Comments on: Should Libertarians Accept Government Benefits?

By: canw

canw — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:43:25 +0000

Everyone is worried about jobs going overseas, but I think should they should be more optimistic. America is great for generating new jobs and dealing with change. My grandfather said railroads once lost a lot of business when electric companies switched from burning coal to nuclear power. Railroads also needed less workers when trains stopped using cabooses. Yet while some railroad jobs may have disappeared, new jobs like webpage designers and video store clerks have appeared. Horse buggy manufacturers became car manufacturers and typewriter companies now make computers. Many industries that were supposed to disappear like movie theatres due to VCR’s and accounting because of computers have never been stronger.

While manufacturing jobs may go overseas to cheaper locations, the United States still manufactures more than any other country.

http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2009/10/13/data-on-the-largest-manufacturing-countries-in-2008/

Even if more jobs go abroad, the USA will always have factories. I highly doubt that the United States will buy fighter jets from China. The price of labor may be cheaper in Asia now, but as oil and shipping prices rise, buying American products will not seem to be so expensive. Chinese products also have a reputation for poor quality and counterfeiting. BMW does not worry that Chinese car companies will steal their customers.

Many jobs cannot be outsourced, either. You are not likely to call a doctor, lawyer, mechanic, mover, driver, barber, electrician, locksmith, real estate agent, or plumber in China to fix a problem you have in the USA. Are all the farms, mines, stores, hotels, museums, restaurants, churches, security guards, banks, government workers, schools, and athletes in the US going to be shipped overseas, too?

Even if all the manufacturing jobs in the United States went to China, wouldn’t the Chinese need American skills? You could move there and teach English. Most of those container ships returning to Asia are EMPTY. Why not think of something the Chinese would like to buy? Americans are creative. Do you think China will be known as the new Disney and Hollywood? Will China become famous for apple pies, hamburgers, hot dogs, baseball, gun rights, democracy, free speech, and religious freedom?

While change is sometimes scary and being cautious is good, hysteria is not. Think for yourself and don’t be a Chicken Little.

By: Fiveweight

Fiveweight — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:05:17 +0000

I have thought about this situation many times while wondering why I don’t feel like a hypocrite myself. I came to the realization that you cannot expect anyone to do anything beyond what is rational in their own context. I do not believe we should expect people not to become addicted to life on welfare when it is so freely offered. It is not the fault of the illegal immigrant for pursuing a better life. It is the fault of the government for making such violations appealing and refusing to enforce limits. It is only rational to take what is offered, and while we may hope people would do what is right we can only expect people to do what is rational. Anything more is fooling ourselves.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:55:16 +0000

Refusing to accept the benefits of government coercion that you have no choice in is like a rape victim refusing the rapist’s offer to use a condom.

By: kingstu

kingstu — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:05:56 +0000

How else are we going to get our money back?

By: msgnet

msgnet — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:37:27 +0000

I don’t think you can ever fault someone from acting in their own best interest, which may indeed involve accepting government handouts.

By: Earl Swift

Earl Swift — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:16:10 +0000

To go along with what Tom has said, liberals should volunteer to give up thier own extra money to the IRS, but they do not want to. They probably want to spend their money on their own choice of charity. It is funny how that works out.

By: Earl Swift

Earl Swift — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:10:49 +0000

I have had these thoughts with the individual mandate. I am a healthy, young adult who does not want to spend my money on health care, but the government says that I have to buy it. So this is very beneficial to me at the cost of everyone who pays the mandate (and all of those other taxes). The mandate will not be enforceable unless I have a refund. Sure I can pay the penalty, but the IRS cannot get the money from me like they can for normal income tax. My automatic withdrawals are lowered as much as I can, and now I can ride the pre-existing conditions train. I love how self-interest works, and hopes everyone will act on his or her self-interest until the government wakes up.

By: AJs

AJs — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:08:55 +0000

Great way to turn it around Tom!

By: Friedrich Dominicus

Friedrich Dominicus — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:13:25 +0000

I’d say Libertarians should do whatever they can to harm governements of the current kind.

By: Tom Dougherty

Tom Dougherty — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:09:52 +0000

Let’s flip the argument. To those liberals and socialists who oppose markets and favor socialism, should they refuse to shop at privately owned businesses? Should they refuse to work for employers whom the means of production are owned by private individuals and not state owned? Should they refuse to use products produced by the private sector? If libertarian are to refuse the benefits of government then the statists should refuse the benefits of the market! Please flip the argument on those liberals and socialists who say libertarians are hypocrats.