There is no justification for fussbucketry, social engineering or the creation of a fake ‘social contract’ to valorise extracting punitive amounts of money from the rich or badly behaved.
Thanks for the read. Please always emphasize that a social contract is NOT a contract at all. While I agree with most of this, in your last couple of paragraphs:
If Bastiat accepted a minimal state, wouldn’t that make him a minarchist, not an anarcho-capitalist? And aren’t those wider functions exactly aspects of social engineering?
Less than half the adult population pay to keep the other half. As a taxpayer, the State uses my money to pay one large group of people (public servants) to pay another, much larger group of people - those who will not work hard enough or skilfully enough to support themselves. Neither group has a strong interest in changing this immoral arrangement.
So nothing will change until it actually becomes *illegal* for the State to overtax me, burden me with debt and debase my money by printing more of it. We need a taxpayers revolt to cut off the money and shrink the State.
Brilliant stuff Simon.
Thanks for the read. Please always emphasize that a social contract is NOT a contract at all. While I agree with most of this, in your last couple of paragraphs:
If Bastiat accepted a minimal state, wouldn’t that make him a minarchist, not an anarcho-capitalist? And aren’t those wider functions exactly aspects of social engineering?
Less than half the adult population pay to keep the other half. As a taxpayer, the State uses my money to pay one large group of people (public servants) to pay another, much larger group of people - those who will not work hard enough or skilfully enough to support themselves. Neither group has a strong interest in changing this immoral arrangement.
So nothing will change until it actually becomes *illegal* for the State to overtax me, burden me with debt and debase my money by printing more of it. We need a taxpayers revolt to cut off the money and shrink the State.
We can but dream.