The government should not coerce

The government should not coerce

by Robert Hawes • 10/10/03

Letter to the editor The Monitor's Oct. 6 editorial "Free from reality" presented the Free State Project as an organization bent on dismantling all government in favor of political anarchy and social callousness. The author evidently misunderstands the FSP's core principles and intentions.

First, the FSP is not affiliated with the Libertarian Party. Our membership is derived from many political and philosophical persuasions and may disagree on many details but are, nonetheless, united by the central idea that government exists solely to defend individual liberty and property. Some call this idea "libertarian," some "Jeffersonian," some "limited government." Whatever name you choose, the idea is far older and more wide-reaching than the Libertarian Party. Second, although we do not believe education or Social Security are the proper functions of government, our primary concern is that government respect the right of the individual not to be forced to participate in them against their will. Even if an idea like Social Security is good-intentioned, does that necessarily mean that everyone should be forced to participate in it by having their hard-earned incomes garnished and redistributed by bureaucrats under threat of imprisonment? If I were to walk into my neighbor's home, take $25 from his wallet and donate it to charity, would I be justified because I had done something good with the money? FSP members believe individual rights should not be subject to majority votes, because once they are, nothing is sacred. We have no interest in depriving anyone of anything that rightfully belongs to them. Our interest lies merely in establishing a government that will protect individuals from the political whims and intrigues of others. The FSP is about giving people control of their lives again, free from the clutches of special interest groups, faceless bureaucrats and others who claim to know what is best for people they've never even met. ROBERT HAWES Lexington, S.C.

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