Guest post by Robert P. Murphy. As this October issue [of the Lara-Murphy Report] will be published just before the presidential election, and especially because our interview this month with Murray Sabrin touches on the subject, I thought it appropriate to share my general thoughts on the so-called “political process.” To cut to the chase:…
Category: Voluntaryism
Non-Voting as an Act of Secession
Guest post by Hans Sherrer. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, 3rd Quarter, 2002. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence made it plain that in America, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive…, it is the Right of the…
What Virtues Do People Need in Order to Be Free?
Guest post by Ben Speers. When attempting to form a free society, the absence of the state is only one piece of the puzzle. People must possess certain attributes if they are to take advantage of the potential benefits of voluntaryism. I have outlined six principles below that I believe to be necessary to the…
The Ethics of Voting
Guest post by George H. Smith. The purpose of this essay is to explore the moral implications of libertarians (especially anarchists) holding political office, running for political office, or assisting those who do — primarily through the vote. The ethics of voting cannot be divorced from the key question of what one is voting for.…
Is Voting an Act of Violence?
Guest post by Carl Watner. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, April 2000. Hans Sherrer, a subscriber to The Voluntaryist, sent me an essay entitled “Voting Is An Act of Violence,” which began with the statement “Voting is the most violent act someone can commit in his lifetime.” How true is this? First, let us define our…
Can Voluntaryism Fix the Machine?
Guest post by Alex R. Knight, III. The much vaunted libertarian journalist and commentator H.L. Mencken once wrote: “I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.” I don’t consider it a stretch at all to say that this is how any voluntaryist worthy of…
Wrong is Wrong
Guest post by Kent McManigal. If the government passed a law tomorrow that declared that rape was now “legal,” how many of us would immediately go out to commit one?Read the full thing »
Why I Would Not Vote Against Hitler
Guest post by Wendy McElroy. Originally published in The Voluntaryist, April 1997. At the last Liberty Conference, an intellectual brawl erupted during a panel discussion on terrorism. Since I consider electoral politics the milquetoast equivalent of terrorism, my opening statement was a condemnation of voting. My arguments were aimed at libertarians who consider themselves anarchists…
Re: Electoral Obligations
Writes Spencer Morgan: Saying that you have an obligation to vote and that doing so is the way to advance liberty is like saying that you should join your local street gang, go through their initiations, rise through the ranks and become their leader just so you can reduce its level of violence. Most people…
Re: Electoral Politics
Writes Ben Speers: I don’t want to “fix” government. I would rather get rid of it entirely, and the first step in that direction is withdrawing my consent. For example, I refuse to consent to being ruled by either Candidate A or Candidate B (or C or D, etc.). I also refuse to cooperate in…