Date sent: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 07:42:01 +1100 (EST) From: Terry Donaghe <tdonaghe@yahoo.com> Subject: Final Challenge to Socialists To: extropians@extropy.com Send reply to: extropians@extropy.com
> In order for socialism to exist, the government must use violence to
> force it's citizens to pay taxes.
>
> Whether you agree that citizens have a right to money or property, you
> can't disagree that the government takes it's taxes by force (violence).
>
> I therefore challenge any socialist/collectivist on this list to
> explain how violence against individuals by the government is an
> Extropian act. If you agree that violence against individuals is not
> consistent with Extropianism, then why are you defending socialism?
>
> I also posit that Any attempt to defend socialism is also a defense of
> the government's use of violence against individuals.
>
> Comments?
> ==
> ----------------------
In such a case, ANY government would be susceptible to the charge
of extortion, laissez-faire representative democracy or otherwise. "I
didn't vote for it" would prevent ANY government from collecting ANY
taxes needed for ANYthing - even to hire water or food inspectors,
or defend borders, or vaccinate children, or even to exist. In the
absense of any other authority, the law of fang and claw dictates
that the bloodiest bully with the biggest gun rules, and at the edge of
his firing range would be the next big-gunned bloody bully's border.
Life would certainly be a lot more nasty, violent, brutish, and short
then, to paraphrase John Locke. Joe