Liechtenstein, September 3 2021
I traveled to Liechtenstein. You’re probably thinking I just wanted to chalk up another country visited, another pin on the map. If that’s what you think then you are completely correct. I was in Zurich and it was only an hour or so ride by train, then bus; why not give it a look.
It’s a small country, we all know that. It’s also completely unremarkable. Granted I was there for just a few hours, but I saw about 80% of the place and can say that I came across nothing that was any more captivating than the little Swiss town I took the bus from to go there.
In fact now that I’ve been there and read a little about it I will admit I don’t like it one bit. It hardly seems right. I mean you would think by now somebody should have conquered this little monarchy. How does this place get to be a sovereign nation. The Germans even left it alone. Liechtenstein has no army. One day they just decided to send home the 80 guys defending the place. That was over 100 years ago. Now it just has a police force. I imagine the Vatican could overrun Liechtenstein in a day with the Swiss guard wielding their halberds.
Castle perched over the capital Vaduz
This country has been independent and unmolested for over two centuries. During that time they were able to construct a little utopia the size of a small Chicago suburb that is a Libertarian’s fantasy. They have no national defense budget, a handful of cops and hardly anyone in prison. They have the highest GDP per capita in the world, no crime, minimal taxes, no homeless people that I could see, no dissent among the masses (I mean the group), a 10 to 1 student teacher ratio, and a 100% literacy rate. Oh! almost forgot, they have both national and private healthcare. Everyone you see looks to be just cool with everything and doing quite well. They stay to themselves, don’t burden their citizens, don’t get involved in world struggles, keep the government “micro” and all the while enjoy the protection of the Swiss and the Austrians. It’s something out of a Rand Paul wet dream.
It’s not fair, I hate them.
