John Stossel, the renowned libertarian, has recently suggested a rather unorthodox method of getting out of bed without hurting oneself. This suggestion has been met with both surprise and bemusement from many in the public sphere.
John Stossel, host of Fox Business, argued that most government intervention is unnecessary as companies like Walmart are capable of providing more assistance to disaster victims than FEMA. This concept, known as “spontaneous order,” was first introduced by economist Friedrich Hayek, which suggests that order can emerge from chaos without government intervention. Stossel gave the example of a skating rink, saying that without prior knowledge of the activity, one would assume that it requires regulation. He believes that many aspects of life, such as jazz, are spontaneous and do not require government plans. Stossel believes that natural disasters are an example of government over-planning.
John Stossel recently argued that Walmart and private charities provided more support to those affected by Hurricane Katrina than FEMA did. His comments challenged the idea of Washington, D.C., which Tucker Carlson praised. However, Damon Linker of The Week countered that the concept of ‘spontaneous order’, which libertarians often advocate, is “silly and harmful”. He pointed to the chaos that ensued following the US’s interventions in Iraq and Libya as evidence. Despite Walmart’s success in responding to the hurricane, experts noted that FEMA had to prioritize search and rescue and other vital tasks. Ultimately, Linker argued that ‘spontaneous order’ was a “particularly bad idea”.
