I Hate To Burst Some People's Bubble...

... well, not really

The criticisms thrown my way from my old compatriots do not bother me like so many people believe. I have repeatedly said there are some tenets of libertarianism that I still consider my personal preferences. But as a “complete political ideology” I do not see how one can hold to something that has not proven itself in the real world. Sure, what exists now is imperfect, in many ways even horrific, but believing your untested doctrine could replace this system and not be equal to or even worse is to live by a faith the religious would admire. This piece isn’t about my libertarian preferences or how to get society to be what you would want it to be. This is about how, once you replace the current system, you would keep it. I will continue to reference libertarianism because the society I want would include echoes of the “complete political ideology” so many wish for.  

It isn’t difficult to envision a town of 10,000 in which a small group of people inspired by Hans-Hermann Hoppe’s “What Must Be Done” have taken over and begun the process of privatizing “essential services.” I at once think of education and policing. Let’s continue under the assumption these services are now in the hands of the private sector. If the private sector supplies value that is vastly superior to that provided when the State ran them, other services will likely follow. One of my goals is to make it so that landowners have perfect ownership over their property. No property tax, no permits necessary to build upon your property. It is yours and you create your own statecraft. 

The problems begin when you realize that only a small group of the town’s population started this process. I believe that most of the citizenry will not agree with you ideologically but will go along to get along. If the past 2.5 years have taught us anything it is that most people will go along to avoid conflict. But, at the same time, we are dealing with humans so that means we cannot assume how everyone will react to this new situation. 

In my opinion, I believe this developing private society cannot exist without top-down leadership. I will go further. I believe that any society, even one that achieves the libertarian NorthStar of anarcho-capitalism, will only be sustained under what most who believe anarchy can be achieved would call an authoritarian system. What do I mean by this? I believe that the only way a libertarian society can be kept is by enforcing its norms proactively. The founders wrote in the preamble of the Constitution that “We the People” were to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” I believe I have mentioned before that “secure” in that statement is an action. And it is a continuous one. In other words, if you want the “private society” you are building to persist, you will preemptively smash anything that threatens the ideas it is built upon. I’ll leave that vague so the crowd who is instinctively upset right now can let their imaginations run wild. 

My point in writing this is to get those of you who are looking to build something either for yourself, or for and with those around you, to think about the fact that many people will look at what you’re building and believe that their ideas will work better and attempt to subvert what you’ve accomplished. Or even take it from you. So, how will you keep it? How will you ensure your progeny enjoys the fruits of what you’ve built? Belief in the goodness of your fellow man should probably be a punchline after the last 2.5 years. It is up to YOU to make sure all you have worked for and achieved is not subverted. What are you prepared to do?