No, anarchy is not at all what I advocated -- essentially or otherwise. For a really good primer on what it means to be a libertarian, I highly recommend Charles Murray's book, er,
"What It Means to Be a Libertarian." Anybody who confuses this with anarchy is confused.
Mmm, to some degree -- particularly as it relates to something I pay for in exchange for future personal benefits. But not entirely. Rather, I favor Lincoln's great explanation of "the legitimate object of government". Here's how he put it:
The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere.
I'm sure there are plenty of things any of us could think of that we'd look at and say: "I don't want my tax dollars going to that." But, as Lincoln pointed out, there are things that a community of people need but can't really provide for in our "separate and individual capacities." Of course, what those things are is a matter of debate.
And if I really were advocating anarchy, you'd be right. But, once again, I'm not. One man's rights end where another's begin. And of course it's a critical role of government to manage this. In fact, this gets to the other part of Lincoln's quote about government's role:
The desirable things which the individuals of a people cannot do, or cannot well do, for themselves, fall into two classes: those which have relation to wrongs, and those which have not. The first—that in relation to wrongs—embraces all crimes, misdemeanors, and non-performance of contracts.
...if all men were just, there still would be some, though not so much, need of government.
But of course all men aren't just. In fact, without government playing this role, we'd all be screwing each other every way we could figure out. Even with government dispensing justice, we still make a helluva go at it.
Knowing that I wholeheartedly agree with Lincoln's view of the role of government, can you tell me where exactly the anarchical tyranny comes in? Was Honest Abe a tyrannical anarchist, too?