From: Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 09:24:35 +0800
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: Free Market Anarchy (Beck's Folly) - Fundamental flaw
Message-ID: <199711020120.TAA02325@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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The fundamental flaw with the justification of a Free Market Anarchy and
also the fundamental condemnation of Democracy is that of taxation.

However, the theory of democracy does not in any way address the issues of
taxation, only how laws are made and what the boundaries on those laws are.
In fact, until about the first third of this century there was NO personal
taxation in this country at the federal level. Clear prima facia , and to use
Beck's verbage 'real', evidence that the assertion that personal taxation and
democracy are irrevocably wedded. Ask yourself, why is it that no free
market anarchist *ever* mentions commenality in humanity? Why do their have
inherent and implicit in their systems a class structure? They would have
you believe this is natural, it is not. Class structures are reflections of
the beliefs of the people, not some fundamental law of nature.

Furhermore, Free Market Anarchy does not address the issues of protection
from abuse. It does not recognize in any manner any mechanism for redress of
grievances unless you happen to be one of the few who controls the wealth.
It further assumes that those who don't have wealth will willingly take this
station in life as a given and simply work for those who do have wealth and
accept without resentment that they will forever be denied any sort of
opportunity to change their station in life except at the whim of the power
brokers. It further does not in any way address issues of life, liberty, or
pursuits of happines - only monetary wealth. It is clear that having wealth
does not in any manner guarantee any sort of empathy for others in the holder.
If anthing, history demonstrates that such 'lords of wealth' are pragmatic
about collecting wealth to the point of predation.

This argument from the specific to the general is fundamentaly flawed and
the conclusion suffers because of it.

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. How that power is
obtained, by vote or specie, is irrelevant as clearly shown by history.

Some hold that the majority of the populace suffer taxation at the point of
a gun. This assertion is also false. There have historicaly been several
political parties which have promised to eliminate personal taxation. In
every case those parties could not control more than a truly minimal
percentage of the vote. Yes, people say taxation is too high, they do not
hold the assertion that taxes should be completely eliminated.

Free Market Anarchies are doomed to the same sort of death, and if ever
implimented the same sorts of abuse, as all other non-democratic systems.

Also, recognize that those who support such systems have a set of commen
character flaws. First, they can't differentiate the implimentation from the
theory of political systems. They would have you believe that if a given
implimentation of a system is flawed or broken than all systems of that ilk
are then broken or flawed. Clearly history does not support such assertions.
In short, they would throw the baby out with the bathwater. Secondly, these
in general are the sorts of people who find glee when they see a polic
officer run over in the street. Do you seriously believe that anyone this
cold and uncarring would not hesitate for an instant in putting pepper spray
in your eyes? Thirdly, they express a view which I call Theory X equality.
In short, as long as they are the ones making the profit, the fact that you
suffer for it, justly or not, is irrelevant and justified. In more prosaic
words, the ends *always* justifies the means. An assertion that history also
does not support.


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