You know, it is extremely hard to read from one's opponents. It's not that their ideas are so outrageous that you want to crush them under your thumbs like a bug. No, not really. Frankly, during my many many day dreams on many many issues, I have pull together strange ideas. Obviously, once I wake up and re-calibrate my reasoning system, those strange ideas fizzle out like fire under a Reno rain (in case you don't know, Reno does not have light rain; it either sparkles under the sun or storms like there is no tomorrow).
No, reading from your opponent is hard because they have strange assumptions that you just can't understand. Let's be frank here: most people have roughly the same goals (you know, get rich, be happy, make the world more just, etc.) and use roughly the same set of logical reasoning tools. Yes, most people, from far left to far right, do share the goals and the logics. They disagree because they have different starting points, or assumptions. It's like this: two people want dinner outside; they have the same goals (food!) and they drive roughly similar vehicles (cars, let's say, or scooters, or whatever); however, if one person is in New York, and another is in China, you can be pretty sure that they will eat a different places. Same goals, same tools, different assumptions will lead to very different places.
One of the biggest difference between myself (I prefer not to talk about others) and the rough collection of "conservatives" and "libertarians" crowd is this: in my mind, the government and the state are just things; you know, like guns don't kill people, people kill people; in their minds, the government (wait, it's usually like this: THE GOVERNMENT) is Satan, the source of all evils that roam the surface of the earth. I remember Mr. Obama once joked that Republican part seem to have one cure for all woes: more tax cuts. It's funny, and it actually illustrates this difference very well. From my point of view, the government is a thing, dangerous and extensive, but a thing nevertheless; from their point of view, the government is Evil and needs to be purged before anything good can happen.
What is the government? Let's start at the basics. What is, exactly the government. For that matter, what is a state? What does it do? What can it do? Why does it exist? How did it become what it is today?
Let's remind ourselves of this: all humans once lived in small bands. This is undisputed truths. From science to religion, humans started at small bands. So, back in the days, there was no extensive government, no states, no nations, nothing. Back in the days, all humans lived in egalitarian societies where no one ruled anyone else. Eden, a Christian might call it. Equality and freedom reigned supreme.
The question becomes: why would anyone, for the love of freedom and liberty and all of that romantic concepts, abandon Eden and build States? And keep this in mind, the earlier a state, the more brutal it seem to be. This question should especially trouble libertarians. After all, religious Conservatives can answer this simply: God kicked us out, so bye bye Eden. But if you disavow God, you have to find an answer to that dilemma. Why did those bastards build governments that rule us until this day, wreak us countless miseries and pain, spill so much of our blood and rob so much of our money? Why, stupid ancestors, why?
Before we continue: dear ancestor, the words above are purely rhetoric; please pardon my disrespect.
A government, simply put, is the governing body of a society. Usually, people would say things like "it makes laws, builds public works, etc." However, this actually belies an important fact. A government is a mechanism, a institution, an organization. "It" does not do anything. "It" simply obeys whatever its owners want. The government does not make laws. The people make laws through the their representatives in Congress. The government does not print money. The people authorize the money printing through selection of specialists in Federal Reserve system. The government does not make war. The people make wars through their elected officials in two branches of the government. The government is a set of institutions, laws, bureaucracies, regulations, etc. that the owners of a society use to make mutual decisions.
Thus, saying "the government robs your money" is like saying "the safe hoards money." Yes, the safe takes money out of your pocket; yes, the safe prevents you from spending that money. However, the safe does not exactly, you know, spend the money on itself or anything. Last time I checked, the safe still can't go out and buy a luxurious car or go to the bar and woo the girls. And when it can, I am pretty sure the discussion will be very different. Similarly, the government can't exactly use your money to enrich itself. I mean, the poor White House is just a fancy house. It just stands there. Now, the President, the senators, the representatives, etc. can and do use your money to enrich themselves. However, that means they are bad politicians. The government itself, as an institution, can't do that!
Talking about bad politicians: I always feel that Conservatives and Libertarians speak of "the government" and "Washington (D.C., not the state)" a bit strange. Strangest ones? The very politicians who run for office as "outsiders" and put in very bad words about "Washington." I mean, when Ron Paul or whoever (I just pick Ron Paul since I am working very very hard on a book from Libertarianism) claims that, says, "Washington" is this or that, I lost all respect for that person. When you have been in an institution for years, if not decades, when you have been the most esteemed member of that institution, you don't have a right to bash it. If it is corrupted, it is your responsibility. Claiming that you are "maverick" is a sick joke. Who is "Washington"? Why, Ron Paul is. You know, at my workplace, if you have been there for 6 months, people regard you as an old hand. You can no longer say shit like "their way is stupid." It's your way now, so fix it or shut up. Similarly, Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and the whole set of junkies should really be ashame of themselves. I have yet to hear anyone taking responsibility. They all sing the same song: "Washington" is corrupted, elect me to fix it; oh, btw, the fact that I have been there does not count. What?
Same thing, but to a lesser extend, can be said of most Conservatives who complains about "Washington." Let's face it, "Washington" is not an external monster spawned by Satan to rule you. It consist of people who you yourself, along with your fellow citizens, voted in less than 4 years ago (sometimes less than 2 years). I firmly believe that voting is not complaining; it's institution building and decision making. During an election, everyone has the responsibility and right to teach and to communicate with everyone else about the decisions and representation for the next few years. "The government of the people, by the people, for the people" cannot, by itself, corrupt. If it is corrupted, the reason lies in the very citizens who elect the corrupting elements into it.
Enough of ranting. One more important point I want to raise: many of our social goals are, by definition, governmental action. For example, what does "establish Justice" mean? It means fair laws and impartial enforcement. Both making laws and enforcing them lie in the responsibilities of the government. Thus, to establish Justice, We the People have to do it through the government (mostly through election of worthy people to draft laws, discussion and feedback about current laws, as well as vigilant monitoring of the enforcers). Similarly, "provide common defense" generally involves the government, through either militia (feudal modal, or early American model) or professional armies. Both options require central command and coordination, and this command and coordination must obey civil authority. Beside the government, few other options can satisfy this difficult position: very powerful (the army is the most violent aspect of any society) yet cannot be supreme (or dictators will prevail).
Lastly, let's never forget about what the government has allowed us to achieve over the centuries. I mean, I don't want to strip off the credit of any other mechanisms. For example, yes, markets did provide us with abundance in material goods. However, let's not kid ourselves. Even with all of the productivity gains over the centuries, we still have child labor wherever laws either allow or are not properly enforced. Laws and its impartial enforcement end child labor, along with hosts of other issues. In fact, laws allow the market to thrive. Think about it: how natural is "corporations as humans"? Or how natural is "limited liability"? An eye for an eye, blood must be paid with blood. Such were the ancient ethos. It sounds quite fair, but high risk prevents effective investment. Corporations limits both, and the market thrives. Without governmental involvement, how can such unnatural (and frankly, sometimes, unfair) thing exist, let alone thrive? Thus, the government is not pure evil: it can do good; its citizens just need to be vigilant.
Let's end this long ramble with the answer to the question posed above. Why did humans move away from Eden? Jared Diamonds (one of my favorite author) attempted in answer. He observed that efficient societies, much like well-fit species, survived and conquered inefficient ones. This makes quite a bit of sense. In such cases, one can venture this observation: a state is more efficient than egalitarian bands. But how can this be? I mean, if you believe whatever spilling of modern Libertarianism, you would conclude that early humans would simply form markets, become super productive, and never bother to form states and governments. But history proved otherwise. Humans abandoned Eden for states and governments. Why? Because they can be useful. If only their owners know how to use them.
Thus, please, for the love of all that is good, stop blaming the government. It's innocent. Blame the irresponsible politicians, the opportunist law-makers, and the half-asleep voters. In other words, let's take responsibility and blame ourselves for our messes. And let's fix them. Not blaming the evils.
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