Are We Really Free?
How Voluntaryism and Libertarianism work for true freedom.
Is America Really the Land of the Free?
America has long been regarded as "land of the free, home of the brave." Oddly enough, African Americans did not become completely equal until the mid-to-late 60's, less than 60 years ago. Homosexuals don't have the same rights as heterosexuals. People who come here from other countries without a certain slip of paper are treated like slaves, working for pennies on the dollar with no other choice, and sometimes being forced to return after all of that. The government also forcibly takes some of your income, certain jobs force you to join unions that take even more of your income, and requires certain levels of education to get certain jobs, and these levels of education cost money, which goes towards, you guessed it, the government. All of this, and the government still says we're free? Sounds to me like the government has quite a bit of power of your life.
What about the Social Contract?
A Social Contract is not like a physical contract, more of an agreement from birth, between an individual and their government. This "contract" basically assures you your safety and well being, in exchange for the surrender of certain rights and freedoms. Some countries have larger social contracts than others. It doesn't sound like too bad of a deal, right? You can't break rules the government has in place, and in exchange they provide you with services, such as Police, mail services, and emergency medical aid. But the issue is, what if you don't agree with a rule? One of these rules currently standing is that two people of the same sex cannot marry, get the benefits financially that marriage brings, and cannot share certain insurances that are needed in medical emergencies. Another is forced healthcare, that you HAVE to pay for. Otherwise, you can be put in jail. But what if you don't need this healthcare? Or what if you don't need the police because you can defend yourself? What if you don't want your income taxed, because you have no need for the services it provides? If their is a social contract in place, you should be able to opt out of it, denying both the services and fees that come with it.
Taxation or theft?
Theft is the unjust taking, typically by force, of someone's possession without their consent? What is the relation with taxes though? Taxes are governments (rarely voluntary) taking of one's money, property, or income. Basically taxes are the government taking your money, without your consent, and using it as they please, rarely benefitting you. By this logic, is taxation not just theft in a different name? Libertarian and Voluntaryism activist Ron Paul addressed this issue.
Ron Paul - Taxation is Theft
What are Voluntaryism and Libertarianism?
Libertarianism is the political and social belief that individual liberties and rights should be priority, and governments should have no power over them. Voluntaryism is the idea spawning from Libertarianism, that all actions done between individuals and the government should be completely voluntary.
Voluntaryism Symbol
Libertarian Party Symbol
Libertarian Ideology
What are the goals of the Libertarian party?
- Secure individual rights
- Prevent government tyranny
- Create a world with little to no need for government
- Teach people how to live without government handicaps
- Bring peace through non-violent means
And over all, secure your total freedom as an individual.
How does Voluntaryism work?
Voluntaryism is the idea that all actions should be voluntary. There are a lot of different ways it could go, but the main idea is rather simple; If you want help from the government, pay your share of the taxes and obey all their laws. They can enforce them on you so long as you agree to their social contract. If you do not want to be part of the government, do not meddle in any of it's affairs, be excluded from all their services, and keep your full income. The government will not have any power over you, so long as you do not interfere with it's people and it's operation, and at the same time, so long as you don't overreach your practices into it's, the government will not interfere with anything you do.
But what happens if too many opt out?
Many people fear a world without government. They don't realize their ability to provide for themselves and others, and rely on the government to do so for them. But if people being to opt out, more and more people will realize that they too can be self-reliant, and opt out. Slowly, the need for a government will become so minimal, it will have no funding and no power. This would take a lot of time of course, so people would have more than enough time to adjust and learn, slowly creating no need for the government anyways.