The State is *not* "Society" (was Re: [Dgcchat] I should pay more tax, says US billionaire Warren Buffett)

[R.A. Hettinga]

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At 2:46 AM -0400 11/1/07, John Kyle wrote:
>Bill Gates, who wants
>himself and other wealthy people to pay more taxes because they owe that
>much to society

These morons, especially those with sky-high IQs :-), who think that The
State (upperlowercase intentional) is "society".

It's like saying that The Church (upperlowercase intentional) was "society"
in the middle ages.


Again, as the late Mancur Olsen said, a 'prince' is merely a bandit who
doesn't move. Nothing more, nothing less.

Force monopoly, "The State", "The Government", whatever you want to call
it, is just as much a "peculiar institution" now as slavery used to be, and
some day it will be considered just as archaic -- and as despicable -- as
slavery is today.

Just as in the middle ages humanity had to live in *spite* of The Church
until it was finally killed by science, humanity, "society", or whatever
you want to call people in general, lives in *spite* of The State, and I
positively yearn for the day when The State is finally killed by finance,
free markets and free (as in liberty, not as in beer :-)), strong,
communication networks.

Notice I didn't say "Economics", because, as best I can figure, "Economics"
is merely finance by and for The State, in the same way that "Theology" was
merely philosophy (and imaginary zoology, I suppose :-)) by and for The
Church.

Finance is no more the 'handmaiden' of economics than philosophy is the
'handmaiden' of theology.

Cheers,
RAH
Who's reading his dog-eared, and apparently loaned, :-), copy of Hayek's
'Denationalization of Money' these days, between filling up boxes and
shoving them out the door.

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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'