The Law


Posted by Lysander Spooner ® , Sep 06,2003,18:55   MetroBlab
Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all.

We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education. We object to a state religion. Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all. We object to a state-enforced equality. Then they say that we are against equality. And so on, and so on. It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain.

Followups


The Law

Re: The Law -- Lysander Spooner
Posted by jfm ® , Sep 06,2003,19:16   MetroBlab
I haven't clicked on that to see who it's by, but it's dumb no matter who it is. First of all, who the hell are these "socialists" he's talking about? Sounds like pretty much anybody who thinks there ought to be a government at all would qualify as a "socialist." OK, well, if that's your definition of socialism, then I'm a socialist. I don't think people who disapprove of state education are opposed to education. Send your kid wherever you want, or don't send 'em at all. Just make sure they learn what they need to know. I was homeschooled until 4th grade. But you know what? The whole time my mom was homeschooling me and my sister, she and my dad never once bitched about having to pay taxes to support the local schools, even though they chose not to send their own kids there. They knew having some school was better than having no school at all, and they felt some responsibility to contribute what they could. (They even tried convincing the school district to let them start their own school with some friends -- they signed up my 4th-grade teacher to head up the faculty -- but the school board said no. Charter schools hadn't been invented yet.)

As for objecting to a "state-enforced equality," the state only tells you the limits of your discrimination. You can still hate whites, blacks, Jews, Catholics, gays, redheads, blondes, fundamentalists, Mexicans, Star Trek fans, anybody you want -- you just can't act on your hatred in a way that deprives someone else of their own civil rights. Christ, I thought libertarians understood this shit.

The Law

Re: The Law -- jfm
Posted by Lysander Spooner ® , Sep 08,2003,19:21   MetroBlab
"As for objecting to a "state-enforced equality," the state only tells you the limits of your discrimination. You can still hate whites, blacks, Jews, Catholics, gays, redheads, blondes, fundamentalists, Mexicans, Star Trek fans, anybody you want -- you just can't act on your hatred in a way that deprives someone else of their own civil rights. Christ, I thought libertarians understood this shit."

Indeed, libertarians do understand this. Can't say the same about the conservatives and liberals generally speaking.

The Law

Re: The Law -- jfm
Posted by spinetingler ® , Sep 06,2003,21:23   MetroBlab
>Christ, I thought libertarians understood this shit.

We do, at least the big L ones.

anarcho-libertarians, perhaps not.