Am I A Libertarian Animal Person, Redux

So I redid the quiz at Politopia.com because I didn’t believe I could be a Libertarian, and damn it, I got the same answer.

Because the quiz doesn’t have any questions about animals, and because Libertarians directly address only the rights of human beings (see yesterday for more on that), I reserve the right to label myself.

Here’s the rub:

• In theory, I think liberty is a great idea.
• The central issue in whether I (or anyone) could ever support the kind of liberty Libertarians want, is no smaller than–What is the nature of human beings?
  1. If you think we are all basically good, and behave accordingly whether alone or in a group, you’d think liberty is a magnificent idea.
  2. If you think we are all basically good, and behave accordingly when we are alone but not necessarily when we are in groups (can you say Lord of the Flies?), then total liberty isn’t practical, because groups need rules in order to prevent their individual members from becoming savages.
  3. If you think we aren’t all basically good, you definitely think liberty isn’t going to work, because we need to be told what is right, and we need whatever we have determined to be right, to be enforced (by whatever means necessary, including punishment and taxation).
  4. Numbers 2 and 3 are highly-dependent on some group that gets to write the rules.

I worry about how people behave in groups. Go to a football game, a futbol game, or a bull fight, and see how savage people can be when the energy of the group whips them up into a murderous frenzy.

And that’s all supposed to be entertainment.

It would seem, then, that I’m a fan of rules, as people cannot be trusted.

But when I think about who gets elected to write the
rules, I’m faced with the reality that US citizens aren’t exercising their right to vote as
much as they should, and (also because of campaign finance issues) the
people who make the rules don’t represent the interests of the majority
of the people. (This is where some say we get what we deserve.)

Furthermore, because of subsidies, the interests of businesses aren’t fairly treated, either. (Let’s not forget that the goverment rewards cruelty to animals through subsidizing factory farming.) And the environment suffers, as well, because our government is, by far, the biggest polluter, with the fewest consequences, in the country.

Do I want to decrease the reach of this government because it has demonstrated irresponsibility and unfairness? Of course.

Am I a Libertarian Animal Person?

Anyone, anyone . . . Bueller, Bueller . . .