The line I'm talking about separates anarcho-capitalists from everyone else. Up until about a year, maybe 16 months ago, I was squarely on the evil, horrible side of that line.
You see, I was never a liberal. I started off as a Conservative who thought I was getting limited government (ala Reagan, or so I was told) but instead got massive wars and increased spending. Then I sort of abandoned politics altogether and gave up. Then I got back into it again and found the FairTax book and thought it was the best idea ever. Boy was I stupid. But those are the sort of tricks both Republicans and Democrats will try on you to win your support. And it worked on me, until I discovered Murray Rothbard, Ron Paul, Ludwig von Mises, Lew Rockwell, Jeffrey Tucker, and so many others, living and deceased. These brave men (and some women as well) have guided me and I have firmly REJECTED GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION AND TAXATION as immoral, misguided, and, criminal.
Things like the FairTax blur the line between good (anarcho-capitalists) and evil (everyone else). But the line exists, and it feels damn good to be on the right side and be fighting for what is right and just. The hard part is trying to guide others, because without support these ideas will wither and fade away. We must not let the work of Ron Paul, Murray Rothbard, and many others go to waste. We must be prepared to fight the battle and struggle against government oppression, lest we become mere slaves to the criminals in DC and elsewhere. If there's anything worth fighting for, it's not universal health care or big business bailouts, but liberty. Anything short of 100% freedom and liberty is unacceptable and should be rejected by rational men and women. We are in this mess not because of people such as Rothbard, Paul, and Rockwell, but because of men named Washington, Lincoln, Bush, and Obama. Small government is just as bad as big government, if not worse. Small government lures people in to the lie that some government intervention is OK, and that we can just leave things like national defense or currency to the leaders in Washington. At least with big government many more people see what a scam it all is. Either way, government must be roundly rejected on the grounds of theft. Theft of property, liberty, time, and money.
There are many excellent resources for anyone who is new to the world of anarcho-capitalism, or AC for short. LewRockwell.com and Mises.org are excellent starting points. They will lead to other interesting finds via the links and archives they provide. There are also some good forums for political discussion such as the one at TwoPlusTwo.com.
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I agree we must fight the battle against government oppresion, but we need to take it one step at a time. The FairTax is the first step we should take. This is one of the few steps that at least gives us a little more control of our freedom.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all thanks for the comment. I appreciate that you took some time to read my post. However, your comment is exactly the response the Criminals down in DC want to hear. The FairTax is NOT a tool we should consider when we fight the Feds.
I suggest reading this...
http://mises.org/daily/3389
Sorry, I totally disagree.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly do you disagree with? Did you read that article I linked to?
ReplyDeleteTaxes are evil, always and everywhere. FairTax, Flat Tax, or Income Tax.
Yes, I read the article. The author even admits he is not an expert on the FairTax. He like many others who are against the FairTax always refers to it as a 30% tax, but they never explain the inclusive verses exclusive difference. He says there will no longer be any tax deductions. If you are receiving 100% of your income, why would you need tax deductions?
ReplyDeleteThe FairTax is totally transparent. There is no way to hide the actual amount of tax we pay as under our current system. Unlike our current system that can be manipulated with out us really knowing if we have a tax increase or not, we are reminded of the FairTax rate each time we make a purchase. If the rate goes up, ever congressman who voted for the increase will be out of a job come election time.
We need to get government spending under control. The first step in doing so is to have a tax system that is as transparent as possible.
As it is the average American receives their net pay and at the end of the year they receive a tax refund. They are happy campers. They never realize just how much the government confiscated from them. When they see this amount on every sales receipt they receive, maybe they will be a little more concerned about government spending. Maybe congress will receive so much pressure from these average American citizens they will begin to do something about it.
This is exactly what I'm talking about. There is no such thing as a "FairTax" unless I can opt out completely, which can't happen under the FairTax proposal.
ReplyDeleteThe argument isn't about 30% vs 23% or 5% or whatever. It's not about "voting the bastards out (and replacing them with more of the same) in 4 years" or being "transparent." I can tell you up front that I'm going to rob you of $500 and pat myself on the back for my transparency, but are you happy about the situation when I come storming in with police in tow?
The only way to get government spending under control is to eliminate it completely. As we have seen over the past 200+ years, "limited government" is nothing but a scam. The Constitution doesn't work to limit any Federal powers. Sorry.
Besides, what is more transparent than you going to work for 40 hours a week and being paid $25 per hour, and getting the full amount? Then if you want to spend some money investigating Afghanistan or on "National Defense" or the stock market or some candy you can do so. Just leave me the hell alone.
Mike, so I guess what you are saying is let someone else worry about funding National Defense, but keep me safe. You remind me of a 30 year old man who still lives with his parents. He only contributes towards his living expenses when he wants to; otherwise his parents take care of him.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is "National Defense?" I, myself, would feel safe without a huge army attacking countries around the world. Maybe I would hire a private police force to protect myself and my family, but it would be much cheaper and effective than blowing up villages in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteI'm not asking the government to "keep me safe." They have already failed miserably at that, if you count all the soldiers lost in all the wars we have started. And the government was in charge of keeping people safe on planes and yet we still had 9/11.
Right, we started World War One and Two. If it were not for our strong military, Japan would have been in your back yard not just Pearl Harbor. I would like to have seen how much protection your private police force would have given you during that time. Take away our National Defense and every day will be a 9/11.
ReplyDeleteIt is really difficult to have a discussion with someone who has no concept of what sacrifices are required to keep a country safe. If you think we are oppressed, you should try living in some other country; maybe China or even better Afghanistan.
There are hundreds of government programs that are flat out garbage and should be done away with but National Defense is not one of them. You might as well face it; we are always going to have a Federal Government so let’s at least have a tax system that gives us a little more control of the purse strings. The FairTax is that system.
Why would I move to Afghanistan and get blown up by US forces?
ReplyDeleteYour arguments are full of logical flaws.
1. Japan would not have been in my back yard, since I was nowhere near born in the 1940s.
2. There is no proof that every day would be a 9/11 if we had no Federal Government "protecting us."
3. We spend way too much in proportion to the "protection" we get. Not only does the government not really care if we are protected, they skim off a hefty sum for themselves and their cronies that is unnecessary and wouldn't occur under a free market.
4. You assume we will always have a Federal Government. Not true. Things can change. Maybe not in our lifetime, but the US has only existed for 220+ years. Not a long time in the context of history.
5. There is no "system" to get the Federal Government under control. People have been saying the Constitution is that system and look where it brought us. The Gold Standard is the only system that would effectively limit government wars and waste to some extent, but it still would allow for substantial loss of liberty if we allow them to write and enforce our laws. We need a complete dismantling of the government, top to bottom. The FairTax does nothing at all to achieve this goal.
Giving money to the criminals in DC is not the answer. Besides it gives us 0 control over any money we send their way, as they can still make laws to restrict our liberty and redistribute money as they see fit. Also, who says they won't have a FairTax and then pass more taxes on top of that when times get tough? It's just a losing battle sending any money to the thugs in DC. The fact that you would trust them with anything is hilarious.
Maybe you didn’t have a back yard in the 1940s but your father or at least your grandfather did. I’m sure you have some sort of back yard today and I’m sure your private police force would keep it from being bombed in the future when some other country with a powerful military decides to take us over. I suppose you’re naive enough to believe this could never happen. Lions attack the weakest pray. If one is going to attack me, I would rather face him with an M-16 than with a switch. But I guess I could be like you and roll up in a ball and pray he leaves me alone.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you making such absurd assumptions? You think only government can "protect us" from attacks? You realize private security firms, armies, and police forces would likely be much, much more effective at protection than our bumbling government, right?
ReplyDeleteNow that is an absurd assumption!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCastro started up a private army and look what happened.
ReplyDelete