libertarian purity
I knew I wouldn't get a perfect score on Bryan Caplin's Libertarian Purity Test, but I was pleasantly surprised by Caplan's last-minute qualification:
If you want to take his test, I suggest you do so now, before reading a "good libertarian objection" or three ...
... I'll just wait for you here ...
OK, here they are:
No. School vouchers are a way to expand government's regulatory power. Private schools and homeschools are regulated now. Vouchers would make them even more so. Would the vouchers improve government schools? I definitely suspect they would. Would they improve education overall? I definitely suspect that they would have the opposite effect. Are they at least a legitimate half-measure in a libertarian direction? Definitely not. A half-measure moves you forward, even if only minutely. Vouchers are a move backward.
For more on the history of state-regulation and control of schooling, see Murray Rothbard's Education: Free & Compulsory.
(T ^ F = F, for those familiar with boolean logical notation.)
Saying that the monetary base should be frozen may sound like a good idea, since Fed manipulation of the monetary base is so clearly evil, but having the Fed freeze the monetary base is like saying the US military should go to the other side of the world and take out evil dictators. No need to give the state a mandate in either case. Should the Fed stop expanding the monetary base? Yes. Should the government have the power to police the size of the monetary base in order to keep it frozen? Definitely not.
Note, however:
Your score is...[emphasis added]152
131-159 points: You are nearly a perfect libertarian, with a tiny number of blind spots. Think about them, then take the test over again. On the other hand, if you scored this high, you probably have a good libertarian objection to my suggested libertarian answer. :-)
If you want to take his test, I suggest you do so now, before reading a "good libertarian objection" or three ...
... I'll just wait for you here ...
OK, here they are:
- Would school vouchers be an improvement over government schools?
No. School vouchers are a way to expand government's regulatory power. Private schools and homeschools are regulated now. Vouchers would make them even more so. Would the vouchers improve government schools? I definitely suspect they would. Would they improve education overall? I definitely suspect that they would have the opposite effect. Are they at least a legitimate half-measure in a libertarian direction? Definitely not. A half-measure moves you forward, even if only minutely. Vouchers are a move backward.For more on the history of state-regulation and control of schooling, see Murray Rothbard's Education: Free & Compulsory.
- Would housing vouchers be an improvement over government housing?
- Should all of the Federal Reserve's discretionary powers be eliminated and the monetary base frozen?
(T ^ F = F, for those familiar with boolean logical notation.)
Saying that the monetary base should be frozen may sound like a good idea, since Fed manipulation of the monetary base is so clearly evil, but having the Fed freeze the monetary base is like saying the US military should go to the other side of the world and take out evil dictators. No need to give the state a mandate in either case. Should the Fed stop expanding the monetary base? Yes. Should the government have the power to police the size of the monetary base in order to keep it frozen? Definitely not.
Note, however:
- Should the Fed be abolished and replaced with free banking and privately-issued money?
2 Comments:
Lew Rockwell is one point less libertarian, according to this test.
Damn...only 90...a lousy 90! I think I'll skulk away now. Bye.
Post a Comment
<< Home