Short answer: I am a grown-up.
A recent comment on this post got me thinking about libertarianism again, and why it bugs me so much. I recalled a thread on Michael Shermer’s blog a long time back in which I was a little more vocal than I normally am on other people’s blogs, so I figured I would just re-state my response here to give you the basic idea of where I stand.
Unless you were educated under a bush, and commuted to work on a bike you made yourself out of bamboo and coconut shells, I think your outlook is totally lacking in appreciation for the way you and everyone you care about have benefited from a society and infrastructure that was largely paid for by “stealing” the wealth of previous generations (and which wealth would otherwise now be concentrated in the hands of offspring who were lucky enough to be born into it I suppose).
It is incredibly unrealistic to argue that we don’t need to pay taxes toward the public good (because we would give money willingly). I don’t want to dick around deciding who is worthy of my support, and I sure as hell hate the idea of *anyone* dying of neglect because no one deemed them worthy of attention. A lot of people are rather selfish and would rather not give anything at all. A lot of people are racist and would refuse to allow money to assist minorities they despise. And if raising funds for public works were become a popularity/PR exercise they risk becoming disconnected from actual needs and benefits.
I feel sorry for liberals and conservatives alike when people tell them to “love it or leave it”–because everyone has a right to want to change things… but when it comes to libertarians I think this response is quite appropriate; since it really sounds like you resent having any obligations placed on you as a citizen, surely you would be happier going Galt and living on an island somewhere with like-minded friends.
It’s worth a look if you have a lot of time to kill and want to see some interesting arguments from different perspectives (including the libertarian socialist one).
The fact that libertarianism is so popular amongst skeptics is probably why it bugs me so much. I see a lot of myself in these people so it creeps me out when they decide that tax is theft and the only duty of government is as police force. Give me the frikkin nanny state over that any day…