From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Thu Sep 12 2002 - 21:44:53 MDT
> ### A heartfelt applause from me. I absolutely agree that a
> retreat from the
> world of politics is a losing position, rightly leading to privations,
> rather than privacy.
>
> Yet, a libertarian must remain acutely conscious of the fundamental
> wrongness of politics, which is the art and practice of using and
> manipulating organized social violence, lacking which
> political bodies would
> be merely discussion societies. Avoiding politics comes at
> the peril of
> death but for a libertarian the only legitimate use for politics is to
> reduce its overall impact on the society. Actual enjoyment of
> politics for
> its own sake might pervert this stance, just like a penchant
> for violence
> might change a professional soldier into a murderer. This is
> not the road I
> would take myself.
>
> Rafal
Rafal, do you think that, in some kind of libertarian paradise, you would be
utterly free of politics?
To have the kind of specialisation of tasks that underpins a modern society,
people necessarily cede power over some parts of their lives to other
people, voluntarily. Any time that someone cedes power to someone else, that
someone else has power over another person.
So even without a government monopoly on violence, you will still have
politicians, people whos job is the manipulation and exercise of power. In
private industry they are called managers.
Speaking as a techie, I work with (under?) several managers. These people
(the successful ones) are politicians, the more so the higher that you go.
It's necessary. When I find that I can trust them (sometimes), I volunarily
cede power to those people, so that they can take care of issues that, even
were I placed to handle them, I would manage poorly on my own.
If those people didn't enjoy what they do, then how good would they be at
it? I want people who are skilled, successful, and who care, to wield power
on my behalf.
btw, I'd also expect a professional soldier to enjoy their job, before I'd
trust my life to them.
Emlyn
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