Freedom News Blitz

You’ve probably noticed that people act as if the government possesses magical powers that can solve all of our individual and social ills. All this mythical entity has to do is wave its wand and all our problems vanish in a blink of an eye. I know, most people would state this belief is ridiculous. However, is that what they really think? I can prove that the majority of people act as if this were true.

Do you remember hearing anyone make the thoughtless statement “Government ought to do something?” I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing that dangerous statement all my life. If you ask them what government should do, they tell you they don’t know, but government ought to do something.

Consider this sad fact about human nature. When enough people believe in “The Big Myth” or what some call “The Big Lie” there will always be charlatans that claim they know what ought to be done. These charlatans usually practice lifetime occupations called politician, intellectual, bureaucrat, world-improver, do-gooder, altruist, etc. Government needs the support and propaganda of these “professionals” to endow “The Big Myth” with a potency of its own. Of course, the deluded citizens wait in line to receive their shot of the “cure.”

Government is Definitely Not…

Government is definitely not a real life Santa Claus who dispenses wondrous gifts upon its citizens. I know. Intellectuals and altruists claim otherwise. To the superficial observer, it may seem that government is performing this magical feat; however this is an illusion of limited consciousness.

Here are the facts.

1. Government has absolutely no wealth of its own. It is unable to create any wealth. The only money it possesses is money it receives from its citizens through taxes and inflation. It can also sell bonds on the open market, diverting the funds it receives from productive ventures to useless bureaucratic endeavors.
2. Since it has no wealth of its own, how is it possible that it can dispense the “goodies” to its citizens? By taking the “gifts” from its citizens in the first place. Incredible as it may seem, the hapless voters are unwittingly confiscating themselves when they support another government program and vote for politicians who “promise” to institute it.
3. Try to visualize this. Government is not the Santa Claus figure it claims to be. It is actually an evil Robin Hood. Robin Hood may be a legend, but he is a thief just the same. Forcibly taking from an individual or group to give to another individual or group is immoral, no matter what justification do-gooders and altruists spout to support it.

What is the Nature of Government?

Here’s the truth.

1. Government is the apparatus of violent compulsion and coercion (force). Its only legitimate function is to protect an individual’s life, liberty and property.
2. Voluntary and involuntary exchanges are the two possible types of interaction between people. In a voluntary exchange all parties enter it of their free will. Obviously, government shouldn’t interfere with this type of exchange. In an involuntary exchange at least one party is in it against his or her will. Robbery, rape, murder, extortion, etc. are examples of involuntary exchanges. Government applies its apparatus of violent compulsion and coercion to arrest criminals involved in these anti-social acts. Certainly, this is government’s only legitimate function.
3. When people see social phenomena they disapprove of, social phenomena that results from voluntary exchanges, they often say “Government ought to do something.” What they need to realize is that they are supporting the use of violent compulsion and coercion against their fellow citizens. They are advocating liberty violations and restrictions against individual freedom. They have become liberty violators.

Conclusion

As you can see the statement “Government ought to do something” is dangerous and leads to massive violations of an individual’s life, liberty and property. In fact, the disastrous results we are experiencing in the form of economic crisis, war, restrictions on personal freedom, etc. are caused by the growth of that gigantic, destructive entity called “Big Government.” Its citizens have allowed a “mythical belief”, a simple five-word sentence to create a beast of monstrous proportions, a beast that is relentlessly destroying “The American Dream.”

Robert A. Meyer
http://libertarianway.com/