It’s often said that libertarianism is the philosophy of “I’ve got mine and f’ off.” That philosophy works fine for the individual until the individual actually needs help. Human beings don’t live in insular pods. When our neighbor’s house burns, there’s a good chance ours could. When our coworker gets sick, there’s a good chance we will. At some point in the very near future, voters have to stop seeing themselves only as individuals and start thinking as a community. As much as I weep for my home state of Colorado, I hope these fires wake the voters up to realize that sometimes government is necessary and that someone needs to pay for the protections that everyone takes for granted. Perhaps then, people will be more amenable to the conversation about global warming and its short and long-term dangers.
—Wendy Gittleson (via socialuprooting)
