I have been going through a lot of personal changes lately. I must admit up front that years ago I was a Republican. I started reading and thinking about my relationship to government and I progressed (or regressed to some people) to a libertarian (little l variety). I considered myself a believer in laissez-faire capitalism and a minimalist government. I quit using the libertarian title and switched to minarchist (MS Word just changed that to 'monarchist', ironic eh?). Lately, I've been thinking, reading and writing a lot on man's interactions with government. I am coming to terms with the fact that there is no form of government possible that does not interfere with the natural rights of man.
Let me begin by presenting some definitions from Merriam-Webster's dictionary. This is to ensure that we are using similar premises.
gov'ern'ment: 1 : the act or process of governing [3]; specifically : authoritative direction or control 2 obsolete : moral conduct or behavior : DISCRETION [4] 3 a : the office, authority, or function of governing [3] b obsolete : the term during which a governing [3] official holds office 4 : the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : RULE [5] 5 a : the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it b : the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing [3] is carried out 6 : the body of persons that constitutes the governing [3] authority of a political unit or organization: as a : the officials comprising the governing [3] body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency b capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government c capitalized : a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs: (1) : such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry (2) [1]
Notice that in every definition above for government, with the exception of the obsolete number two, the word authority, or a derivative is used.
au'thor'i'ty: 2 a : power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior b : freedom granted by one in authority : RIGHT [6] 3 a : persons in command; specifically : GOVERNMENT [7] b : a governmental agency or corporation to administer a revenue-producing public enterprise <the transit authority> [2] Authority, the power to influence or command thought, opinion or behavior. This is the government's function in society. Freedom granted by one in authority? The government does not grant individuals freedom; freedom is inherent in an individual. Society has created government, and upon learning that it does nothing but control society, has demanded the government grant freedom. Freedom is not the government's to give; it is only something the government can take.
The only way for man to live and provide for his life is with freedom from government control. The founding fathers of America attempted to codify the principles of anarchy into a form of government. But this is a contradiction. Man does not need a government to control him, he must be able to purchase, trade for or produce the things he needs to live. By introducing government into the equation, society places an additional hurdle between man and the things he needs to live.
Governments stay in power by convincing the people that they provide a necessary service. That service is controlling the people. The government would never come right out and say they want to control you. They offer to control everyone else but you. It says that these necessary services cost money, so they take the money from you. If government is truly offering a service, like any business does, why must they take payment for those services by force? What other business is able to take money from you, before you even possess it? And if you decide you want to opt out of these wonderful services, be prepared to have armed government agents come take your house and all of your possessions from you.
I voted in the last election, and I'm sad to say that I sold out. I was fully conscious of what I was doing, but I did it anyway. I voted for the lesser of two evils, but does evil have degrees? I told myself that I would rather live in a world where I had the semblance of freedom rather than a socialist state. But our state is already a socialist model and has been for years. When I look at my paycheck and see 30% of my income gone (and I live in a state without an income tax), I realize that our government has taken control of our lives and has no intention of giving up that control.
I entertain myself with my own little forms of protest. I no longer use the post office for anything. I no longer renew my car tags until I get a ticket (which I did the other night, 10 months after they expired). I guess if I was truly principled, I wouldn't renew them at all. But it's tough to support children when you are sitting in jail.
I am an anarchist in my thoughts, but not my actions. I am seeking to cure this, but attempting to fight the state is like spitting into the ocean. Until more Americans realize the amount of control the corrupt government has over them, there isn't relief in sight. Perhaps my children will live to see the day where man can truly be free. America will collapse under its own weight eventually. But I'm afraid of what might take its place.
[1] Merriam-Webster Dictionary (www.m-w.com [8])
[2] Ibid.
