What Libertarians Do

[FBM]

Recently, while I was working in the flower beds in the front yard, my
neighbors stopped to chat as they returned home from walking their dog.
During our friendly conversation, I asked their little girl what she wanted
to be when she grows up.
She said she wanted to be President some day.
Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her,
"If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"
She replied... "I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people."
Her parents beamed with pride!
"Wow...what a worthy goal!" I said. "But you don't have to wait until
you're President to do that!" I told her.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
So I told her, "You can come over to my house and mow the lawn,
pull weeds, and trim my hedge, and I'll pay you $50. Then you can go
over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you
can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house."
She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in
the eye and asked, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do
the work, and you can just pay him the $50?"
I said, "Welcome to Libertarianism"
Her parents aren't speaking to me.

A story for/from simpletons.

Gallstones is far, far from being a simpleton, eX.

But the example is over-simplified. For me, one missing part of this story is if the homeless person has physical or mental problems and has fallen through the numerous gaping cracks in the health care system. I saw dozens of cases like that when I worked as a counselor in an adolescent rehab facility. Many of them suffered from years of abuse and neglect first by their parents, then by the so-called social services and healthcare providers.

[Warren Dew]

A story for/from simpletons.

Gallstones is far, far from being a simpleton, eX.

Maybe the target audience is people who don't like libertarians.

[MrJonno]

Yeah there is a massive job market for people paying $50 to get people to do their gardens.

Real libertarianism is either to forcible make the children of poor to do it for $1 or even better make them do it for nothing as they are on welfare (cheaper than giving them the minimum wage)

[Rum]

The Arts are supported big time by government subsidies, at least here in Europe. Would Shakespeare ever be shown if it was all down to simple supply and demand? Would it matter?

[amused]

If Libertarian systems were at all viable there would be at least one country that would have embraced it by now.

The market has spoken.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

If Libertarian systems were at all viable there would be at least one country that would have embraced it by now.

The market has spoken.

You're forgetting Lesotho.

[Coito ergo sum]

Yeah there is a massive job market for people paying $50 to get people to do their gardens.

In the US there is, actually. Lawn services are in pretty high demand and can be quite expensive. Even to get a teenager to mow a small lawn is $20-$25 now, and that is without any weeding, hedge trimming, or other stuff - just to cut the grass.

Real libertarianism is either to forcible make the children of poor to do it for $1 or even better make them do it for nothing as they are on welfare (cheaper than giving them the minimum wage)

Now there is a statement born of ignorance.

[Audley Strange]

The Arts are supported big time by government subsidies, at least here in Europe. Would Shakespeare ever be shown if it was all down to simple supply and demand? Would it matter?

Good question and to be honest I think one of Elitism. It seems to me they are getting subsidies under the guise of "bringing the arts to the masses" of whom about 7 are interested in such, but really they want it subsidised because they would often not be profitable to produce on behalf of a tiny percentage of the population, but that tiny percent are the ones who really want to keep it an exclusive club, despite their claims.

Trust me, if a bunch of Chavs wanted to go and see an ethnic contemporary dance production about the dangers of Female genital mutilation, they probably wouldn't even get past the doorway of the ICA.

Should they be subsidised? I don't think so. Would it mean less art in our schools and theatres, perhaps, but honestly, I don't think anyone outside of a percentage of Guardian and Telegraph readers care whether it is or not.

[MrJonno]

In the US there is, actually. Lawn services are in pretty high demand and can be quite expensive. Even to get a teenager to mow a small lawn is $20-$25 now, and that is without any weeding, hedge trimming, or other stuff - just to cut the grass.

Sorry in the middle of a recession don't believe you, maybe there are some really rich people who are paying their rich friends kids money to do to teach them the value of 'work' .

Sounds like the plenty shop jobs going rubbish (its probably easier to get into university then it is to get a job on a till without a lot of experience)

[Azathoth]

Recently, while I was working in the flower beds in the front yard, my
neighbors stopped to chat as they returned home from walking their dog.
During our friendly conversation, I asked their little girl what she wanted
to be when she grows up.
She said she wanted to be President some day.
Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her,
"If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"
She replied... "I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people."
Her parents beamed with pride!
"Wow...what a worthy goal!" I said. "But you don't have to wait until
you're President to do that!" I told her.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
So I told her, "You can come over to my house and mow the lawn,
pull weeds, and trim my hedge, and I'll pay you $50. Then you can go
over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you
can give him $1 so he can eat today."
She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in
the eye and asked, "Fuck off it's my dollar"
I said, "Welcome to Libertarianism"
Her parents aren't speaking to me.

[Rum]

The Arts are supported big time by government subsidies, at least here in Europe. Would Shakespeare ever be shown if it was all down to simple supply and demand? Would it matter?

Good question and to be honest I think one of Elitism. It seems to me they are getting subsidies under the guise of "bringing the arts to the masses" of whom about 7 are interested in such, but really they want it subsidised because they would often not be profitable to produce on behalf of a tiny percentage of the population, but that tiny percent are the ones who really want to keep it an exclusive club, despite their claims.

Trust me, if a bunch of Chavs wanted to go and see an ethnic contemporary dance production about the dangers of Female genital mutilation, they probably wouldn't even get past the doorway of the ICA.

Should they be subsidised? I don't think so. Would it mean less art in our schools and theatres, perhaps, but honestly, I don't think anyone outside of a percentage of Guardian and Telegraph readers care whether it is or not.

There is an element of elitism I agree with you, but I deliberately avoided that word in my comment because it is elitism with a difference. I am not a cultural relativist. Macbeth is better than East Enders. Mozart is better than Boyzone as far as I am concerned.

So maybe it is about education rather than entertainment for the elite. It is that too no doubt, but I will never forget taking my daughter to see Midsummer Night's Dream in Stratford on Avon when we lived near there, when she was about 8. Her face lit up and she enjoyed Shakespeare from that day on. And we aren't part of any elite unless you call a middle class guy with a decent education that.

[Coito ergo sum]

In the US there is, actually. Lawn services are in pretty high demand and can be quite expensive. Even to get a teenager to mow a small lawn is $20-$25 now, and that is without any weeding, hedge trimming, or other stuff - just to cut the grass.

Sorry in the middle of a recession don't believe you, maybe there are some really rich people who are paying their rich friends kids money to do to teach them the value of 'work' .

Sounds like the plenty shop jobs going rubbish (its probably easier to get into university then it is to get a job on a till without a lot of experience)

Well, you don't live here.

In Tampa, Florida, and the surrounding area, lawn services are in high demand. Offices use them. condo and townhouse complexes use them. And, individual homeowners use them.

They're all over the place. It's not just the "really rich" people. Middle class -- people with jobs, who don't want to spend their weekends toiling in the yard.

[MrJonno]

Not convinced people who are hire gardeners are 'middle class', they are definitely people with a lot of money spare

[Gawdzilla Sama]

We pay to have the lawn done, to avoid having an pile of old fat guy out behind the garage after Ayaan leaves for work.

[Coito ergo sum]

Not convinced people who are hire gardeners are 'middle class', they are definitely people with a lot of money spare

It's very common in the U.S.