Suicide, Libertarianism, and Religion -or- Why “No man is an island.”

FACT:
Las Vegas has the highest metropolitan suicide rate in the U.S.

“I’ll add that there’s one more feature here, of Las Vegas, which I think bears mentioning. And that is what I kinda’ think of as a sort of “frontier culture” mentality among residents, and I think, even among visitors.

“That Las Vegas is this sort of place of place of total license. You know… its the ‘Wild West,’ it’s an open frontier for all kinds of immorality and exploration of vice, and… the entire self-branding of Las Vegas as this place where that is not only tolerated, but actually sanctioned.

“You know, the “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” kind of mentality – produces, I think, a kind of… sort of libertarian ethos of ‘go it alone, do it yourself.’ And help seeking in this sort of framework is perhaps not accepted or valorized the way it is other parts of the country.

“These kind of cultural arguments are always very hard to make. They always sound deeply unscientific. But, in a lot ways, I think that’s exactly where a lot of the explanatory power comes from… is in this understanding the culture and values underlying people’s behavioral sense.”

- Matt Wray, sociologist, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, and co-author of a 2008 paper entitled “Leaving Las Vegas: Exposure to Las Vegas and Risk of Suicide” / excerpted from Freakonomics Radio, episode #92 “Gambling With Your Life,” released April 27, 2011

Of late, attention has been increasingly given to the suicide rate of veterans returning home from the horrors of war in the Middle East, specifically, from their numerous extended tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While in retrospect, many acknowledge that

A Libertarian Nightmare

Typically, libertarians are described as social liberals and fiscal conservatives.

That description, while simple, is fairly accurate. For example, when it comes to illicit drugs, the call for their legalization has come not from dope-smoking hippies, or those championing marijuana for medicinal purpose, but from libertarians. And they do so precisely because of the philosophy that guides libertarianism – laissez faire, which is defined as “a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering.” In other words, hands-off, and leave things alone. In the United States, that translates into the mantra “smaller, less intrusive government,” with “less regulation.”

However, the primary problem with such an approach is that things are never “left alone.” For when they are abandoned, they are instead subjected to a torrent of change.

So, it should come as no surprise to learn that the former global haven for such trade has discovered that legalization or turning the proverbial blind eye to such issues only serves to encourage criminality.

It’s true with marijuana – the Netherlands has embarked upon changes to their formerly liberal policy to marijuana usage precisely because it has given rise to increased crime. And by the end of this year (2012), foreigners will no longer be able to purchase marijuana at the “coffee shops.”

It’s also true with prostitution.

Authorities in the Netherlands have also found that