Last month’s inane remarks from president Obama about entrepreneurs not building their businesses without government aid are still being repeated. I ignored them before, not really having anything to contribute that wasn’t already said, but after hearing someone make a similar point regarding the nature of government I wanted to weigh in.
The simple and ageless truth is that government can contribute nothing to society without first taking from the very entrepreneurs it claims to benefit. The state did not come first and then organize society; society developed and the state followed shortly after. Therefore, before any government can build roads or hire teachers or do anything else, there must first be someone to tax, some individual must have property to confiscate.
Much in the same way, a parasite requires a host; it couldn’t exist in the absence of something from which to draw resources. But the host would survive – and indeed thrive – without another being consuming its resources.
September 8th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Joel; I think that when we rail against the label, government or state, we really need to remember and contemplate that the government and state is not a thing separate from us. It is our neighbor, our friends, sometimes our family. It’s simply that when we want something done by someone other than us, that someone will stand up and we’ll let them do for us. Then, their basic nature will take over and they will begin to take, exceed, suppress, deny, etc., etc.
I firmly believe in the philosophy of libertarianism and in living libertarian. But that requires that I accept that I can not give any of my personal rights authority over to another, nor accept imposed authority from anyone. It’s a difficult way to live, but for me a very rewarding one.
But I’ve also had to accept that, that way of life and thinking will not gain universetality. Even our founders couldn’t get it done. I’m not ready to give up yet, but realizing ‘who’ my opponents are, rather than what ‘it’ is has helped me gain what I feel is a valuable perspective.
I highly recommend the same thought experiment for others.
September 8th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Zenphany, .Can you clarify more what you are saying please. I am confused as to your point. .