LP.org press release:
Hurricane Harvey near the coast of Texas on Aug. 25.
Nicholas Sarwark, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, expresses the heartfelt sympathy of the Libertarian Party to the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, to the families of those who have perished in the storm, and to all those who have suffered injuries and property damage.
Sarwark offers his appreciation and expresses his admiration for communities coming together to help those in peril. In addition to police, fire, EMS, and other government provided responses, many private citizens have used their own boats, kayaks, and high-water vehicles to rescue people imperiled by flood waters inundating entire neighborhoods. Others have opened their homes and businesses to those needing shelter.
Neighbors have been helping neighbors in a successful decentralized response to the emergency, so in light of this, we caution the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to limit its role to support rather than command and control. The latter approach failed in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
“I grew up in Louisiana and lived in Texas for 15 years,” added Wes Benedict, executive director of the LNC. “I have family and many friends in Houston and further south who are at risk. Obviously, everyone’s priority in Texas and Louisiana is, and should be, saving lives and avoiding injuries. Probably the last thing anybody wants to hear right now is advice from the Libertarian Party on how the free market might have somehow prevented this tragedy. It wouldn’t have. However, we are fortunate to live in an economically advanced country where loss of life from natural disasters is usually a small fraction of what happens in poorer, less free societies. Strong economies resulting from free markets do help save lives.”
As the flood waters ebb, we must ask ourselves how to minimize government intervention into insurance markets that exacerbates losses from natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, and earthquakes. That’s a long-term policy discussion, but there are also more immediate concerns. The libertarian magazine Reason listed “7 Things Donald Trump Shouldn’t Do After Hurricane Harvey,” such as cracking down on “gouging,” confiscating guns, or centralizing volunteer and relief efforts. Such heavy-handed government intervention in the aftermath of natural disasters makes conditions worse and hampers decentralized relief efforts.
There are many thousands of Libertarian Party members in Texas and Louisiana, who can be found both among the victims of Hurricane Harvey and among those who are heroically aiding them. Our thoughts remain with them all.
These kinds of events are happening more often. For those more knowledgeable than I am, how do libertarian principles approach things like flood prevention?
This one was way more painful than the North Korea stuff. Not a peep about how the LP will help. Not a word about how individual Libertarians are stepping up. Nothing about how county parties are organizing to assist. Just a bunch of ridiculous platitudes. “Sorry about that four feet of water in your living room… when you dry out, come on over to a meeting where we promise to talk about getting government out of the insurance industry, but in reality will spend most of the meeting debating who in the room is more libertarian. Cash bar.”
That’s exactly why I think this was a baby step in the right direction. Probably, experts in marketing/sales/p.r. or any related field would have said to just leave this statement out:
“Probably the last thing anybody wants to hear right now is advice from the Libertarian Party on how the free market might have somehow prevented this tragedy.”
I didn’t mind that comment, particularly due to the “It wouldn’t have” that came afterwards. Would’ve been better to leave it off entirely, but it was at least a statement about how it shouldn’t be politicized.
Or at least, that would have been the case had he stopped there. However, any credence goes out the window with what it continues with:
“However, we are fortunate to live in an economically advanced country where loss of life from natural disasters is usually a small fraction of what happens in poorer, less free societies. Strong economies resulting from free markets do help save lives.”
“What, the LP didn’t use this as a call to privatize public safety?”
That’s exactly why I think this was a baby step in the right direction. Probably, experts in marketing/sales/p.r. or any related field would have said to just leave this statement out:
“Probably the last thing anybody wants to hear right now is advice from the Libertarian Party on how the free market might have somehow prevented this tragedy.”
What, the LP didn’t use this as a call to privatize public safety?
I’m gonna go the other way on that one: I think the North Korea tweet was worse.
Maybe the “we caution the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to limit its role to support rather than command and control” could have been worded a little better, but at least the one won’t require deletion and apology.
You . . . . can’t . . . . be . . . . serious! I’m sure all those “Libertarians in Texas and Louisiana” will decline anything FEMA offers . . .
When such heartless nonsense comes out of the LP it makes it seem more and more like a cult than a serious political party. There is a time and place! This one is even worse than the North Korea tweet.
“Probably the last thing anybody wants to hear right now is advice from the Libertarian Party on how the free market might have somehow prevented this tragedy. It wouldn’t have.”
Oh, OF ALL THE IMPUDENCE!!!