Libertarian Fire Department (photo)

[Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament]

Labels only work for zealots. I may have some libertarian leanings, but I certainly don’t call myself that. Nor do I identify with conservative, liberal, or most other things for that matter.

Eventually you come to realize that government programs are the least efficient way of tackling a problem. The lack of effective (read: outside) oversight leads to humans being the sloppy and greedy creatures we know them to be. Human nature on display, if you will.

Depending on the situation, if you open the solution to private entities, you may get better results. Unless there is healthy competition, you end up with a monopoly on a service, and that’s bad for everyone. Some things are important enough that you would consider taking the hit and sacrificing some flexibility to have a bureaucratic system that, while hopelessly inefficient, works for most people most of the time.

I’ll start with an easy question. Balthisar, was the 2008 credit crisis caused by too much government regulation, or too little?

That’s a trick question. An economy is a monstrous collection of feedback loops. You do not push without getting a response from elsewhere in the system.

Human nature does not change; hence a minimal level of regulation is needed to keep us from screwing everyone else over. If you dam a river, then blow the dam, prepare for flooding

[VinylTurnip]

@Der_Trihs

A right wing anarchist.

We also would’ve accepted “a Republican who likes pot and hookers.”

More specifically, “a Republican who admits liking pot and hookers.”

[Ravenman]

@Balthisar

The belief of extremist libertarians, or is the missing comma suggesting that all libertarian beliefs extremist?

In any case, we believe in non-coerced cooperation and we’re not rugged individualists, but liberty-ists. We know we can’t do everything ourselves. But we can do many/most things better without governments getting into the way.

Geez, I’m just explaining the joke, not criticizing your world view. I don’t watch SNL and then complain that Will Forte mischaracterized the social policies of the Democratic Party.

[aNewLeaf]

@VinylTurnip

We also would’ve accepted “a Republican who likes pot and hookers.”

More specifically, “a Republican who admits liking pot and hookers.”

“A republican who doesn’t care if you like pot and hookers” maybe?

[Doctor_Jackson]

@Evil_Captor

Libertarians don’t believe in big government pushing its nose into their private house fires. They’ll just get the hose and handle it themselves, dammit!

Um, no, that is not a Libertarian belief. If the caption had said “Anarchist Fire Department” I would get it and probably would have chuckled. I don’t identify as either but that joke needs some basis in truth, no matter how tenuous, to work.