Saturday, June 27, 2015

A Grave Mistake in Moral Reasoning

Even if every member of Congress and the president were warmongers, they would be unable to wreak any death and destruction abroad if no one would go forth and do the deeds. Even if every legislator in the land were wicked and determined to imprison people for victimless crimes, they would be unable to put a single victim behind bars if no one would go forth to make the arrests, prosecute those charged, and maintain the prisons. At some point we must recognize that blaming the leaders for the state's evil and giving a pass to its soldiers and cops is a grave mistake in moral reasoning.

It does not follow, however, that people who pay taxes under threat of the state's violent retribution are equally complicit in the state's evils. Taxpayers do not voluntarily cooperate but merely capitulate under duress. Everyone recognizes that "agreements" or cooperation elicited under duress are illegitimate. Taxpayers are not so much guilty parties as victims themselves.-Robert Higgs

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