The worst traits of humans are all embodied and empowered in authoritarianism. Laziness, gluttony, greed, aggressiveness, envy.... all of these traits get bad press, whether they are really bad or not, but none of these things can cause too much harm to others by themselves.
It is when they are practiced by those who have power over the lives of others that they begin to produce real harm. This is when they lead to evil acts.
Unfortunately, people with an excess of these traits are drawn to the positions of power that government provides. They get to attain power and then use the position to feed their personality flaws at the expense of those around them.
Some people may not know they have these traits until the opportunity comes to express them.
Then they discover it is easier to live off of stolen loot than to support themselves honestly.
They discover it is easier to order other people around, and kidnap or kill them if they are uncooperative, than it is to do something themselves if they think it is worth doing. They discover it is easier to take what they want rather than earn it for themselves. If you doubt me, watch the president (any of them) or congress at work.
As Robert LeFevre pointed out
"If men are good, you don't need government; if men are evil or ambivalent, you
don't dare have one."
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In Albuquerque "area" news: Thieves are fighting over how to divide loot that is being collected illegally. And I mean "illegally" in the statist usage as well as the ethical usage.
Las Cruces is still using illegal red light cameras, and still collecting "fines" with them in defiance of the law. And the only real complaint is that they are not sharing the stolen money with other governmental thugs. It doesn't really surprise me, but confirms that government is nothing but bad guys with "authority".
