Helping with a Hammer
Larken Rose - another in the TMDS series of essays: The Most Dangerous Superstition, the belief in imposed authority. An answer for people who say that some politicians are just doing their best to help us with our problems. Maybe so, but the only tool government has to use is a club, and no matter how well-meaning is the wielder of that club, I, for one, don't want to get hit with it.
Suppose I offered you the following "service": I will come to your house, bringing with me a large rubber mallet, and I will hit you on the head, at carefully chosen times, in order to improve your life. If, for example, you are about to eat something I think is unhealthy, you'll get a clonk on the noggin. If you're about to spend money on an unwise investment, you'll get a whack in the skull. Furthermore, I will wield my hammer to persuade you to give to charity, engage in activities I deem useful, and do whatever else I think is good for you and for society in general.
So, how much would you be willing to pay for such a "service"? Well, I have one more thing about my "services" that I should mention: I'm not going to give you a choice about whether you use my "services" or not, or a choice about how much you will pay for it. I will use my hammer to make you pay as much as I deem necessary, for anything I say is worthwhile.
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