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| It is asserted that in a democracy, "the state is us", so we are taxing and enforcing laws against ourselves. | It's not "the state" that is taxing you and coercing you; in a democracy "the state is us", so we're doing it to ourselves. |
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| A classic ''reductio ad absurdum'' for this fallacy is to point out that Hitler was democratically elected, that Jews were in the electorate, so those killed in the concentration camps weren't actually murdered but committed suicide. | ''Since outright slavery has been discredited, "democracy" is the only remaining rationale for state compulsion that most people will accept. Democracy has proved only that the best way to gain power over people is to assure the people that they are ruling themselves. Once they believe that, they make wonderfully submissive slaves.'' —Joseph Sobran |
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| More fundamentally, however, the fallacy rests on the false premise that VotingIsConsent and that infringement of individual rights (to life, liberty, and property) is justified if a majority wills it. But individual rights do not come from states or majorities, but are a property of individual self-ownership (see [[Voluntaryism]]). | ''Also, if "we" are the government, then why would it be a sin to stop paying taxes? Am I required to pay myself?'' —Gary Wingrove II A good ''reductio ad absurdum'' for the false premise that "the state is us" is that since Hitler was elected, and Jewish people were part of the population that elected him, they weren't murdered in the concentration camps, but rather committed suicide, since they were the state. More fundamentally, however, the fallacy rests on the false premise that ../VotingIsConsent and that infringement of individual rights (to life, liberty, and property) is justified if a majority wills it. But individual rights do not come from states or majorities, but are a property of individual self-ownership (see [[Voluntaryism]]). |
Fallacy:
It's not "the state" that is taxing you and coercing you; in a democracy "the state is us", so we're doing it to ourselves.
Response:
Since outright slavery has been discredited, "democracy" is the only remaining rationale for state compulsion that most people will accept. Democracy has proved only that the best way to gain power over people is to assure the people that they are ruling themselves. Once they believe that, they make wonderfully submissive slaves. —Joseph Sobran
Also, if "we" are the government, then why would it be a sin to stop paying taxes? Am I required to pay myself? —Gary Wingrove II
A good reductio ad absurdum for the false premise that "the state is us" is that since Hitler was elected, and Jewish people were part of the population that elected him, they weren't murdered in the concentration camps, but rather committed suicide, since they were the state.
More fundamentally, however, the fallacy rests on the false premise that ../VotingIsConsent and that infringement of individual rights (to life, liberty, and property) is justified if a majority wills it. But individual rights do not come from states or majorities, but are a property of individual self-ownership (see Voluntaryism).