Sheldon Richman on tacit consent
November 9, 2008 – 6:47 pm by JohnSheldon Richman wrote a good post about social contracts and tacit consent, which are attempts at justifications for Statism that cannot stand up to even the most basic and off-the-cuff libertarian objections.
…this got me thinking about the curious principle of tacit consent. Here are the thoughts I jotted down today. (I’ll be returning to this subject, I’m sure.)
- When did I or anyone consent?(One of my interlocutors seemed to think this was an invalid, even unfair question.)
- If I have tacitly consented to be taxed, why haven’t I also tacitly consented to all the purposes to which the state puts my money?
- Why can’t I withdraw my consent?
- How do I withdraw my consent? Must I move out of the state’s jurisdiction?
- If that is the only way, doesn’t that imply that the state owns the territory?
- How did that come about? (I’m thinking of Monte [sic] Python and the Holy Grail now; script is here.)
- Presumably the state has obligations under the social contract. But what if the state defaults on its obligations? Does that nullify the contract?
- Who decides when and if that has occurred? Presumably, the state’s own courts.
- Why do the state’s courts get to judge a claim that the state has defaulted on the contract? Why not a truly neutral arbiter?
- Is my consent tacit, unconditional, and perpetual?
- How can that be?
2 Responses to “Sheldon Richman on tacit consent”
Careful you will make people’s heads explode!
By Azrael on Nov 10, 2008
I’ve blagged about this in the past. Thinking about taking up the banner again. Here’s another one to ponder:
According to some people, you owe the state money because it provides you with goods/services, and therefore if you don’t pay them, you are the thief. Even if you don’t want the stuff the state is selling, you have to pay for it because it was made for you.
Questions:
1. Why do “they” get the unique privilege of providing me with these services? In most instances, competition is barred by the full force of law. Why?
2. If I toil away in my garage and make crappy bird-feeders, I can’t obligate anyone to buy them from me. Why not?
By David Z on Nov 11, 2008