Re: Flat Tax.

Timothy Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Wed, 23 Jun 1999 12:28:35 +1000

mike lorrey do say:
> If I am a sovereign land owner, surrounded on all sides by
> a sovereign state, isn't any money I pay to that state merely extortion to
> prevent them from invading me?
That is the problem.

> If I have a state on one side, and a state on the
> other, shouldn't I be able to choose which one to
> contract with depending on who cuts me the best deal on
> taxes versus protection?
That is the answer: "the state" will be the cheapest private justice provider.

> Shouldn't you have to pay me
> to be able to take action against the other guy on my land?
Yes.

> If I choose to take
> care of my own defense, to go armadillo, isn't that my choice,
> so why should I pay you to keep your navy when I'm 1000 miles
> from the nearest ocean?
Fundamental problem of libertarianism - free-loading. I believe that this problem exists because we only have one planet. It will not be a problem when we each have our own planet. Until then, we have to put up with the best we can do: Jeffersonian government and an aspiration to total liberty/self-rule.

We should all fight for tooth and nail for libertarianism, even though it would not work if implemented in July 1999.

It will work in 2010 when we are all living in the Schizmatrix

tim