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Clever Article Poking Fun at Libertarians
Townhall.com ^ | April 26, 2014 | Daniel J. Mitchell

Posted on 04/26/2014 8:01:06 AM PDT by Kaslin

Whenever I find clever political humor, I like to share with readers.

And because I’m confident in the superiority of liberty over statism, I’m even amused when I find jokes that target my libertarian philosophy. After all, only dour people are unable to laugh at themselves.

Indeed, I’m actually disappointed that I rarely find any good jokes about advocates of small government. I haven’t found any good anti-libertarian humor since this cartoon last January.

I can gladly report, though, that the drought has ended.

Writing for The New Yorker, Tom O’Donnell has some fun at the expense of libertarians.

He has an article on the adventures of a “Libertarian Police Department,” told from the perspective of a patrolman.

I was shooting heroin and reading “The Fountainhead” in the front seat of my privately owned police cruiser when a call came in. I put a quarter in the radio to activate it.

It seems that some bitcoins (much loved by libertarians) were stolen!

“…Somebody just stole four hundred and forty-seven million dollars’ worth of bitcoins.” The heroin needle practically fell out of my arm. “What kind of monster would do something like that? Bitcoins are the ultimate currency: virtual, anonymous, stateless. They represent true economic freedom, not subject to arbitrary manipulation by any government. Do we have any leads?”

The patrolman rushes to the scene, seeing if someone will pay to solve the crime.

Ten minutes later, I was on the scene. It was a normal office building, strangled on all sides by public sidewalks. I hopped over them and went inside. …“Now, which one of you punks is going topay me to investigate this crime?” No one spoke up. “Come on,” I said. “Don’t you all understand that the protection of private property is the foundation of all personal liberty?” It didn’t seem like they did.

But our private sector libertarian cop eventually finds a suspect and tries to catch him while dealing with the daunting challenge of government-owned sidewalks!

“Stop right there!” I yelled as I ran. He was faster than me because I always try to avoid stepping on public sidewalks. Our country needs a private-sidewalk voucher system, but, thanks to the incestuous interplay between our corrupt federal government and the public-sidewalk lobby, it will never happen.

The suspect eventually is caught…and confesses that he is part of the “Ben Bernank” club.

…the man yelled, throwing down his weapon. “I give up, cop! I confess: I took the bitcoins.” “Why’d you do it?” I asked… “Because I was afraid…Afraid of an economic future free from the pernicious meddling of central bankers,” he said. “I’m a central banker.” …I shook my head. “Let this be a message to all your central-banker friends out on the street,” I said. “No matter how many bitcoins you steal, you’ll never take away the dream of an open society based on the principles of personal and economic freedom.” He nodded, because he knew I was right. Then he swiped his credit card to pay me for arresting him.

I suggest you read the entire article. It’s not very long, and it delivers some good jabs. Sort of like this collage about the 24 different types of libertarians.

But I suppose I should make a serious point at this stage.

The author is really mocking anarcho-capitalists (just like this Somalia video), yet I suspect that the vast majority of libertarians are in the small-government camp rather than the no-government camp. In other words, they wouldn’t mind a very small government that focused on matters such as life, liberty, and property.

So tracking down bitcoin thieves would be a legitimate function of government!

More specifically, the goal of libertarianism is to make government small and focused so it can effectively carry out its legitimate responsibilities.

P.S. For more libertarian humor, here’s a cartoon on libertarian ice fishing and another showing libertarian lifeguards.

And the “think I do” montage is a classic, as well as this post about “libertarian problems.”

P.P.S. To see if you’re an anarcho-capitalist rather than a small-government libertarian, take this online quiz.

P.P.P.S. Here’s another photo with the PotL. We’re outside of the Royal Palace and looking over Monaco’s yacht harbor.

photo1

Monaco is a very rich place and there is no income tax (just like the system that used to exist someplace else). One wonders whether our leftist friends will ever see the connection.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: libertarian
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To: ansel12

Like I said, it ain’t deep. It’s just who you are. Embrace your inner fascist....


41 posted on 04/28/2014 8:43:15 PM PDT by freebilly
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To: freebilly

Care to explain which post brought out all this childish and unexplained passion?


42 posted on 04/28/2014 10:45:31 PM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: ansel12

There your posts. Look them up....


43 posted on 04/29/2014 1:27:07 AM PDT by freebilly
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To: freebilly

No, it is your childish and emotional passion on display, which of my posts so messed with your life that you have gone off like this?


44 posted on 04/29/2014 10:36:39 AM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: ansel12

I’m supposed to go back and look at your posts now and tell you which ones upset me...?! You think about yourself a bit too much, and you must think I G.A.S. about you. I’d rather not go back and review your posts. I don’t have that much time on your hands. Let’s just agree to part as civilly or uncivilly as you’d like. Neither of us has anything of importance to say to each other....


45 posted on 04/29/2014 10:28:55 PM PDT by freebilly
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To: freebilly

If you can’t remember what made you behave so childishly then it couldn’t have been worth all your anger.

I can tell you though that it wasn’t one of my posts to you, it was merely your reaction to someone who disagrees with libertarianism.

Libertarians tend to react emotionally and angrily to someone who sees through the game, it frustrates them.


46 posted on 04/29/2014 10:53:11 PM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: ansel12

You know what? I’ve decided to go back and review your posts for today, 4/29/2013. I’ve listed them below. In 11-1/2 hours you’ve posted 61 times. That’s 5.3 times/hour or once every 11.32 minutes.

Let’s extrapolate— You’re either unemployed or you’re or very little value to your employer. You’re either not married or of very little value to your spouse. You have no children or of of no value to them. You spend your time attacking libertarians, but you should spend your time getting a life.

I’ve a wife and 6 children. I have no time for people who post on Freerepublic once every 11.32 minutes.

You, sir, need to step away from the computer, pick up a hobby, and maybe invite a nice woman out to dinner....

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47 posted on 04/29/2014 11:06:11 PM PDT by freebilly
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To: freebilly

Yeah, that is typical for a libertarian, they can’t find answers, so they get very, very, angry, and emotional, I seem to have become quite important in your life.

Libertarians tend behave in that manner.


48 posted on 04/29/2014 11:10:13 PM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: ansel12

63....


49 posted on 04/29/2014 11:14:16 PM PDT by freebilly
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To: freebilly

Yet you can’t find the post on this little thread, that set you off and made you so angry and child like, and increasingly creepy?


50 posted on 04/29/2014 11:19:11 PM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: ansel12

64....


51 posted on 04/29/2014 11:19:53 PM PDT by freebilly
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To: freebilly

LOL!


52 posted on 04/29/2014 11:24:11 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: cynwoody

Nuclear option....


53 posted on 04/29/2014 11:26:38 PM PDT by freebilly
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