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But what is a libertarian — besides good conversation? I’ve always thought of libertarians as necessary antibodies that keep government from smothering us and theocrats from tapping our phones, but who on their own terms are a little preposterous. It comes down to their idea of government, and mine. I don’t believe the less government the better. I believe there are certain things that people do collectively or not at all, and government — when its face is washed and its tie is straightened — is the people looking after themselves.
The Internet is an extraordinary pump, but it’s primed by a cadre of workers skilled at finding out things. I consider that cadre indispensable and the public’s need for reliable information as fundamental as its need for potable water and paved roads. Water and roads don’t pay for themselves. Public education doesn’t pick up its own bills. The spoils of war don’t pay for our wars. If good journalism can’t pay its own way, government could step in and cover the costs. It could make a vigorous press the responsibility of a senior bureaucrat in the Department of Health and Human Services.
