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by raldi 4181 days ago
What's the connection to libertarianism?
4 comments

Drastic reduction in regulations outside of "actual harm" and objective "social order" issues. Criminalize and prosecute robbery, murder, theft, etc (actual harm), along with parking violations, traffic control, etc (organizing a lot of people functioning in a compact space, things get very ugly in a hurry if you don't), but stop the aggressive pursuit of "victimless" crimes like selling individual cigarettes without a license, stopping/interviewing anyone carrying something heavy in a pocket (to wit: potential handgun), petty drug possession, etc.

It's interesting watching such things over several decades: urban rush away from conservative/libertarian principles to highly regulated progressivism subsequently leading to a backlash which, for many/most practical purposes, amounts to a return to conservative/libertarian values.

I mostly meant anti-regulation.

I'm not sure we need strict laws regarding parking, public drinking, loosies, ect. Let alone aggressive enforcement.

I think parts of NYC are a good example of how enforcement can cause a more negative environment than the original activity.

If you have ever been to NYC you would know that if the parking regulations were not enforced so zealously the city would be a mess. The only reason why $40 parking garages are full is that you know if you park illegally on the streets of Manhattan, your car is getting ticketed, and likely towed. Surely it makes NYC a ton of revenue but it is the only way to make things work. I agree with you on the other points.
Every time I get annoyed by how religiously parking regulations are followed in the UK(and they are anal about it to the extreme), I remember how it works in the country I come from. Try parking in Krakow or Warsaw - very little regulation, and people park everywhere, on sidewalks, on the grass, on pedestrian crossings...they would park on top of each other if they could. Parking regulations are a good thing.
Libertarians should support aggressive parking enforcement. It's a clear correction of a substantial externality.

Of course, an even more libertarian approach would be to simply sell or lease the parking spaces to private entities and let them set whatever prices and rules they want for the use of their real estate, perhaps including making deals with local merchants to subsidize market rates during business hours.

You know the part where he thinks libertarianism means complete lawlessness.
Less taxation. Police officers are effectively just tax collectors.
I'm not sure that NYC residents who have been subjected to profiling and stop-and-frisk harassment would agree with that characterization.
Who says tax collectors can't be racist and/or overly aggressive?