General

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Jon Irenicus — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:42:51 GMT

Too true.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Nick. B — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:30:56 GMT

Fluery:
I am sure that my reasons for disliking the state will change as I get older since I'm still pretty young at 15.

Trust me I'm 20 and the hatetred to the state only gets deeper and stronger with each passing year.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Fluery — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:51:04 GMT

I would say that the reason I am anti-state is just because the state seems so unfair and immoral. Ever since I was little I could never understand why taxation was acceptable, and not a cause for revolt. Even back then it just seemed like theft. The clearest memory I have of something like this was wondering why everybody paid for roads even though not everybody used roads. As I entered my teenage years, I have started to hate being told what to do, and how to live (but it's for my own good, right?!). After feeling like this for awhile I was swept away by Ron Paul and then I discovered the libertarian subreddit of reddit.com, and from there mises. I am sure that my reasons for disliking the state will change as I get older since I'm still pretty young at 15.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

nhaag — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:23:56 GMT

Injustice

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

nhaag — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:22:41 GMT

saying bad government is like saying good goodies.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Maria — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:44:09 GMT

Sorry, I know this is two, but they are synonymous ;)

My individualism: pursuit of personal goals: the pursuit of personal happiness and independence rather than collective goals or interests

My autonomy: #1. politics self-government: political independence and self-government

#2. philosophy existence as independent moral agent: personal independence and the capacity to make moral decisions and act on them.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

a_goedker — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:03:45 GMT

Ever since I can remember, I could never understand why people could tell me what to do with my things and myself. Nobody could ever give me a good reason. I would daze out thinking about what they told me, and try to figure out the answers for myself. I found answers by looking to nature and the laws built into it. I would question everything. I eventually found help by stumbling across certain books that i had never heard of before, like "The Law" by Bastiat, and "A Plea For The Constitution" (a defense of the gold standard) by George Bancroft. What they said was like someone dumping a bucket of ice water over my unsuspecting head. I suddenly didn't feel like an "outlaw" for questioning the status quo. They dont have a right to take my property, my money, or tell me what I can or can not do with them! I'm an opponent of the state because I want to make my own descisions, I want to be free. I have yet to meet a perfect man, and do not believe there is such a thing, so no man can be qualified to rule over me or anyone else.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Jon Irenicus — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:05:54 GMT

Yeah, I thought by constraints of human nature you meant human imperfection, and not suppression thereof. It makes sense now.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Chris — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:59:28 GMT

Jon Irenicus:

Let's phrase that another way, shall we? The problem with the state is that it is constrained in dealing with human nature, rather than human nature being what is constrained, as if man is evil and as if, were the state dealing with angels, it'd all work out. Do you disagree?

That's a very interesting question you pose. I intended what I posted to mean that the state constrains human nature, but you're right with regards to "how can the state deal with human nature?" It ultimately can't deal with human nature although it tries. Angels wouldn't be subjected to the State :)

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Okooka — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:34:17 GMT

If it has to be one, I'll second public school. Years of inefficient study methods, a 'well-rounded' curriculum (art? music? communication skills? ugh), blatant nationalism, shoving state enforced environmentalism down students' throats, a class room which is designed to make everybody slaves to their peers, clueless courses in even mathematics, physics and chemistry; learning for 12 years and then facing the most important exam of all (I'm serious): an essay supposed to assess your maturity with a choice in 10 themes, rounded down to how great the Fatherland is, how necessary it is to have strict international boundaries in energy consumption or some inane talk about social problems and how 'we' are supposed to solve them.

Oh, was the subject about the failings of pulic schooling? After 9.5 years of this crap I finally grew sick of it (only 9 of those years were compulsory, not too smart), started venomously thinking about how the state and the collective ruin everything (former soviet state) they come close to- which is everything, really- and then stumbled upon a wiki article of Rothbard- and mysanthropy be gone!

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

Andrew — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:45:13 GMT

Methodical individualism and public school.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

eliotn — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:22:37 GMT

Realizing that the Constitution was adopted illegitimately. That led me to question the validity of our government.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

sirmonty — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:15:26 GMT

The logical and ethical implications of Natural Rights and the fundamental realization that the state must aggress against these rights to sustain itself.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

scineram — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:42:23 GMT

My perspective is very much misesian. I value freedom and wealth highly, and a giga-welfare-warfare state is not too conductive to that except if I command it. However that is very unlikely, more probably it is going to oppress me, so it is better not to have it in the first place.

Re: What is the one thing that makes you anti-state?

millhouse — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:40:58 GMT

Marko:
What is the one most important reason that made you into an opponent of the state?

The conviction that every individual is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of any other man or abstractions like "society", "nation" or "humanity".