Ray Bradbury said, ""

Wednesday, March 30, 2005
A Response to the Response to the First Lesson

(Remember: this is a repost from my other blog)

TVD responded to the Response, and said:

Your argument works in the abstract. If nobody coerced anybody else, what a wonderful world it would be.

Remember Mises's argument against government intervention:

The dilemma is not between automatic forces and planned action. It is between the democratic process of the market, in which every individual has his share, and the exclusive rule of a dictatorial body. Whatever people do in the market economy, is the execution of their own plans. In this sense every human action means planning. What those calling themselves planners advocate is not the substitution of planned action for letting things go. It is the substitution of the planner's own plan for the plans of his fellow-men. The planner is a potential dictator who wants to deprive all other people of the power to plan and act according to their own plans. He aims at one thing only: the exclusive absolute pre-eminence of his own plan.

In our case, it is similarly not a matter of coercion versus a utopia of no coercion. It is a question of coercion by whom. All acts of force require both the person who uses it, and a victim. There can be only two options: the use of force by those who seek to violate the rights of others, and the use of force against those thieves, rapists, and murderers. I would rather that the government only levy force against those who rape, rob, murder, and defraud others.

If you disagree with this, then you disagree with me about who is justified to use force. You disagree with me that the only justified use of force is against those who have first used it to violate the rights of others.

But the barbarians are at the gates to coerce us out of our food, liquor, and women.

I would first point out that no one owns women. Then I would point out that in a society ordered on equal freedom, it is precisely these rapists, thieves, and murderers who have something to fear from individuals within and outside the government.

 Fortunately, we volunteers took up a collection and paid some mercenaries to drive them away, although no thanks to you, Mr. Roarke.

 The government is a smaller group of people entrusted with the power to enforce the right of self-defense of each individual in the larger group that makes up the rest of society.

 Instead of having to take weekly karate courses, buy elephant guns and landmines, security alarms, and guard dogs, to maximize our time and effort we delegate this function to a smaller group of people who may continually enforce our rights.

Since my freedom depends on your not being able to rape, rob, murder, or defraud me, I have quite a vested interest in making sure you are unable to do that.

 But you know, the mercenaries just decided we didn't pay them enough. They're eyeing your lands and daughters, Mr. Roarke.

 The government is a smaller group of people entrusted with the power to enforce the right of self-defense of each individual in the larger group that makes up the rest of society.

 It is composed of individuals. These individuals, like all other humans, both require the absence of force against them to survive, and are limited by the equal rights of all other humans from using force against innocents. An individual in the government who uses force against innocents is just as much a criminal as if he were a private citizen.

In a society ordered on equal freedom, the government is limited in its power by a constitution. The government official who acts beyond those limits becomes a criminal as surely as if a private citizen performed that action.

 In all of human history, government has been eager to enforce its edicts on citizens. It is only with the development of a constitutional republic that the government is required to enforce the individuals within it as well as the rest of society.

We'd like to help, but we can't figure out a way to get them to respect your property rights without coercion.Sorry, man. It's a free country. Oh yeah---I just dammed up the creek that you irrigate your fields with, so the whole place will be shriveled up by next summer anyway.The mercenaries will leave, so maybe then I'll make a proper offer for your land. Two cents on the dollar sound fair?

 I am sure my other three readers would be glad to fisk your last couple sentences for me. You other three: fisk well, and I'll post your arguments.

Posted by: Tom "The Pooklekufr" Treloar at March 30, 2005 15:35 EST | Permalink | comments |
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