Libertarians correctly observe that a few too often rely on government when private discussion and resolution would be more effective. One finds an extreme example of an over-reliance on government in the case of Charles Dennison, aged 32, of Florida, who called 911 to complain that his mother had taken his beer. The La Crosse Tribune, carrying a Florida story, reports that
….Dennison told a deputy that his mother took his beer and he wanted her arrested. Dennison was reportedly ‘very intoxicated’ when the deputy arrived at the New Port Richey home. Dennison told the deputy that he would keep calling emergency responders if his mother wasn’t charged. He has been charged with making false 911 calls and was jailed on $150 bond. It was unclear if he had an attorney.
A thirty-two year old man who (while drunk!) obstructs an emergency line with a complaint that his mother took his beer needs more than an attorney. (The mother was apparently doing what a sensible person would — privately trying to keep alcohol away from a drunk.)
His mother, by the way, was surely right to take his beer away. I’d say she was more than merely right, but inspired, if she drank it in front of him while he was being hauled away. The story doesn’t say what happened to the beer, but I hope she found some pretzels, ordered some wings, and drank the rest of it while waiting for a locksmith to change the locks to the house.