Check Your Premises

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:20:21 GMT  <== Politics ==> 

tzo at Strike the Root - a good exposition of the absurdity of the social "contract".

Now let’s consider how parallel the social contract may be to this type of interaction. Imagine giving power of attorney to Agent B, wherein this agent has the legal right to keep the relationship intact ad infinitum, and that furthermore, you have no choice but to live with the actions undertaken by the agent. You cannot revoke the power of attorney that you grant him, you must pay him regardless of if he earns money for you or not, and since he controls your money he can do what he wants with it, including keep it for himself.

I'll bet you would really want to find an agent who you could trust, no?

But imagine further that Agent B is legally able to pass along his power over you to other agents, and this transfer process takes place every four years or so. Your agent, no matter how sweet a guy he is, quickly becomes some stranger who has complete control over your finances. Would you be surprised to find that this agent just might view the situation as something that he might take advantage of? He does not know you. He does not care about you. What he has is control over your money and the freedom to use it in any way he sees fit.

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