Philippines: A Libertarians Dilemma

Libertarians (different than Librarians) believe that less government is better.

The Philippine however, by its negative example, makes the other side of the argument.  A successful society, it turns out, needs some general rules  of human interaction that are respected by all.  There need to be some rules about things like Zoning, Property Title, Helmet Laws, Building Codes and Pollution.

My observation is that the people in the Philippines are intelligent, creative, motivated to improve their lot and friendly.  The government on the other hand is ineffectual, corruptible and largely irrelevant.  The rich buy privileges and exemptions from the law so everybody else feels justified in ignoring laws that add cost to there lives without immediate benefit.

Wire anarchy

Motorcycle helmet are a good example.  There are laws requiring helmets that the police don’t enforce and so nobody wears them.

A cow, a pig and three men on a tricycle

The resort at Sabang Beach is the best example.

An undeveloped beach near Sabang

Title disputes caused the beautiful beach to be sold and resorts, stores and clubs to be built on a series of alleys.  Now there is an unplanned town where the beach used to be.

Sabang Beach today

There is no sewer system, no road and no beach.

Runoff

I tend to be a Libertarian and always look for nongovernmental solutions to the issues of the day.  I always see evidence that the government is a blunt instrument and should be used sparing to solve the delicate problems of society.  But the Philippines has shown me an example of a society that is less civil than ours because it has less enforced or enforceable laws.  As usual the solution is probably somewhere in the middle.

In the meantime the people of the Philippines are voting with their feet and leaving.  More than 15% of working age Philippinios are working outside the country.  This is an example of why I support an increased right of people to migrate.  Responsible people should not have to stay under the control of irresponsible governments.  You can see a lot more of my thoughts on this subject on RadicalImmigration.com