Why “If you hate the government, please give up X” is a stupid argument
[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]here probably isn’t a libertarian out there who hasn’t had a leftist ask them, “If you hate the government, why are you using roads, social security, police, etc…”? Granted, there are many more reasons than those listed here demonstrating why this argument is useless, but if you were directed here by a libertarian/voluntaryist/anarchist, here are the top 5.
5) Property Taxes Have Prevented Us From Living Off the Grid
As much as many libertarians would love to live off the grid and not deal with the crumbling civilization around us, the government won’t have it. The harsh reality is even if we do own our homes as many of us do, they will never truly be ours because the state has claimed ownership over the roofs we live under. The only payment the state accepts is in Federal Reserve notes, and to get those, most people must have a job located in civilization. Unless you’re retired or have a lot of money saved in the bank, it’s impossible to live off the grid without losing your home to the state you’re trying to avoid.
4) The Government has Claimed Ownership Over All Natural Resources
Not only can we not live off the grid, we can’t even band together and pool our resources to form small towns. This is because resources that are actually conducive to industry are claimed by the U.S. government and are therefore illegal to collect. From things as lucrative as oil to something as vital as rainwater, to something as harmless as raw milk being unlawful to harvest. There is very little libertarian communities could hope to do to harness the power of our own land without mommy government’s permission.
3) The Government Outlawed Alternatives to it’s Services
When leftists say, “If you hate the government, stop using this school. Stop using the roads. Stop using the police”, the most common response should be, “And use what”? It’s as if we’re expected to use the magical private sector alternatives that are just so cheap and readily available to everyone. Of course, public schools and subsidized student loans have driven up the cost of attending a private school; there aren’t privately owned roads we can use to get to our jobs and travel across the country on; and the government has banned or made it near impossible for some of us to own weapons. And yet, the leftists can’t figure out why we aren’t satisfied with the government’s often inadequate services.
2) God Forbid We Actually Use the Services We Were Forced to Fund
If any business screws you over or doesn’t do a good job, do you not expect it to fix the problem, or in some way right the wrong it committed? Of course you do. The same thing goes with libertarians and the government. For example, we are forced to pay thousands and thousands of our hard earned dollars every year into social security, and the harsh reality of it is that a lot of us don’t have enough money lying around to retire comfortably after almost half of it’s been taken in some way or another. Are we to just say, “That’s OK. I don’t need a good retirement anyway. I’m so principled, I’ll spend my last years miserable and not try to take back the money I was promised”? If anyone makes a deal with you, they should honor it, especially if they forced you to make that deal against your will.
1) You Have to Use Some Government Services
Perhaps the most damning argument against that which progressives make towards libertarians is that you are legally required to participate in government programs, so it’s impossible for you to give them up. You have to buy healthcare or be fined thousands of dollars. You have to follow the rules of the drug war or be imprisoned. You have to send your kids to school, and even if you don’t send them to a public institution, you have to pay for them anyway. There are government programs you’re obligated to partake in whether you like it or not. The question from progressives shouldn’t be, “If libertarians dislike the government, why don’t you give up it’s services?” It should be, “If libertarians dislike the government, why doesn’t the government leave them alone?