Are you interested in a Defense of Government?

[DigitalWarrior]

I was thinking about some of my philosophical brethren, and I was wondering if I should put the effort into writing an article in defense of the existence of government.  It seems like statelessness is an opinion that is attractive here, and I thought that rather than get into some kind of weird flame war, it might be interesting to describe the origin of the powers of government in the rights of man in a paper (book if it gets too big).

DW

[error]

You mean things like Locke's work? You'd do better to consider rationally whether the advocates of "statelessness" are actually correct.

As for me, I'm more interested in a defense FROM government.

[dalebert]

I may read it. It depends on how compelling it is at the beginning and how long it is. It would be interesting to see if it has something I haven't heard before. I assume you mean some sort of monopoly style government, i.e. a state. If you're talking about the sort of opt-in "governments" that would exist in a free market, then there's not much to argue to most of the people here.

[DigitalWarrior]

I don't think Locke specifically addressed the concerns of no-staters.  I have considered their correctness and I do not think that they are consistently correct.  I am discussing a form of government which exercises sovereign authority over a geographic area.

I too am interested in defense from tyrannical and despotic government.

[error]

How about self-government? I'll exercise sovereign authority over my geographic area, and you do the same for yours, and we leave each other alone, except perhaps to do business, or to throw down a few beers at a third party's sovereign geographic area.

[DigitalWarrior]

The paper I am going to write will oppose that in principal and in practice.

I will get started...

[error]

Oppose freedom? This I gotta see.

[J’raxis 270145]

This is the best defense of government I've ever read. That is, I couldn't stop laughing the entire time.

[bouncer]

quote

On a more practical level, the federal government actually gives you money every year to help pay for your house. It's called a mortgage interest tax deduction and it is one of the larger benefit programs run by the federal government


Yeah thanks for taking my salary at gunpoint and giving me back some change. Thank you sir may I have another.