I’ll just be frank, I can’t stand libertarians. I know that in theory it sounds reasonable—freedom, liberty, blah blah blah legalized pot. And it’s a simple theory and simple things are nice in this big old confusing world: government is the evil monster that is intruding on our ability to make our own decisions about our lives and who we are as individuals. Thus the solution is to get government out of the picture or stripped down to the bare bones, and presto! the magic of free open markets solves everything from education to discrimination.

Pssh, who really needs laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Libertarian Rand Paul does not think so, or he at least said he did not until his campaign staffers silenced him when they moved into the general election.

Now let’s return to reality. Libertarianism is so impractical and disconnected from the real world that I’m shocked that people can still believe that it is a practical solution to the complex problems we face today.

Yes, I know the benefits of the free markets. I’ve taken my share of economics courses here to see the wonders that they can do. But where do you draw the line between the role of private sector and government? The line that libertarians draw between the role of the government and the private sector is dangerously skewed, in my opinion.

Earlier this month firefighters in Obion County, Tennessee let a couple’s home burn down because they had not paid their dues. The firefighters literally watched the house burn to the ground and only put it out when the fire spread to a neighbor’s house that had paid the dues. The reason for this is that this fire department operates on a pay for fee service, i.e. if one wants fire protection one has to pay the monthly dues. Fire protection was no longer a public good but was now a private service that one had to purchase on the market—a concept straight out of the libertarian playbook. When I first heard this I had to read the story twice to believe it. Is this the society we want? Where is the concern for our fellow citizen?

This is the fundamental flaw with Libertarianism—it is incredibly self-centered. It focuses completely on the individual and ignores the role of the collective. The ideology is built on the notion that relationships are voluntary and contractual. Society does not work that way, nor can it ever truly work that way. From the moment of birth we are effectively compelled into association with others through no choice of our own. We need each other for our survival, whether we like it or not.

Life is a balance. Believe it or not, government intervention and aspects of socialism can be good. I love me some socialized firefighters and government mandated Fluoride in the water. We know that a purely socialist system doesn’t work, but neither does a purely privatized system. There is a happy middle—in the words of Miley why not get the best of both worlds? You do need laws on the book to prevent things like discrimination. Markets are not perfect and they do fail. Government interferences in some markets can be necessary.

Now, I did not write this just because I wanted to ramble on about my dislike for libertarians (even though it did feel good to get out, I must say). I wrote this because I am scared at how many people in my generation think that this ideology is a practical solution to our problems. Society cannot operate the way Facebook does. We cannot pick whom we interact with (accept friend request) or don’t interact with (decline friend request). This big old crazy world is just not that simple. We are all interconnected in this thing we call life, whether we like it or not.

My warning is simple—don’t drink the libertarian Kool-Aid. It might look tasty and simple in an individual serving, but don’t fall for it, even if they tempt you with legalized drugs and buzzwords like freedom and liberty.