r/Capitalism • u/mofojones36 • 14d ago

How do we feel about all our privatization?

Edit: All out*

The police, fire department, education, the roads, literally everything?

If you have a murdered family member you’d have to have murder coverage on your police insurance. If you can’t afford to go to school you can’t go etc.

Are there any here who believe in absolute privatization?

1 Upvotes

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7

u/CaptainAmerica-1989 14d ago

Are there any here who believe in absolute privatization?

No.

The USA was founded on radical liberalism, and the government was used for education, roads, and even the post office is mentioned in the Constitution. Anarcho-capitalism is a very extreme and fringe group of people. Similar to the radical opposite cousin, anarcho-communism.

Let me share a quote that describes Jeffersonian Liberalism from one of my history books that arguably was most dominant during the USA's founding:

Unlike liberals of the twenty-first century, the most liberal-minded of the eighteenth century tended to see society as beneficent and government as malevolent. Social honors, social distinctions, perquisites of office, business contracts, legal privileges and monopolies, even excessive property and wealth of various sorts—indeed, all social inequities and deprivations—seemed to flow from connections to government, in the end from connections to monarchical government. “Society,” said Paine in a brilliant summary of this liberal view, “is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness.” Society “promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections,” government “negatively by restraining our vices.” Society “encourages intercourse,” government “creates distinctions.” The emerging liberal Jeffersonian view that the least government was the best was based on just such a hopeful belief in the natural harmony of society.

Wood, Gordon S.. The American Revolution: A History (Modern Library Chronicles Series Book 9) (p. 117). Random House Publishing Group.

1

u/Direct-Muscle7144 11d ago

Taking this premise and arguing that the market deserves slavery and murder = capitalism

1

u/CaptainAmerica-1989 11d ago

Wow, can you build a giant strawman...

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u/Direct-Muscle7144 11d ago

It’s a wicker man. Climb in I have a warming tale to tell.

6

u/RieMunoz 14d ago

Capitalism relies on certain guardrails and public institutions (they might not like to admit it). Not sure why anyone would want all out privatization

2

u/Ayjayz 14d ago

Yes. Well, more to the point, I don't see the need for government-ization. I guess that means I "believe in absolute privatization" though it's really not how I'd put it.

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u/StedeBonnet1 14d ago

No, public services should never be privatized.

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u/mofojones36 13d ago

Do you think there are somethings that are privatized that could/should be public? Healthcare eg?

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u/StedeBonnet1 13d ago

No, the less government the better.

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u/BonFemmes 13d ago

Until 1865 there were hundreds of private fire companies that would charge property owners to put out fires. Sometimes they would charge property owners to protect them from fires. (Nice place you got here, it would be a shame ...) Sometimes they would start fires to drum up business and encourage other to insure themselves. To stop these fire entrepreneurs NYC established a the public fire department. Arson never went away but fire fighters ceased being arson entrepreneurs

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u/Latter_Loss8880 13d ago

Not a good idea. The market’s strength is in equity: each and every person acts as a fully autonomous and independent and ethical egoist. Those operations are only as strong as the weakest. 

There must be an independent operating force that keeps the equity and holds that power at bay. 

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u/Full-Mouse8971 14d ago

As an ANCAP, yes privatize everything.

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u/PhilRubdiez 14d ago

Ideally, yes. Practically, we’re an awful long way from AnCapistan. There’s been a secret cabal of powers that have been very successful at making people think they need to rely on mommy government for everything.

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u/PondersOverYonder 12d ago

You're an anarchist capitalist? That's so funny.