Category: The State
Useful Analogies For Comparing Taxation to Theft
I love using Facebook as a discussion forum. Let us say the year were 1980, and I was possessed of the idea that taxation is like theft, but I wanted to discuss the matter with some other people and work out the idea and see where the holes in my thinking were. This might happen at a party, by coincidence, but in that case I’d have a very limited group from which to draw discussion participants, and the chances anyone would feel as passionately about the discussion as I would be low. I could join groups where such things are … Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t Call It Stealing
“Do you think stealing is wrong?”
“Of course.”
“What is stealing?”
“It’s when you take something that isn’t yours.”
“What if you take something, but the person it belongs to is ok with it.”
“That’s different, you’re not really taking it, they’re giving it to you, so it’s not stealing.”
“Are taxes stealing?”
“Of course not.”
“Why not?”
“I’m ok with taxes. I like roads, firemen, policemen, and schools.”
“So it’s not stealing because you’re ok with the government taking your taxes to pay for those things.”
“Yes.”
“But what if you weren’t ok with it? Would it be stealing … Read the rest of this entry »
Do Libertarians Hate The United States?
Libertarians have what is referred to in the media as a public relations, PR, or “messaging” problem. The problem is that many people believe libertarians hate the United States, when in fact most libertarians love the United States, that is, the country, its people, its ideals, its culture, etc., but hate the corruption they see in the US government which they see as harming the country.
It is easy for anyone passionate about something to focus so heavily on it that he or she becomes oblivious to how others perceive them. If you’ve ever wondered why someone doesn’t seem to … Read the rest of this entry »
Do Libertarians Hate The Military?
I can only truly answer this for myself, because libertarians come in all sorts of stripes. But I think I speak for most libertarians when I say that libertarians don’t hate the military, if by “military” we’re talking about soldiers.
My father was in the US Air Force for four years. My father-in-law was a career military man, spending 20+ years in the Air Force. I have always loved talking with veterans, especially those who served in the WWII and Vietnam wars. I have friends and relatives who are serving or have recently served in the military. I’ve heard their … Read the rest of this entry »
The Government is a Corporation
It’s curious to me that many of those who decry the evils of capitalism and monopolies with such verve also support a large and powerful government. Let’s try a thought experiment, let’s think of the government as though it were a corporation, or let’s just call it a corporation for fun. A corporation created to provide all the goods and services our government provides.
How would you feel about a corporation that:
1. Provides a lower and lower quality education each year to your children while simultaneously raising prices, virtually outlaws competition, and if you don’t have any children forces … Read the rest of this entry »