I read an article today -- an excellent bit of journalism, I might add -- that reminded me of a conversation with a friend in which I formulated what has become my “go-to” explanation for why I call myself a libertarian.  The article is far too lengthy to summarize properly (I strongly recommend reading it in full), but its title sets the stage perfectly: “Hardly Working: America’s Disability-Benefits System is Exploding, Complicated, Ripe for Exploitation, Almost Broke, and All Some People Have.”

I cannot recall the specifics of my conversation any longer, but I remember we were talking about some economic problem faced by America.  My friend, as always, had some solution to propose.  And I, of course, was there to point out the holes in her plan.  This was but one conversation of many that we had had together.  Each one followed approximately the same progression, much like an episode of Scooby-Doo.  We would talk about a problem, she would propose a solution, I would point out the flaws, and in the end we would decide that doing nothing might actually be the best solution of all.

The most common conclusion was that the government should be kept out.  Even if there was a solution to be found (and sometimes there was), it rarely -- if ever -- was a solution that involved anything beyond absolutely minimal involvement from the government.  Finally, during this particular conversation, my friend asked me why I thought that was.

I told her to picture the American economy as a wild garden, filled with all manner of living things.  All participants in the economy are present in the garden in some way.  Big businesses are notable landmarks, while individual employees may only be tiny insects.  But we all have a role to play, and the roles of each person, business, or industry should not be understated.

Now picture the government as gardeners.  They can make a positive difference, but if they are not diligent, their actions can also be disastrous for the living creatures in the garden.  When they uproot a tree and replant it elsewhere (think: regulate an industry), they are not just moving that one tree.  They are affecting an entire ecosystem within the garden.  This move may cause pain to those plants, insects, and animals that have grown to depend on the tree, and it will take time for a new ecosystem to evolve around the tree in its new location.

Sometimes this is a necessary sacrifice.  If a tree would die in one location but would flourish in another, it is sometimes worthwhile to intervene, difficult though it may be.  But this is a job for an expert gardener -- and how many of our politicians truly deserve the title of “expert” when it comes to what I have since dubbed “The Garden Economy?”

Many amateurs think that because they love the garden it is their duty to remake it as they see fit.  I understand that it is precisely because I love the garden that it is my duty to leave it untouched whenever possible.

America’s broken disability-benefits system is a perfect example of tree that may be dying -- and it likely is the gardeners’ fault.