http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QDv4sYwjO0

"Government isn't the solution to your problems, Government IS the problem and now you have cholera"

I would love to take some of the more fringe members of the Libertarian Party (whose views I don't necessarily agree with), some folks from the Ayn Rand institute, the producers of this video, and you, lock everybody up in a room, and watch the fur fly!

Love the video, especially Herr Beck.

All kidding aside, amongst the comments to this video, there was some good discussion.

The video itself lampoons the extreme positions that Libertarian think tanks and similar organizations sometimes take. In my opinion, the video is intended to be provocative and should not be taken too seriously. The two linked articles--especially the first--give insights into the viewpoint that is being mocked. See Stateless in Somalia and Loving It and The Anarchy Advantage In Somalia. When I talk about my frustrations with people in the Libertarian Party who engage in ideology for ideology's sake, I am thinking of stuff like this. I am a skeptic towards movements to grow the scope of the public sector; however, I am not an advocate for anarchy.

Here is a related anecdote from the late '80s, when my brother and I were in junior high: drawing anarchy symbols or wearing shirts sporting these symbols had become trendy at our school, particularly amongst skaters. A few teachers had become upset and concerned about the symbol's growing popularity. My brother's seventh grade social studies teacher decided that it would be a good idea to get the kids to think about the meaning of these symbols by talking about them in class: "What do you think would happen if there were anarchy?" According to my brother, the students were a bit puzzled, and some said things like, "there wouldn't be a government" or "there wouldn't be any laws." My brother then raised his hand and said, "the return of tribes." That is exactly what has happened in Somalia.