As long as there are wolves in the forest, the sheep need a sheep dog. by Bill Schmalfeldt
(liberal)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Libertarians have an admirable goal. Keeping government out of peoples' lives is a wonderful ideal. And government should have as little to do as possible with peoples' lives.
But libertarians overlook a single, important truth about human nature that takes the wind out of their sails if they address it honestly. Libertarianism requires the belief that in the absence of regulation, corporate interests will act in the best interests of the people. This is like saying if we just sent the shepherds home and retired the sheep dogs, the wolves would act in the best interest of the sheep.
I expect this "marxist" and "statist" and "dishonest" argument of mine will attract a lot of libertarian comment. Please do not comment until you are ready to answer these three questions.
1. In the absence of regulation, if there is no penalty for violating the regulation, what motivation does Corporate America have to ensure the products they sell are safe?
I've anticipated your response. "Why would a company create a product that they know does not pass safety standards?" Two words. Cigarette companies. They know their products kill. There is no question that millions of people die every year from tobacco-related illnesses. But left unregulated, we'd have a situation like in Indonesia where cigarettes are marketed to kids. So spare me from having to point that out to you, that food companies would figure a cost/risk analysis to determine how many people they could afford to kill with impure products if they could save a few bucks and improve the stockholders' dividend by allowing some e-coil tainted meat into the system.
2. In the absence of regulation, if there is no penalty for violating the regulation, what motivation does Corporate America have to create jobs here in America?
Oh sure, we can all slap "buy American" stickers (made in China) all over the place. But as long as Corporate America can create flammergimmers more cheaply through slave labor in China, without having to be concerned about industrial safety in India, or worrying about those silly pollution laws like they don't have in Mexico, the stockholders demand higher dividend checks and the American public be damned.
3. Show me one country in this history of mankind where your system of government has worked? I can tell you where your system of government is currently in place -- Somalia. No strong central government. Rules dictated by the local warlords and strongmen. Again, human nature. Survival of the strongest.
These are truths. These are not left wing or right wing talking points. These are basic observations about human nature. If you take the referee out of the wrestling ring, that's when the bad guy gets away with cheating. If there's no referee on the football field, who will penalize the team for having 12 men on the field? People will take advantage of weakness. Rich people will take advantage of those of lesser means.
These are universal truths. Until you breed a new kind of human who lives by a prime directive that dictates the welfare of all people is just as important as the individual's welfare, until you breed out the natural instinct witnessed at Wal-Mart stores on Black Friday, where people pepper spray each other to get that last X-box at a $5 savings, until humanity evolves to a point where the good of the many trumps the good of the privileged few, you need the referee. You need the shepherd. You need the sheep dogs.
You need government.
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