I find it’s quite a comprehensive video of the statist tax argument.
I’m curious what rebuttal fellow Mises forum-goers would provide to this?
I’d just laugh in the idiot’s face. Seriously. There’s no reason to bother with such obvious mental degenerates.
He’s at it again? I was one of the youtube members trying to debate him last night.
This guy again…Did he even respond well to ladyattis?
Here we go again.
One: In defense of one’s property it is legal to use force to defend it.
Two: He is missing the point. Yes police, protection, fire fighters are good things to have around. Yet with government compensation for these services are compulsory and has a monopoly on these services. Monopolies in a given sector in the economy provide lackluster output, can charge at any rate and [ in the case of government ] violently oppose any competition. If these things are so necessary to the functioning of life is it not beneficial to all to open them up to competition in order to bring about lower prices and better services?
Three: He is using the ‘Free-rider’ myth. If benefiting society is the measure by which we tax individuals then should we not tax provocative clothing that enhances psychic pleasure [ benefiting a mass of people ]. Seriously this guy is all over the map. First he is a Marxist then he becomes a Chicagoite talking about ‘neighborhood effects’
Four: He is refusing to recognize that being that government has a monopoly on things like roads, firefighthing services, police, law etc. he expects anarchists to jimmy up to the government [ thereby succumbing to violent coercion ] or else we are stealing from those who pay taxes? [ Which completely disregards that those who pay taxes are obviously being ripped off themselves. Honestly, how can you steal from an institution that owns nothing, makes nothing, and only acquires wealth through violence?]
Fifth: Oh great the ‘love it or leave it’ mentality…like I haven’t run into this before. He presupposes that the government owns the land it monopolizes, and has more claim over a property owner, which at its base is absurd.
Sixth: So society is now conflated with government? True it is good to live in society because it provides things like voluntary trade, division of labor, communication, emotional relationships. However, anarchists can show how none of these things require an institution that is asymmetrical in power and morality and uses such power in harmful fashions.
By this fellow’s logic, attempting to escape (regardless of sucess) from a prison camp is murder or manslaughter, because there is the possibility that one’s fellow prisoners will be punished to deter others from escaping. He fails to carry the burden of responsibility onto the criminal in the first place (namely, whoever runs the prison camp, government or no).
My rebuttal.
- Put him on a plane and send him to an European country of your choice
- Hand him over a small activity (workshop, restaurant etc) to run
- Stay there and make sure he pays every single penny due
- Enjoy his face when he sees he worked more than half the year for the government and the much vaunted “services” are more of a burden than a blessing
That’s it. As we say around here “You wished for a bicycle.. now start pedaling!”.
So what if it is?
Very simple. The word “steal” does not mean “to benefit without payment”.
It isn’t worth responding to every nutter with a webcam and microphone. Stephan Molyneux had a joke about telling his wife that he couldn’t come to bed because someone was wrong on the internet.
