Did you know that you can get bees to make more honey by only putting 9 frames into a honey super box instead of the 10 that usually fit in there? I can illustrate a libertarian point about voluntaryism with this example.
There are less frames, but the bees then take advantage of the extra space in between those frames to draw out. The end result of having thicker, deeper cells per frame? Heavier, more honey-filled cells. This little "trick" has been used for at least a century now in conjunction with the Langstroth hive. It's no secret.
How does this relate to the libertarian concept of volunteryism? People give more when it is their choice to do so. after centuries of government mandated social program participation, there is plenty of evidence to show that people who are coerced or mandated to participate end up giving only the minimum demanded of them for the most part.
The result? It takes more people to generate the same numbers as the amount that can be generated by fewer, voluntary participants who give more because giving was their decision in the first place.
People who are libertarian minded are not against helping their fellow man. They are not against the idea of social nets to help those who fall through the cracks or fall on hard times. They are opposed to being forced to give what they have earned to people who they never chose to give it to.
Ayn Rand used the terms "selfish" a lot. She was not advocating only thinking and doing for yourself and to hell with everyone else. She was making the point that people must be able to live their own lives, make their own choices for their own reasons and participate as they choose to do so. There is nothing wrong and everything right with living your life as you determine. It's in the Declaration of Independence it is such an important concept.
Look at all the facebook memes. See how many people post things about how not to let other people control you. Do the work you love and want to do and not let society or your Dad or anyone else make you be someone you don't want to be.
How many of the people who post those things are also the same people who will turn around and scream that "there oughtta be a law" to make people do things like participate in a government run safety net that is easily abused by those not in need, but find it easier to do the minimum to be taken care of by the government. Those people do exist and the libertarian just wants to decide for themself who it is they donate to, if they do donate.
The government cannot and will not make better decisions about how to live your life or spend your money than you can. You might suck at doing those things too, but trusting the government to do it is just letting the blind lead the blind,
Libertarian voluntaryism and making more honey on 9 frames. Sometimes less really is more.
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