Column by Paul Hein.
Exclusive to STR
It has often been pointed out that the “masses,” the “public,” obtain wealth in several ways: most usually by earning it, or, less commonly, receiving it as a gift or inheritance. For most of us, this means yielding about 40 hours of our lives weekly to obtain what we need or want.
A different way of acquiring wealth is practiced by those calling themselves “government,” or “the state.” Their technique is to simply claim it, and if not yielded, to take it by whatever force is necessary. This, of course, is known as stealing, and Missouri Statutes define it as precisely that. (570.030. 1).
A person commits the crime of stealing if he or she appropriates property or services of another with the purpose to deprive him or her thereof, either without his or her consent or by means of deceit or coercion.
However, the statutes are written, administered, enforced, and adjudicated by those same individuals (“government,” “state”) that demand our property. You will not be surprised to learn that they do not enforce the laws against stealing against themselves. Sadly, this thievery has such a long history that its victims have resigned themselves to it.
It would be helpful, in interpreting one’s role in society, to ask a simple question. I’ve remarked before that the Rulers cannot or will not answer simple questions which tend to expose them for the thieves they are. This question is one that the victims should ask themselves, in order to clarify just who and what they are in the eyes of the Rulers.
This is the question: If this (my wallet, bank account, home, car, etc.) is really and truly mine, how can anyone else have a claim on it? Even those who demand your property will admit it is YOUR property that they desire. How could one say anything else?
You commonly acknowledge the claims of others upon what is yours. Every bill you pay is such an acknowledgement. The utility companies provided you with fuel to heat and cool your house, and you have agreed to pay for it. Could it be otherwise? You could not expect them to satisfy your fuel needs for nothing, nor could they expect to provide it without compensation. In other words, there is an agreement between you and them. The same could be said for every merchant with whom you do business, although in most cases the agreement is tacit and unwritten.
It is not the same with the Rulers. They not only demand your money, but consider that their claim upon it is greater than yours, even though they acknowledge that it IS yours! True, they may provide services, but there has been no agreement between you and them. You may not need or want the services they provide; it matters not. It is as though, as you walk through the mall, merchants demand you buy goods you do not need or want. But it’s worse: If you decline the shoe salesman’s demand that you buy shoes, he cannot compel you to buy them anyway, but you WILL finance public schools, even if you deplore the idea of such schools, and have no children attending them. There is no voluntary agreement.
So what, then, is the answer to: If it’s truly mine, how can someone else claim it? The answer is as simple as the question: Nobody else can claim your property absent your agreement with them. But the Rulers claim it anyway, with threats of dire consequences should you not give them what they demand. All of your ruminations about ownership, property rights, and voluntary agreements mean absolutely nothing. They cannot be punished for doing what, were we to do it, would be felonies, because what they do is legitimate; i.e., according to the law which is, however, what they, as its authors, say it is. Private property, a cornerstone of a civilized society, doesn’t exist as long as Rulers, whose job should be the protection of your rights--especially to your own property--can demand it for whatever reason they might invent.
The result? There are three possibilities. You can try to escape to someplace where your right to your own property is protected. I don’t think there is such a place, but if there were, the Rulers would eventually find and punish you.
You could simply defy the Rulers, citing moral and lawful principles: Thou Shalt Not Steal, as well as the aforementioned Missouri statute (if you live in Missouri!) that defines stealing as just exactly what they routinely do. As you languish in your cell, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are right, and they are wrong. Hopefully you will find that adequate compensation for your incarceration.
Or you can do what virtually everyone else does: You can submit. Perhaps as a child you had to give your lunch money to the schoolyard bully. Now you give your wealth to the bureaucratic bully. The enduring myth is that if you stand up to the bully, he will back down. Don’t try it. In the schoolyard you would have ended up with a black eye and a bloody nose. The bureaucratic bully will leave nose and eye untouched, but your wallet will suffer. What he doesn’t get, your lawyer will.
So to summarize: The question remains if it’s mine, how can you have a claim upon it? The answer: Don’t waste my time; hand it over or else. The result: You become a fugitive, a prisoner, or a slave. The choice is yours. This is America, 2017.
