Sunday, January 06, 2008

Are Libertarians "Anarchists"?

So answers Murray N. Rothbard:
Then, when, in the jousting of debate, the inevitable challenge "are you an anarchist?" is heard, we can, for perhaps the first and last time, find ourselves in the luxury of the "middle of the road" and say, "Sir, I am neither an anarchist nor an archist, but am squarely down the nonarchic middle of the road."
I must say that I am not happy with this answer. It's a boring wishy-washy ansewer and doesn't say any more than no answer at all! In my mind, I am a libertarian, and would say yes to the question. However, I would add that those on the left wing that call themselves anarchists are in fact not. They are confused socialists - promoters of violence and all-around State tyranny! Therefore, I agree with Rothbard when he said:
If it is proper and legitimate to coerce an unwilling Henry Thoreau into paying taxes for his own "protection" to a coercive state monopoly, I see no reason why it should not be equally proper to force him to pay the State for any other services, whether they be groceries, charity, newspapers, or steel. We are left to conclude that the pure libertarian must advocate a society where an individual may voluntarily support none or any police or judicial agency that he deems to be efficient and worthy of his custom.
As I oppose the notion of "limited government" just like any other forms of government, I am an anarchist. That's that!

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