We Should Not Be The World's Police Dog
Julian Sanchez' thinking mirrors mine. He writes at Cato on "Libya, Limited Government, and Imperfect Duties":
Glenn Greenwald observes that we're hearing a familiar false dilemma from advocates of intervention in Libya--the same one that was trotted out so frequently in the run-up to the war in Iraq: Either you support American military action, or you must be indifferent to the suffering of civilians under Qadaffi. Bracket for a moment the obvious empirical questions about the general efficacy of bombs as reliable means of alleviating suffering. What I find striking is the background assumption that whether the United States military has a role to play here is taken to be a simple function of how much we care about other people's suffering. One obvious answer is that caring or not caring simply doesn't come into it: That the function of the U.S. military is to protect the vital interests of the United States, and that it is for this specific purpose that billions of tax dollars are extracted from American citizens, and for which young men and women have volunteered to risk their lives. It is not a general-purpose pool of resources to be drawn on for promoting desirable outcomes around the world.A parallel argument is quite familiar on the domestic front, however. Pick any morally unattractive outcome or situation, and you will find someone ready to argue that if the federal government plausibly could do something to remedy it, then anyone who denies the federal government should act must simply be indifferent to the problem. My sense is that many more people tend to find this sort of argument convincing in domestic affairs precisely because we seem to have effectively abandoned the conception of the federal government as an entity with clear and defined powers and purposes.
And his thinking mirrors a Bastiat line I'm reminded of more and more these days -- that just because we don't think government should be doing a particular thing doesn't me we are opposed to it being done at all. Actually, I'll quote him:
"Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all. We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education. We object to a state religion. Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all. We object to a state-enforced equality. Then they say that we are against equality. And so on, and so on. It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain." -- Frédéric Bastiat (The Law)







While I agree that we shouldn't be the World Police, just who is it that every other nation turns to when they can't manage to take care of themselves? Us, that's who! So even though it shouldn't be our job, it's become our job via default. Because if we didn't do anything to help others, we'd be blamed for not stepping in, even though we also get critized for doing so. Catch-22, anyone?
Flynne at March 24, 2011 9:39 AM
I read an argument for conquering mexico the other day. They laid out some pretty rational ideas for why, in theory, it would solve a lot of problems for the both of us. I think if we're providing security for a country, we out to get to run them and tax them. Not that we're great at running ourselves right now, but hopefully we can get back there. I have faith yet.
momof4 at March 24, 2011 10:31 AM
I find that people do assume these things. It really is a rather sad state of affairs. I do Not want the government involved in my daily mundane life. Yet they are there. I don't need them to tell me how to behave. I do not need them telling me where my money is going to go. We should not be policing the world. We are spread so thin right now and so many are losing Years of their lives, if not their very lives, it is so wasteful. Does not mean I think we should not help people. I want the federal government out of education. I still want education available, but not controlled by the federal government.. and on and on..
I am definitely more libertarian than anything.
Melody at March 24, 2011 3:39 PM
Mr. Poe from Texas makes a very good point:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ocVj6UWiDI
Flynne at March 24, 2011 6:06 PM
BTW, please forgive my poor spelling of "criticized"!
Flynne at March 24, 2011 6:08 PM
I personally think we should not be in Libya. Iraq -- we broke it we bought. Afghanistan -- we should have gotten OBL's location within nuking distance and been done with it.
What if we had riots in Myrtle Beach wanting to overthrow the government and they started to move towards D.C. to continue their attempt. Then you have come in and start bombing the crap out of troops and government, without warning, what do you think the response of the U.S. government and population would be?
Jim P. at March 24, 2011 8:47 PM
Above should have been
Then you have <foriegn country> come in and start bombing the crap out of troops and government, without warning, what do you think the response of the U.S. government and population would be?
Jim P. at March 25, 2011 5:40 AM
Every parent who has lost a child in war should never ever have to pay income tax again. Ever. Then maybe American lives would be more valuable to the government.
kg at March 25, 2011 3:44 PM
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