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[tori-dobbs.livejournal.com]

Comments

Re: It applies here too.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

should there be a public monopoly on national defense?

Discuss.

Re: It applies here too.

[terminator44.livejournal.com]

An interesting question. A more question more to the point would be: Can there NOT be a public monopoly on national defense? Who would pay for fighter aircraft, tanks, and nuclear missiles in a anarchist society (assuming an anarchist society can exist)? After all, since the threat of invasion is collective for a community, most individuals wouldn't see the benefit to themselves, so nobody would want to pay for it. This phenomenon is known as the Free Rider Problem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_rider_problem). Even if some people did pay, what of those who do not pay?

The monopoly of the USPS on letter mail is much different. Letter delivery is a desirable service to the recipient and the recipient alone. It is far easier for a mail truck to not deliver letters to non-paying customers than for a military to refuse to defend territory owned by those who did not pay into it. The two aren't the same situation, so try to stay on topic.

Re: It applies here too.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

I think they're far more similar then you think. They both require a great deal of coordination, large numbers of people, equipment and dedicated time.

But then, I don't see every single thing the government does (except bombing brown people) as some sort of thievery, so...

Re: It applies here too.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

Just because I don't like what the DoD is doing, doesn't mean I think it should be contracted out to private companies. Blackwater wasn't exactly a bunch of angels in Iraq, and there was, if possible, even LESS accountability for them.

Re: It applies here too.

[terminator44.livejournal.com]

They both require a great deal of coordination, large numbers of people, equipment and dedicated time.

Private enterprise isn't capable of providing these things? I didn't argue that PMCs couldn't replace the military, but that they likely would not. By contrast, UPS and FedEx would almost certainly compete with the USPS with letter delivery service if only they could. You have not explained why they should be prevented from doing so. Instead, you have changed the subject.