In case any one had delusions about what government is about:
“it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people.”
That’s Rep. Dingbat Dingell from Michigan, the renowned economic powerhouse state. Here is the audio. But I only want to bring this up with my two second observation on the damage apparently caused by disgruntled Americans yesterday. There are reports of bricks being thrown through windows and threats being made to Democratic legislation-makers by opponents of big government and ObamaCare.
I am not going to come out and condemn the actions out of hand, even if violence per se is antithetical to our core beliefs. Why? Because when you have your property violated and plundered, even in a purely private property system you have a right to protect it. Now, breaking windows is not exactly defending your property, but someone tell me, if you are having your rights taken away and your property plundered by an invisible man, what the heck are you supposed to do to get your property back?
More generally, the problem here is that Democracy and politics is a sham. If you believe what they teach you in Civics class and policsci classes, the sign of a good democracy is that people have a voice. And better democracies give voices to everyone. What a bunch of malarkey. What is important is not voice, but choice. I don’t want your damned health reform. I don’t want your damned airports. I don’t want your damned education reform. I don’t want your damn social security. And so on. But I get it. Compare that to a market. When a “majority” votes to get something in a market, they get to buy it themselves, and those who do not wish to purchase it do not have to do so. Quite the opposite works in politics. When nowhere near a majority vote for the “provision” of something, everyone must choke it down. That is morally repugnant to say the least.
So, should you be surprised by the violence, or the threats of escalating violence? Why would you be? In a world where all you have is voice, and your voice is completely and utterly meaningless, what can you do? Normally, you simply exercise your choice to not take part in the thing you oppose. For example, if a family does not like what the Boy Scouts do, they exercise their choice to not support the Boy Scouts. But when your neighbors, by majority vote, mandate that your son join the Boy Scouts, what do you do? Express your concern and dissatisfaction only to be ignored and forced to comply anyway? You can leave – but of course this is a national law and while it is a nice rhetorical (and infantile) trick to say, “if you don’t like it, leave the country” it is an intellectually and practically vacuous thing to say. So there is no right to exit. There is no way for people like me to say, “I hate what is going on … I will agree to not partake in any of your government goodies if you agree to stop stealing my property.” Given that I do not have such a choice, what might one do?
I, for one, am going to disobey. I will do everything in my power to shelter my income from the tax stealing authorities. I will not comply with unjust laws. My children will be taught the same thing. And if “the people” vis the government wish to come after me for doing such a thing, well, then, what options does one have to protect oneself?
I’d like to know more about how you plan to do this, “I will do everything in my power to shelter my income from the tax stealing authorities.” Not that I’m greedy, but I want to decide for myself what worthy causes I give my money to.