Longtime readers of my blog know that I slowly became more and more disenfranchised with politics. At one point I believed, naively, that the political system could be reformed and that liberty could be reclaimed if we could just get the right people into office. I’m over that now, I realized the achieving liberty by begging our oppressors won’t gain us liberty. This is why I’ve ducked out of politics and am focusing on economic solutions and I’m not the only one:
The whole prospect compelled me to re-examine the efficacy of the political process as a means to liberty, and I’m beginning to think that this state sanctioned mechanism for change may not actually be the most appropriate means for our desired end. Perhaps it’s time to rethink all this- to demote on our priority list the stopgap measures of the political process and to begin fervently pouring our talents, energies and monies into a ‘targeted capitalism’, if you will. Liberty lovers everywhere intentionally targeting state-monopolized resources and disintegrating those monopolies through the capitalist process. These means are by nature decentralizing and can be pursued while completely disregarding the will of power. Enough of this pleading with our oppressors not to oppress us so much! Let’s stop being depressed victims of the state and instead start imagining all the endless opportunities its incompetencies create! In the process, we can be around people we like, create wealth by offering real value for the masses, live adventurously, with a clean conscience, and most importantly, live free.
In order to remove the state’s interference from our lives we must make the state irrelevant. So long as they maintain monopolies on needed resources people will continue to falsely believe that those resources wouldn’t be available without the state. How many times have you heard the argument that the state is necessary to build and maintain roads, provide welfare to the poor, and ensure we have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink? Those of us that argue markets can provide all of those things are often doubted. Market skeptics don’t consider the fact that the state prevents such goods from being provided on a free market, they just know that those goods aren’t currently being provided by a free market.
If we want liberty we must step up to the plate and begin challenging the state’s monopolies. We must demonstrate that the state isn’t required to provide goods and services. Once the state has proven to be irrelevant individuals may finally start questioning why they’re paying great deals of wealth to it.
The history of the United States has demonstrated one thing: the political process isn’t an effective means of achieving liberty. In the 236 years this country has been in existence we’ve seen the state grab more and more power. The Articles of Confederation were quickly replaced by the Constitution, which granted the federal government the power to tax. When states tried to leave the United States they were forced back into the Union by a Civil War. In the name of fighting communism more and more spying powers were granted to the federal government. Now we face an almost all-powerful state that claims control over all social and economic issues. It cements its power by preventing others from providing wanted services or helping one another. The state claims it’s necessary to help the poor, sick, and hungry and then prevents others from helping the poor, sick, and hungry. It validates itself by preventing others from doing what it does. Time has come to say “Enough is enough!” We need to start challenging the state’s monopolies, we need to demonstrate that individuals are capable of helping one another. Honestly, we all need to start businesses (not state sanctioned businesses, just businesses).
On the other hand you can also look at it another way. You can use politics against them like Ron Paul has done. Has he “accomplished” much in the classic definition of going to congress and doing something. No I would say not, but what he has done is use the stage presented by politics to spread the message of liberty farther and wider than about anyone. In that respect he has used politics to undermine the political system and more people than ever are really thinking about what liberty means and trying to figure out what they can do in their own lives to get more of it.
Using politics as a soapbox works, but it can only work to a certain degree. At some point, people must recognize that speaking and teaching don’t work on their own – eventually, action must be required.
That action must be peaceful and voluntary if it is to not undo the work done previously. Something like starting a business.
With direct regard to the article, however, I will say that starting a business is not enough, even if it is not required to be state-sanctioned. One must start a business that explicitly ignores the state for it to matter. If you start a business, but abide by regulations and withhold/pay taxes, etc. you have actually helped to support the State.
Also, I am curious how you would handle the situation where an individual lacks capital – building a business requires it, and building one that you KNOW will butt against the state (intentionally) requires even more.
@Classical Liberal –
Paul did a good job at getting the word out and brining liberty-minded folks together but he’s also be stopped from enacting any real political change at every turn. His Audit the Fed bill has frozen because Harry Reid, who once opposed the Fed, refuses to allow the bill to be heard. The GOP went as far as outright rigging the presidential nomination to ensure Paul couldn’t be nominated (whether he would have been nominated without GOP interference is up in the air, but he would have at least stood a chance).
He’s an excellent advocate for liberty and a great rallying point but even he was unable to stop the constantly increasing tyranny, or even slow it down. With that said now that there is a liberty movement we need to make our move before everybody becomes disinterested after November. There isn’t another candidate like Paul to keep the troops rallied. His son, who everybody expected to be Ron’s successor, has demonstrated himself to be less than principled and isn’t likely to bring the liberty movement together. If we want to achieve liberty we must be flexible and I think it’s time to make our next move.
The advantage of not seeking the state’s permission is the fact that you can start a business with far less capital. Starting a new business under the state’s decrees usually requires countless licenses, permits, inspections, fees, taxes, etc. A person who wants to do freelance programming only needs a computer and the skill, a person wanting to sell food to hungry individuals only needs a food card and the food, a plumber only needs the required tools and skill set, and growing marijuana requires so little capital that college students throughout the country start doing it. Many people already do a lot of work “under the table” for cash and there is no reason they can’t do more. Furthermore we don’t each have to start our own businesses, we can pool resources and start businesses together.
One thing I do think that will need to happen some day is some form of agorist investment bank. Such an entity could loan required capital to individuals wanting to start businesses without going through the state first. That’s looking pretty far a head though and I think it’s a good idea to start simple.
Makes sense. I can see this. My other question is, since you are giving this advice, are you planning to start a business – perhaps freelance programming or something.
I always have plans afoot.
I don’t think you should quit politics as I have said above and neither did Rothbard. http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/murray-rothbards-practical-politics/
I think it is best to pursue liberty on multiple fronts. For example a local Libertarian here in Dallas in running for Senate. That isn’t his only pursuit, he also has had a t-shirt silk screening business for about 8 years and just hit the 1 year anniversary of a restaurant/bar/live music locale that he opened up. So he is working on the political front, but also pursuing businesses as well.