Political Litmus Tests Made Easy

"We have what it takes to take what you have.” -- Proposed IRS motto

 

One can easily spot a libertarian by their position on taxes.

One can easily spot a Democrat or a Republican by their position on abortion.

Fascists, communists, socialists and others dependent on force have their particular litmus tests but share a common premise: The necessity of the state.  The state — the legal monopoly on violence — whether total or minimal, is a necessary component of their political position.

This brings up the subject of anarchy, the name given to those who reject the state altogether.

Have we have named all possible political positions?  Almost.

What do we call people who favor government by the voluntary relationships of the market and its natural incentives toward peace, prosperity, and harmony? 

They too could rightfully describe themselves as anarchists, according to this definition: 

A political theory advocating the abolition of hierarchical government and the organization of society on a voluntary, cooperative basis without recourse to force or compulsion.

But this gives us conflicting definitions of anarchy.  One that rejects the state as a means of rejecting government.  The other that rejects the state as a way of implementing government.

The pro-government anarchists believe the path to civilization is not based on a mixture of compulsion and freedom; it is based on freedom alone.

For these people the free market, properly understood, is the path to peace and prosperity — the path to civilization.  The state prevents this from happening.

Political elections, fraud, taxes, inflation, fiat money, war, intel operations, government debt, Liz Cheney, AOC, Hillary, Biden, The Great Reset — and much more — are enemies of the free market because they are positives for the state.

Civilization is more than possible, it is well within our reach. 

George Ford Smith is a former mainframe and PC programmer and technology instructor, the author of eight books including a novel about a renegade Fed chairman (Flight of the Barbarous Relic), a filmmaker (Do Not Consent), and an advocate of stateless market government.  He eagerly welcomes speaking engagements and can be reached at gfs543@icloud.com.