Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

A recent book review on Mises.org sparked a debate on the legitimacy of the State. Various posters commented on everything from the establishment of government to the workability of anarchy. One post in particular stood out so much that I felt it bore repeating.

"According to the Declaration of Independence, if the government is not serving your best interests, you are entitled to overthrow it. Given the costs of overthrowing any government, it is apparent why most people prefer paying their taxes and taking their chances with the depredations and destructions heaped on them.

Nevertheless, history is also replete with cases where governments were violently overthrown and the rulers liquidated when oppression became so severe that opposing became more palatable to remaining in subjugation. I have confidence that America will suffer the same fate since we see the sign posts on the same road that all nations have traveled.

Empires rise and fall, but human nature never changes. Every generation starts fresh and repeats the same mistakes because people cannot believe that they are like their ancestors. And so all the world cycles through the phases of civilization and destruction. Alas, we are caught in the decline."

This reminds me to keep a few things in perspective: First is that there will always be those who seek power. Likewise, there will always be those who believe that someone must be in charge of everything. And finally, that ideas change the world.

I don't know if it will happen in my lifetime, but eventually the masses will tire of the incremental destruction of liberty, the constant theft of our earnings, and the endless lip service paid by politicians to the principles Americans once embraced, and they will take action to end it. Until then, I will remain a champion of freedom within my own sphere of influence, and I will take heart in knowing that one day the cycle will start again. Perhaps next time they'll get it right.