Changes of Mind Pt 1

People talking
They're sayin' that you're leavin'
So unhappy
With the way that you've been livin'
--John Waite

Since 9/11, I have engaged in self study to expand my understanding of liberty. Frankly, prior to 9/11 I hadn't thought much about freedom and I took it for granted. My studies have focused on various areas ranging from comparative analysis of Austrian economics vs other branches of economics to scrutiny of pivotal periods in US history such as the American Revolution and Great Depression.

While the quest for truth is never ending, nuggets unearthed here and there have caused me to change my mind on a number of issues since 2001. Here are some of my changes of mind realized over the past decade or so.

Income taxes. I used to think income taxes for some purposes were valid. For example, levies that supported particular public works such as the zoo, special ed, or senior citizens seemed reasonable. No more. I now realize that when I vote for an income tax, I am partnering with strong armed agents to forcefully take someone else's production. A one time income tax is equivalent to robbery while a routinized tax is akin to slavery. I will never again support a tax on someone else's production; I do not want to be a thief or a slavemaster.

The framers concluded that the only valid direct tax is a head tax (which, btw, is not a flat % of income tax) where all citizens are taxed the same amount (regardless of income, status, etc) to support the necessary functions of government.

War. With rubble of the Towers smoldering behind him, President Bush promised terrorists that pretty soon they would hear from all of us. Eager for retaliation, I cheered. I now know that I was wrong. Emotion got the best of me. While revenge is a common motive for war, it is never a valid one. There is no valid application of offensive force in a free society (a.k.a. the 'nonaggression principle'). The only valid use of force is for purposes of defending oneself against attack from others. When freedom is broadly attacked, then self-defense equates to exercising the natrual right of revolution.

Viewed through this lens, the only valid wars prosecuted by the US government have been the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. The South's response to invasion by the North during the Civil War was also valid, but having seceded from the US, the Confederate government was no longer affiliated with the Federal government. In fact, the US government was the aggressor in this case.

Our military budget could easily be cut by 75% right here. Military expenditures should be limited to honing capacity for self-defense. This means closing all military installations abroad, and concentrating self-defense resources on securing the nation from invasion.

This concentration must be done in a manner that liberty is not compromised. For example, borrowing money to fund defense of freedom is self-defeating, as debt reduces freedom. I now grasp the idiocy of borrowing $trillions over the past ten years to fight wars of aggression in other lands--for the expressed purpose of 'preserving freedom' at home. That freedom has been preserved by fighting these wars is an illusion, as we are certainly less free under the crushing burden of debt that we owe creditors.

Sadly, I am confident that Bin Laden et al foresaw our foolish response while still mapping paths of planes into buildings.

More to come...