Libertarian is the least definable political philosophy I can
 think of. It pretty much means what ever the speaker wants it
 to. Typically self described libertarians say the only purpose
 of government is to protect the nation from invaders and
 criminals. More recently some have boiled that down to
 preventing violent attacks.

 What they cannot explain is, just how does any society survive
 when there is no government agency enforcing laws against
 non-violent crime? How does a society survive when there is no
 non-violent crime?

 If snake oil salesmen have the right to sell anything with no
 regard to honesty, when no one has to keep a contract, when
 there are no standards of conduct other than don't hit people,
 what kind of society can survive?

 It's even non-violent if the neighbors decide to use your front
 lawn as the city dump, so how does a libertarian government
 prevent that?

 Well, now we are seeing the blessings of libertarian thinking,
 and it's expensive. The Toledo Ohio area had half a million
 people without drinking water for three days because of algae
 growing excessively in Lake Erie. Turns out this is a world
 wide phenomena, and is the result of excess phosophorus in the
 water. The excess phosophorus comes from fertilizer run off, as
 a known cause, and fossil fuel production as a secondary,
 suggested cause.

 Libertarian thinking says the government has no business
 regulating fertilizer usage to reduce run off, after all, it
 isn't a violent act. Yet the cost is paid by the people
 downstream, and without some control that cost can be fatal.

 So, now are we going to have to fight the libertarians when we
 try to reduce fertilizer run off? Or are they going to let their
 beliefs just lie dormant when it's inconvenient to defend them?
 Seems this is the best objection to libertarianism, at least the
 current brand, you will find.


BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... Libertarians don't build bridges.
 * Silver Xpress V4.5/P [Reg]
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5