Libertarianism, as posited by its supporters in modern America, is - if it were to be suddenly imposed on a first-world nation like the U.S. - functionally indistinguishable from anarchy. It is Social Darwinism cast in lofty-sounding terms that would most assuredly have the savage Darwinist impact upon human lives without the dreamed-of benefits ... because we are NOT a coastal, agrarian young nation in the later years of the 18th century.

I still have the cowboy outfit I got for the Christmas I turned six. It was appropriate at the time, and fit the young me just fine. Originalist thinking like the libertarians' that disagrees with pretty much every decision made since the first congress met and organized is like that suit. It MIGHT have fit then, it might even have worked then ... but the ensuing years have totally altered that. I cannot wear that outfit, and our society and economy cannot wear that structure and survive.

"There’s a reason the Constitution begins “We the people . . .” rather than “We the unconnected individuals who couldn’t care less about one another . . . .” - Eugene Robinson