This incident highlights an important truth that everyone who cares about individual rights and liberty must come to see: Government ultimately enforces laws by the threat or use of physical force. This is one reason it is so vital that lawmakers pass only laws that protect individual rights by banning the use of physical force, fraud, and the like—and that they repeal all laws that forbid peaceful activities. When a law against a perfectly peaceful, non-rights-violating activity such as selling cigarettes is passed, it will be enforced with physical force. And, as Garner’s death shows, such force can be fatal. Fortunately, journalists, law professors, and intellectuals are increasingly recognizing this fact. Here are a few instances from recent days. Stuart K. Hayashi I was thinking about Charlotte politicians and their attempt to ban or restrict services such as Uber and Lyft. What would happen if you or I and a Uber or Lyft driver chose to exchange services and money in spite of the ban set forth by politicians? It would come down to physical force by government -- at the behest of those politicians. What if you or I decided that we didnt want to support local entitlement programs and other scams that we have no choice in today? Ultimately it would be the government initiating physical force against us. Is this the type of social system we want? Coercive, force-initiating government?
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 14:26:34 +0000
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