mises.org — The idea that the State originated to serve any kind of social purpose is completely unhistorical, writes Albert Jay Nock. Like all predatory or parasitic institutions, its first instinct is that of self-preservation. All its enterprises are directed first towards preserving its own life, and, second, towards increasing its own power and enlarging
Dec 29, 2006 View in Crawl 4
libertyforallDec 29, 2006
If you want to learn the truth about government it is here to be read.One of the many interesting insights to be found in this essay is the thought that it matters not what form the government actually takes on...the iron law of government will still apply. Whether it is a monarchy, a democracy, a republic, socialist or communistic history illustrates that it simply does not matter. Whatever form the government takes on...if you give that government power...then that government will surely use that power.Governments' business is the acquisition of power. Power, unlike economics, is a zero-sum game. Once vested that power will be used and rarely given up voluntarily. Historically it has been conclusively shown that governments wield this power at the great expense of human beings.In my opinion a big key to improving the human condition is to massively scale back the power vested in government.
wpwbigdaddyDec 30, 2006
What Nock wrote in 1939 is still true today: government at every level and everywhere is a thug.