Legitimate Violence?

JonBostwick — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:25:00 GMT

Classic liberals, today often called minarchists, often talk about the legitimate functions of governments. Being libertarians, these people understand the nature of government is violence and coercion. Their various versions boil down to claiming the only legitimate government role is defending us and our property from others. By this they mean the political method is only legitimate when used to distribute protection services. The economic method is trade, the political method is taking. Thus, the only appropriate tax is one spent towards the production of police, military, and legal services.

That the protection industry is the last to be viewed as a legitimate use of the political method is easy to understand. Politics and protection are a natural pairing, as both are built on violence. If violence is justified in the defense of property, then can not further violence be justified to ensure the creation of that defense? Once you have justified violence, you have justified the State. The State, once justified, faces the slippery slope towards totalitarianism that the American Political System is still on.

Brush Fires of Freedom : Minarchy, Anarchy

Legitimate Violence?