As you may have noticed, Penn Jillette has an opinion piece on CNN that talks about why he is a libertarian. It’s all over my Facebook feed, so it’s resonating with peopleUncle pointed out that Jillette used the phrase “government is force”, which is a rare thing to see in an MSM piece.
Here is the what he said:
There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.
People try to argue that government isn’t really force. You believe that? Try not paying your taxes…. When they come to get you for not paying your taxes, try not going to court. Guns will be drawn. Government is force — literally, not figuratively.
I would like politicians and bureaucrats to acknowledge this: Every law, rule, and regulation made by the government ends in puppy killing SWAT Teams. Every dime that is spent in our name was taken at gunpoint.
I want them to understand that every action they take has this statement as a footnote: “This is important enough that my grandmother should be killed if she does not abide.”
The rhetoric might be a little over the top, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Take the story of Rawesome Foods, who were raided twice in one year by full-ninja swat teams for such horrible crimes as “improper egg temperatures.” I mean really what could possibly justify that?
It seems ridiculous that this could happen, right? Well, all it takes is one word: No.
As an example, I’ll use my city’s recent doubling of property taxes to fund such necessities as computerized timing mechanisms for public baseball fields. Here is how it goes:
Government: We need to double your taxes so that umpires don’t forget to turn off the ballfield lights after games are over.
Citizen: No.
Government: Um….but we need it.
Citizen: No.
Government: Well, it doesn’t matter what you think. You have to pay it anyway.
Citizen: No.
Government: [Later] I see you didn’t pay the new tax rate. Here’s your updated bill with penalties and interest.
Citizen: No.
Government: Okay, fine. See you in court!
Citizen: No.
Government: What? BUT YOU HAVE TO GO!
Citizen: No.
Government: Fine. We waved a magic wand and took ownership of your house. You have to get out.
Citizen: No.
Government: [Press Release] SWAT was deployed today and killed a barricaded suspect. Multiple attempts to negotiate were rejected, so SWAT had to move in. The suspect resisted arrest and was shot 37 times. We waited a couple of hours and then found out he was dead.
Pick any issue, and that’t how this will end. From speeding tickets to multiple murder, the only way to ensure a civilized society is with brutality. If a violation doesn’t end that way, then what’s the point? I mean, if I can just say no until you go away, then why have the rule in the first place?
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