Charity and Community

One of the most difficult things for me in reconciling my libertarian political beliefs and my genuine concern about poverty and other social issues has been this: do I truly believe that a system without government's near-monopoly on serving the poor and mentally ill--one where public assistance would be minimal or non-existent-- would that system be better for more people than the current system? It's a hard question to truly answer. In addition, I feel a great trepidation about losing governmental oversight at these places. Government does a lot of bad, but it's a least minimally decent and ascribes to some healthy, liberal ethics. In this newly privatized market, it feels more likely that people will end up in clinics where abuse takes place or follow traditional or religious teachings that some may find unethical.