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Use the market
By Scott Bushee
Published:
Monday, November 25, 2002
Scott Bushee -- Staff Column
We libertarians really do have the best solutions to social problems.�
Look at this upcoming war with Iraq. Both sides agree that Hussein is a crazy bastard, and that the world would be a better place without him. They also both agree that there will be a lot of dead people on both sides. They agree with the premises, but they disagree on the conclusion.
Now enter the libertarians. First off, we stand back and question the very premise itself. Should we be involved at all overseas?� Most sane people answer no. I do.�I say pull it all out. Leave dangerous foreign idiots alone, and they will leave us alone.
However, that is the ideal. America hasn’t been living up to that ideal. We have meddled with every goofball on the planet. Though there is much more to it than this, I would say that there is some degree of merit to the idea that foreigners have a reason to be pissed at us.
Hey, don’t call me Anti-American. I am not alone in this. Your government agrees with me. Only they call it “blowback.”
So what now? Should we go to war because Hussein might attack us?�
Again, good old libertarian thinking leads to fruitful answers. If we accept the premise, can the stated ends be attained by alternativemeans? Do we need war to achieve the mission? Why not kill the beast by cutting off its head? Just kill the leader.
In this instance, it is our understanding of the free market that provides the solution. We know that the market solves most problem in the most efficient manner.
It’s all about supply and demand.�Among Americans, there is a demand for the removal of foreign whackos. Simply put in place, the market mechanism that would allow supply of foreign whacko removers to rise to meet demand.�
Fortunately, the U.S. Constitution already provides this mechanism. It allows Congress to grant letters of Marque and Reprisal. In other words, bounties.�
“Yeah,” you say, “but this has been tried before and it failed!” That is because the market wasn’t allowed to function. Caps were put in place. Just let the reward money grow ‘til someone is daring enough to claim it.�Let supply and demand equilibrate. Think about it. If the reward got to $1 billion, hundreds of people would be taking shots at Hussein each day. Someone’s gotta succeed sometime.
The best part of this is that it would be free.� Yup. You read that right. See, we libertarians hate taxes. So, we don't use tax money. Just let American citizens voluntarily donate money for the reward. Let the people freely decide how much the removal of Hussein is worth to them. Hey, libertarianism is voluntarism.
Ok, but doesn't this idea seem, well, evil?� Sure. However, it is a hell of a lot less evil than either going to war or allowing terrorists to blow up our buildings.
Now see?�Didn't I tell you libertarians have the best solutions?
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