From 179bae8345af6fcb47e9d0fb364e50e997019bc8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Colin Date: Wed, 18 May 2022 00:01:14 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] blog: anarchy: consider government benefits --- ...FT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md | 26 ++++++++++++++++--- 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/content/blog/2022-05-06-DRAFT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md b/content/blog/2022-05-06-DRAFT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md index 63977c7..62e7e62 100644 --- a/content/blog/2022-05-06-DRAFT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md +++ b/content/blog/2022-05-06-DRAFT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md @@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ the State is something most of us are simply born into. we take it foregranted, but why _does_ it exist? charitable takes first, uncharitable takes later in the article. a common explanation is that the State accomplishes things which individuals alone cannot, -and that these things are generally good. national defense; providing consistent/uniform expectations around rights; -education; perhaps a social safety net; +and that these things are generally good. national defense; public goods/infrastructure/education; +providing consistent/uniform expectations around rights; +perhaps a social safety net; maybe even harm-reduction via regulations around safety or medical treatments. generously: it's a tool by which we overcome large-scale coordination problems. @@ -43,8 +44,27 @@ but *is it* broadly effective at overcoming coordination problems? the irony is that US presidential approval has [averaged below 50%](https://news.gallup.com/poll/116677/presidential-approval-ratings-gallup-historical-statistics-trends.aspx) for two decades now. the believe that the federal government will "do what is right" has sat [below 50%](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/05/17/public-trust-in-government-1958-2021/) _for fifty years_. [since 2006](https://news.gallup.com/poll/244094/majority-say-third-party-needed.aspx) more American's than not believe neither of the big two parties do an adequate job of representing people, and that a third major party is needed. -if US democracy were broadly effective at overcoming coordination problems, then _surely_ it would enable these majority positions to coordinate at the very base level of its operation. +if US democracy were broadly effective at overcoming coordination problems, then it would be reasonable to expect that to apply to the very base level of its operation. +so what about the safety net role? in a polity _not_ experiencing population growth (most modern democracies), +social security is effectively just mandatory savings. without it, individuals who care to save _could_ save, +but they would be at a competitive disadvantage to those who choose not to save: rents would rise and eat into +the portion of income which would otherwise be dedicated to savings. this is an example of a government solution +to a coordination problem (whether you like the solution or not). + +other notable components of the safety net include unemployment payments, food banks/food stamps +and government-subsidized healthcare. + +of the public goods, K-12 education, parks, utilities and transportation infrastructure are largely +executed at the level of the city or state. though executed at these lower levels, funding +is to various degrees subsidized (via the federal government) by taxpayers of different locales. +the interstate highway system may the biggest example of infrastructure operated/maintained at the +state level but funded via the federal government. + +and then there's national defense: this operates almost entirely at the federal level. + +beyond goods/services, we move into the realm of law: the federal government recognizes certain +limits and bounds along which citizens can interact with each other. TODO: limits on violence; voluntary exchange; certifications/regulations (OSHA); drugs/bodily-autonomy; marriage; explain unions and relate them back to OSHA. ### Notes (TODO: delete)