Voluntaryism: Taxation = Theft , Govt = Slavery , Voting = Violence

[grarpamp]

http://strike-the-root.com/government-is-not-civilization-it-is-slavery

Government Is Not Civilization, It Is Slavery

Column by JGVibes
http://strike-the-root.com/user/8854
posted on March 05, 2012 in
Statism, Society / Culture, Historical Figures
Exclusive to Strike The Root

One of the most pervasive misconceptions in our culture is the idea
that "government" has anything to do with the structure or organization
that we see in our society. This is one of the primary reasons why
people have such a difficult time considering the very real possibility
of a world without the organization known as "government". When
someone suggests that we simply do away with this unjust and
unnecessary organization, they are typically met with some very
negative knee-jerk reactions from whoever they may be talking to.
This kind of conversation typically ends very quickly because both
sides have completely different ideas of what the word "government"
actually means, making it very difficult to find common ground.

If we attempt to examine government from an outsider's perspective,
we would see a world where people are grouped into two different
categories, those in government and those not. At face value, we
can see that these two groups of people have completely different
standards and expectations, even though they are the same species
and have the same basic needs. Looking closer, we can see that these
different standards and laws are not neutral, they are very much
benefiting those in government at the expense of those who are not.
The most important discrepancy to mention here is the fact that
those in government have a license to kill anyone who happens to
disobey them.

Pointing out this fact is vital in understanding the true relationship
between those inside of government and those outside of government,
and that is the relationship between slave and master. If someone
has the right to initiate the use of force on you if you disobey
them, you are essentially their property. If you don't believe me,
go on over to Google and type in "slave definition", and the first
definition you will find is the following: "A person who is the
legal property of another and is forced to obey them." Now, doesn't
that sound a whole lot like the relationship between people inside
government and people outside government? If you can force people
to do things against their will, then you are treating them as if
they were your property.

However, if you ask any random person on the street to define
"government" for you, they would probably give you the story that
they were taught in government school. You know, the one about how
government is the backbone of civilization, and the means by which
people in the community come together for mutually beneficial
projects. Well this may sound good, but it isn't at all true, because
the government is comprised by a miniscule fraction of the population,
and they would not be able to provide anything at all if it wasn't
for the resources that they forcibly extracted from the rest of
society. Therefore, it is safe to say that all functions that are
currently being carried out by the organization known as "government"
could actually be better served by individuals in the community
working together for common goals. Voluntary trade, charity and
other peaceful methods of interacting would create a far better
society than the one that we see today, which is filled with violence
and forced associations.

It is not a new thing for people to confuse government with culture
and have the misconception that without a central planning structure,
everything that makes a society great would vanish. This fact was
recognized by some of the more radical "founding fathers" of America,
including Thomas Paine. In his most famous literary effort "Common
Sense", there is a section called "Of the Origin and Design of
Government in General, with Concise Remarks on the English
Constitution". In this piece, Paine discusses the difference between
government and society.

Paine writes, "Some writers have so confounded society with government,
as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are
not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced
by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes
our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter
negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse,
the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a
punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but Government,
even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state
an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same
miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without
a government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we
furnish the means by which we suffer." His statement is as true
today as it was during the first American Revolution. Culture,
society and security are absolutely capable of continuing in the
absence of a central control system.

The most common argument against having an organized civilization
without government is the notion that we are all somehow stupid,
worthless savages who would not be able to figure out how to build
a damn road if there wasn't someone with a gun in our face every
step of the way, telling us how, when and where to do it. But if
people are stupid savages, and politicians are people, then isn't
the government made up of a bunch of stupid savages who can't be
trusted with a license to kill? Aren't they just the same as us and
even in many cases far worse than us?

There is nothing that the government can do that you and a large
group of likeminded people can't do better. The government doesn't
provide services, they simply take money from everyone (except their
buddies, of course!) and use a very small portion of that money to
pay people in the community to do things for their neighbors that
they probably would have done anyway in the natural course of human
interaction. Looked at in these terms, it becomes apparent that the
government is nothing more than a violent middleman, who forces his
way into nearly every interaction that takes place between each of
its so-called "citizens".

Everything that the government does is an attack on people who don't
belong to that organization. If you think about it, every single
action that the government takes is some kind of punitive measure
taken against people who don't belong to that organization. Even
when the government claims to be doing something nice, they are
doing so with resources that they obtained by using threats and
violence, which really doesn't make much of a case for the virtuousness
of government.

This organization is not here to protect our rights as it claims
to. In fact, when the government steps in and gives itself the
responsibility to "protect" your rights, it is simultaneously
stripping you of your ability to actually defend your own rights.
When you are dependent upon the whims and capabilities of another
human being to protect your rights, you are literally handing your
rights over to them and essentially submitting to slavery.


J.G. Vibes is an author, and artist -- with an established record
label. In addition to featuring a wide variety of activist information,
his company -- Good Vibes Promotions promotes for electronic dance
music events. You can keep up with him and his forthcoming book
Alchemy Of The Modern Renaissance, at "www.AOTMR.com". AOTMR will
be released this spring, thanks to Leilah Publications. This project
features nearly 100 different essays that give historical and
philosophical insight into the many important issues that our
generation faces. From ethics and voluntary interactions to banking,
eugenics and the drug war, AOTMR offers a complete and comprehensive
breakdown of the counter culture's struggle.