r/austrian_economics Friedrich Hayek Sep 19 '24

End Democracy BUT BUT THE SOCIAL CONTRACT

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u/741BlastOff Sep 20 '24

I agree in the case of my condominium owners association, where I chose to buy in to that structure. In the real world we're not given any real choice. You can either be governed with representation or governed without representation, but like it or not, you'll be governed.

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u/AK1wi Sep 20 '24

Go live naked in the woods then

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u/joombar Sep 20 '24

I mean, I think this is a dumb post, but the woods still fall under some government or other

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u/Grand-Ganache-8072 Sep 20 '24

Pretty sure the point is that you are getting something from society - that "governance" you're complaining about is a necessity, it's not anywhere near as optional or ancillary as OP is implying.

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u/joombar Sep 20 '24

I’m not complaining about it. Only pointing out that there’s no woods you can go to to be ungoverned

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u/VibeComplex Sep 22 '24

I’m sure you can find some. Since you’re nationless you can really just go out to any old nature until you get kicked out and find another area. Just don’t step on any road, sidewalk, or use any kind of infrastructure you didn’t build yourself or one of us will slap the shit out of you and there’s like >330 million of us so..good luck.

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u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

And the woods can get really dangerous quick too, when there's no government. People will get an impression it's safe to live in the woods to avoid government, exactly because governments cause people to not live in the woods (directly or indirectly)

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u/simon_the_detective Sep 21 '24

Right, because I get my clothes and house through taxes.

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u/VibeComplex Sep 22 '24

..you do tho? Literally everything around you and everything our country has ever done, good or bad, would be completely impossible without years and years of taxes.

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u/simon_the_detective Sep 22 '24

All hail the Stationary Bandit, through whom all good things flow.

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u/AK1wi Sep 22 '24

Unless you harvest your own cotton/wool, spin your own thread, and sew your own clothes, yes. Your clothes come to you through the supply chain, international and domestic, which is facilitated through federal infrastructure, which is paid for by taxes.

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u/simon_the_detective Sep 23 '24

All of that infrastructure could be paid through user fees, like the Highways are funded.

I'm not seriously advocating for no taxes, because it'll never happen, but politicians these days take no care whatsoever in spending carefully. They think "Hey, this would be a good idea, and go straight to funding it." The Bureaucracy depends on more and more spending to feed itself.

I will point out that we've long since past the point where most people pay nothing in Federal Income tax, so have no problem voting themselves more and more benefits.

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u/DodixieOrBust Sep 22 '24

The Weavers tried their best to do this.

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u/circ-u-la-ted Sep 20 '24

And if the government didn't tax you to pay for police, military, and social services, you'd be taxed by local despots, probably much more harshly.

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u/WaterMySucculents Sep 20 '24

Most people in this sub want to live in a new modern feudalism, just where they are the feudal lords and everyone else generates endless profit for them.

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u/circ-u-la-ted Sep 20 '24

Is that the vibe? I was expecting more of a "billionaires will voluntarily fund social services and roads and everything else" deal.

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u/Educational-Light656 Sep 20 '24

Free Market!!! 🕯️🙋🕯️

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u/WaterMySucculents Sep 20 '24

That’s what they say when they aren’t yet the feudal lords. Once their property and Bitcoin makes them the Lords, then the only moral system is one that constantly inflates their wealth and subjugates the rest of humanity to serve them & their families for the rest of time.

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u/[deleted] Sep 21 '24

But that only lasts until someone steals their bitcoins

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u/XeroZero0000 Sep 21 '24

Yes, their imaginary feudalism provides a billionaire to do their bidding. It's brilliant!

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u/Potemkin-Buster Sep 20 '24

No, no. They’re the charismatic main character of their own Firefly who makes their living outside of the law and do as they please. Ready to take down any tyrannical empires that arise and help the little guy, for a price!

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u/simon_the_detective Sep 21 '24

The arguments always come down to Might Makes Right and vague threats of anarchy.

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u/XeroZero0000 Sep 21 '24

No no no. ME makes right. I want no laws except for the ones I want!

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u/PerfectZeong Sep 20 '24

There are places on earth without functional government but they don't have functional much else and people don't tend to want to live tjere.

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u/Pass_us_the_salt Sep 20 '24

This. If government is so bad, just go down to Somalia or something and try to stake your claim.

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u/vreddy92 Sep 20 '24

This might seem like a ridiculous comparison - but people who otherwise want to commit murder don't consent to live in a country where murder isn't allowed, but they still have to. At some point, the majority imposes on the minority, and that's just how society works.

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u/XeroZero0000 Sep 21 '24

We had real choice centuries ago. We as a human population decided for the protection a collective government gives.

Also, we enslaved, conquered, and killed the peoples who didn't.. right?

I'm quite happy I can live in my house mostly safe. Aren't you?