Why I Am Not a Libertarian

Last updated on: August 10, 2012 at 12:24 am by Libby Anne

Why I Am Not a Libertarian 2012-08-10T00:24:35-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I was raised in an environment that combines economic libertarianism with the goals of the religious right. We were for ending government regulation of business, but banning abortion and regulating divorce. Economics = get the government OUT. Morals = get the government IN. Strange, I know, but somehow it made sense to me at the time. This post is not about this inconsistency, though, but about why I am no longer a libertarian.

My father taught me that if the government would just get out of the economy, the free market and capitalism would result in a truly fair and vibrant system based entirely on merit. You should stop subsidizing poor people, because they’re only poor because they’re lazy and if they didn’t get handouts they would actually get jobs and work hard and better themselves. You should stop taxing the rich more, because the rich got where they are through innovation and hard work and deserve their higher incomes. It was a very “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality. If the government got out of the economy, good ideas and hard workers would float to the top while lazy people would float to the bottom.

This idea makes sense until you realize that people don’t start at the same starting points. Some people are born with privilege, and others are born with disadvantage. Consider these two examples:

Bob is born to a poor family. His father left before he was born, and his mother works several minimum wage jobs just to put food on the table. Bob’s mother never graduated from high school, and the public school Bob attends is old and run down. There is no computer lab, and no funds to build one. It’s the kind of school where teacher turnover is high and student achievement is low. Bob’s mother does what she can, but life is hard and college seems out of reach. Bob starts working minimum wage jobs, enjoying the independence a little extra money gives him, and his grades, which were never high to begin with, dip lower. He toys with the idea of dropping out of high school.

Jared is born to an upper middle class family. Both of his parents have college degrees and good stable jobs, and they send him to the best preschool they can find. The public school he attends is a large suburban school with computer labs, swimming pools, and every activity you can think of. Jared’s parents encourage him to work hard academically, and help him with his homework. Jared’s parents take him to science museums and on field trips, and he grows up with college as an expectation. Jared wants to take an after school job to make some extra money, but his parents tell him that his grades should be his first priority, and offer to pay him for good grades so he’ll have extra spending money.

I’m not saying that both Bob and Jared can’t succeed. What I’m saying is that Bob would have to expend a great deal of effort to succeed while Jared almost can’t fail. The two boys start at very, very different starting points. This is why I’m not a libertarian. (Actually this is just the first reason – I also happen to believe that the government can do some things, like education, police departments, and health care more equitably and efficiently than can the free market – but that’s the subject of another post.)

I have succeeded in life, but I’ve had a lot going in my favor. I was raised in the upper middle class by educated parents who valued education and encouraged my academic pursuits. Sure I’ve worked hard, but is it any wonder I’ve succeeded academically? I am white, so I haven’t had to deal with the prejudice that, while much subtler than fifty years ago, still does exist. My parents stayed together, so I didn’t have to deal with the instability of a broken home. I know and readily admit that I haven’t succeeded only through my own merit. Had I been born to a different family in a different situation, my life would have been very different. I might have placed no value on school, I might have gotten pregnant and dropped out, I might have ended up working minimum wage jobs to make ends meet.

I am not a libertarian because the rich aren’t necessarily rich because they’ve worked hard to get there and the poor aren’t necessarily poor because they’re lazy. It’s not that we shouldn’t reward wealthy people for the hard work that they do (being a CEO is no picnic!) or that poor people can’t work their way up (it’s not easy, but they can!), but simply that we need to recognize people start at different starting points and have different advantages and disadvantages. This is why we have the social safety network that we have, imperfect as it is. We recognize that the rich can afford to give back to society by paying more in taxes, and that the poor may need a leg up. Can our system be improved? Sure! But should it be dismantled? No!

I was very encouraged to see the following tumbler feed today: We are the 1% and we stand with the 99%. Read some of these testimonials. These people get it. Here are some examples:

Politics

Social Justice

libertarianism

Previous Post

October 15, 2011

A Self-Created Problem

Next Post

October 19, 2011 David Barton, Pseudohistorian

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the Roman governor who sentenced Jesus to be crucified?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Herod Felix Agrippa Pontius Pilate