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I’m getting some hostile vibes here, and that’s not really the tone I’m going for.

As for cutting driving regulations: I’m okay cutting some, but not all. One thing that makes me left libertarian is that I believe the government has an absolute right to interfere with gross negligence. That is, if you live in an area prone to wildfires and you decide to have a bonfire, the fire department is perfectly justified in coming and shutting that shit down. Maybe you had it under control, maybe you didn’t, but the risk to the life and property of those around you is too high to leave to chance. Likewise with drunk driving, the state has a right to prevent likely damage to other’s persons and property due to risky behavior, and until civil lawsuits can unburn houses and bring people back from the dead, I don’t see my view changing there. Cars are really dangerous, and speaking from 13 years of EMS experience, big, lifted trucks are really dangerous. Having some regulations to make sure people aren’t constantly killing each other and destroying private and public property is a pretty reasonable ask, imo. Also, as a sidebar and not an argument for regulation, I’ve owned a few trucks and I think the trend towards mutant minivan truckzillas is about the stupidest thing going on in modern automobiles. But that’s just a personal opinion rather than a political position.

Free markets include the freedom to fail, that’s true, but can it truly be said to be a free market when we’ve rigged it the way we have? What realistic alternative do you have to a car for getting around your town or city, or for commuting? Ask yourself, how would life change for you if you couldn’t take a car where you needed to go; do you have some other viable alternative? Free markets generally require the freedom to choose between different options and/or non-participation, but transport is a necessity for a lot of people, and we’ve deliberately engineered our cities so that there’s just one practical choice. That’s not a free market.

As for Roman roads: Rome didn’t have Amazon Prime. Damage to roads increases quadratically according to vehicle weight, and high vehicle speeds also create increased damage, though not to the same extent. You want roads that last as long as Rome’s? Return to donkey carts, or support expanded freight rail shipping and take more long and mid-haul semis off the road.

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TJD@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

I’m getting some hostile vibes here, and that’s not really the tone I’m going for.

Apologies, I’m not good at tone over text. Hostility wasn’t my goal.

One thing that makes me left libertarian is that I believe the government has an absolute right to interfere with gross negligence

I’m of the inverse opinion, largely why I’m not a leftist. I believe the government has no legitimate place inserting itself into people’s personal affairs because something bad might happen. I’d rather bear increased risk if it means the government isn’t the one telling me how to go about my life.

and until civil lawsuits can unburn houses and bring people back from the dead, I don’t see my view changing there.

And I’m fine agreeing to disagree here. Just figured I’d toss in my two cents since you seemed interested in discussion.

Also, as a sidebar and not an argument for regulation, I’ve owned a few trucks and I think the trend towards mutant minivan truckzillas is about the stupidest thing going on in modern automobiles. But that’s just a personal opinion rather than a political position.

Similarly non political, I just think they’re cool. The cheaper of the two f-numbered raptors I want to own at some point.

Free markets include the freedom to fail, that’s true, but can it truly be said to be a free market when we’ve rigged it the way we have?

I fully agree that we currently don’t have much of a free market at all, but I don’t think the solution is to try and counter it with more non-free market policies in the other direction. I want the markets freed, and to let it balance itself out.

Ask yourself, how would life change for you if you couldn’t take a car where you needed to go; do you have some other viable alternative?

Depends how loosely you define viable. I full well took a job with no transit options because I would rather drive anyway. Not exactly like you can run too many transit options onto a military base anyway, security and all that crap.

As for Roman roads: Rome didn’t have Amazon Prime. Damage to roads increases quadratically according to vehicle weight, and high vehicle speeds also create increased damage, though not to the same extent.

So Amazon can pave the roads then if they’re unsatisfied with the quality. Or Walmart. Or whatever logistics company is interested in spending that money. Remember when dominoes went out and did road maintenance? That should be our standard. People who want it do it, and those who don’t, don’t. Me? I’m perfectly fine with just throwing gravel into potholes whenever they arise, and leaving it at that. We don’t really need everything to be all pristine as if it’s an f1 track or something. Good enough is just that. Good enough.

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- conditional_soup@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Ah, I see, thanks for clarifying. So, you’re an anarchocapitalists, then? I have a good friend of the same persuasion. Suffice it to say, I’ve done enough rounds with him to know where my own views as well as a fair estimate of yours on those points. I don’t think there’s any policies I can suggest that you’d be interested in, except for the removal of oil and coal subsidies.
  
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  - TJD@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    
    So, you’re an anarchocapitalists, then?
    
    I wish. Unfortunately, I’m stuck in “reality” or something, and anarcho-anything is just a recipe for whoever does support government (or a functional equivalent) fucking you over. I’m more of a “government is a necessary evil” right-libertarian. That is, I believe the government should exist, but it should only do so with an extremely limited scope of function. International relations and a justice system, at the bare minimum, with the sole purpose of upholding individual rights.
    
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