T
here is a certain type -- he is as a rule, though not always, a man. He leans misanthropic; his interactions with other human beings are largely interpreted as regrettable compromises. He will tell you how much he hates taxes (he is of an accord with many here). He yearns for a place alone in the woods (as have we all from time to time). He is likely enamored of firearms (in moderation, what could be healthier?). What this man bemoans is that he cannot be left alone. He wishes he could be by himself, hunting and fishing in the mountains, paying tithe to no man, and doing harm to no one. He laments the oppressiveness of the society in which he has found himself, which will not leave a man be. He is nigh certainly a libertarian.
What this man does not realize is that he is permitted to pursue his dream. Unless he be in prison, or in a straitjacket, there is no force that will stop him from making his fantasy a pure and lived reality. For indeed, what force could stop him?
He responds: the government will force him to pay taxes on his land, or the police will find him squatting and arrest him, or some judge will find him guilty of "abusing his family" by living his alternative lifestyle. "I have not the freedom every man is owed," he cries.
So we push him: "What if you were to find your isolated hillside, sustaining yourself by the rifle and the rod; and some man came across your home, and attempted to rob you? You don't wish to pay taxes, so surely you would not call the police."
"It is incumbent on every man to defend his own home," he replies. "Brave words!" we say. "But then, what if a whole posse of men were to strike your paradise? You cannot hope to stand against them all. Where does a man turn who has no recourse to the law?"
"Perhaps I have friends of my own who might help me," he replies, "but it is beside the point; perhaps I would die in my own home, but at least I would be living in a free world until my demise."
"I respect your perspective," we say. "But tell me; what if a whole nation knocked on your lonely door? What if a polite and well-groomed accountant, with 300 million Americans at his back, sought you out, and asked you to pay a fee to his lawless gang, or they would make life rather difficult for you? His threats are mild (he does not even perceive the threat!), but demands he has yet made.
"Of course you may shoot him! As you would shoot any ruffian who asked of you what you don't want to give. And the consequences will be the same. You can call the posse 'the price of freedom', and the accountant 'an unjust thief', but is anyone convinced?"
The truth is, we are all free. We can leave the social contract at any time. But in so leaving, we give up too its protection; and our own ability to negotiate with it. If you wish to make deals with your fellow man, you will have to accept some of his terms. Sooner or later, you will invent law of your own accord. And law, I'm afraid, costs taxes.