Every time someone is "arrested" on some weapons violation, my own liberty is eroded by a fraction.
Every time someone is "arrested" for "prostitution", gambling, or "tax evasion" my own liberty is being stomped on.
Every time someone is "fined" for some code violation, going faster than some arbitrary speed, for not completely stopping for 4 seconds* at a "STOP" sign, for not licensing their dog, for driving without a "license" or not having the State's tags on their car, for building or remodeling or running a business without a permit, or anything else that doesn't involve aggression or property violations, my own liberty gets chipped away.
And people ask me why I care?
How could I not care?
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*One of my ex-wives was told by a cop who pulled her over that she didn't stop "long enough"- his claim was that she was supposed to stop for at least 4 seconds. Seriously.
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Four second stops? That's laughable. I've had driver's licenses in three states. I've read the hand books. All you have to do is come to a complete stop, period. But, having said that, I take issue, as I'm sure you do, with the whole concept of a "license" to drive. A license is granted to you by someone who has the legitimate power to end your license. For instance, it I own a forest and you want to cut some trees, I can give you license to do so. It's my property after all (except, probably not in the good ol' U.S. of A.). But I can also take that license away from you at any time for good cause or for no cause whatsoever, unless, of course, we have a signed contract as to just exactly what trees, how many, etc., you can harvest.
ReplyDeleteDo a search on this blog for all the things I have to say about "driver's licenses"- I despise the arrogance of those who claim they are legitimate. Here's a start: link
DeleteI hope the ex-wife didn't have to pay a fine, let alone go to jail. A few months ago, I got pulled over for driving too fast. It was during the peak of winter and I wanted to get home, as I had worked overtime and was cold and hungry. The police officer was irked, but polite. It turned out he had been working 21 hours straight, which no one should be forced to do, but he let me go with a warning. It was a mild annoyance for both of us, nothing serious.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia, where you live, has the ballot referendum. Perhaps liberty lovers there could put up an initiative that would remove the most egregious bad laws from the books. It would be a start.
If I remember correctly, she only got a warning.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the bad "laws" are there because a lot of people- probably the "majority of voters"- still believe they are a good idea. I don't think this problem will be solved politically. I've never been to California, though.
For a student of history, it is interesting to see how all these things came about and why... The "Progressive" movement of the early 20th Century believed that most people were not competent enough to govern themselves. Because of this, ideas such as the prohibition of alcohol were passed. Drug laws were passed. Prescription laws were passed in 1938 because the progressives believed that only licensed physicians were competent enough to decide what medicine you could be allowed to take. To those of the progressive ideology, the very idea that people should be allowed to make their own decisions is anathema. A libertarian posting on a Democratic newsgroup will receive much the same response as a black person at a KKK rally.
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