to this and i've never heard the libertarian answer to that.
Yes, I have heard and answered that question probably hundreds of times. But I don't mind doing it again. You can follow the links I will include in the answer. They should help explain the way I am using some terms.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that chaos is what comes with government, rather than with the absence of government. In the absence of government you are free to live in anarchy in all areas of your life, instead of "just" the 99% of your life that is already anarchistic. No one controls or directs the vast majority of your interactions except for you. Notice that you are still responsible for your actions and the consequences of those actions. Nothing can absolve you of that. Without the protections that government gives those who prey upon others, most would not survive long unless they changed their ways.
I seriously doubt you behave yourself simply because you are afraid government will punish you. What about your family and friends? Without government would they suddenly start murdering and raping? If that is the case, they are already bad people, and are probably harming people even if they haven't yet gotten caught.
I don't "believe in" either government, nor any supernatural sky deity, yet I behave myself anyway. Why? There are a lot of reasons. If I don't, it will harm me in the long run. People will refuse to deal with me. People would be justified in using self-defense against me. I would not be able to think I am a "good person". Yes, government does insulate people from some of the consequences of their bad behavior (self-defense is often criminalized, and you can get in "legal" trouble refusing service of some types to people you know to be bad), but they still can't totally avoid all consequences.
So, why wouldn't chaos reign in a government-free world? Because most people still want orderly, peaceful lives. Anything that government now "provides" that is still wanted and needed in the post-government society would be provided (more cheaply and more efficiently and with a variety of choices) in a free society. Roads would still exist (if needed), but would be paid for by people with an interest in keeping them in good repair and safe. If the road were in bad shape, the business owners or drivers could sue for damages and lost business. I hear many people complaining that they don't want to give up their "free roads" for toll roads. That is a serious disconnect with reality. You already pay for the roads, but you pay a monopoly which has no real interest in satisfying the customer, and which is notorious for being wasteful with the money it collects.
That is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, but maybe it is enough to get your mind working. If you would like to discuss it more, or have specific questions, feel free to email me at the link that is somewhere on the sidebar, or you can buy my handbook "Kent's Liberty Primer".
By the way, I have enjoyed reading your blog since I discovered it a couple days ago.