Qotd: "The US Constitution is like a sea wall. The purpose of a sea wall is to protect against high tides, not against tsunamis. Thus, if a tsunami hits, it would be inappropriate to say that the sea wall has failed, given that that wasn’t its purpose."

"There is a popular conception among some U.S. libertarians that the reason Americans live under a massive welfare-warfare state is because government has a natural propensity to grow. The notion is a popular one among libertarians who promote anarchism, i.e., the total absence of government. The argument goes like this: The Constitution, which was supposed to keep government reined in, has proven to be a worthless document because government is a cancerous blob that inevitably grows of its own accord, rendering constitutional restraints meaningless. 

    "The Cancerous Blob Argument, however, is fallacious. In fact, it is really just a way to avoid confronting a discomforting reality: that the reason that we live under a massive welfare-warfare state is not because government is a cancerous blob but rather because Americans of our time have chosen socialism. Unfortunately, that includes some libertarians... 

    "In my series “Why I Favour Limited Government,” I pointed out that the US Constitution is like a sea wall. The purpose of a sea wall is to protect against high tides, not against tsunamis. Thus, if a tsunami hits, it would be inappropriate to say that the sea wall has failed, given that that wasn’t its purpose. 

    "By the same token, when 99 percent of society favours socialism, it is inappropriate to say that the Constitution has failed, given that it was designed only to protect against high tides of public opinion, not tsunamis of public opinion. 

    "Why do so many people, including libertarians, support these socialist programs and oppose their immediate repeal? Because like so many others in history, they want the security that such programs purportedly promise and are willing to forgo liberty to get it." 

            ~ Jacob Hornberger, from his post 'We Are (Mostly) All Socialists Now'
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