Harry Browne - Why government doesn't work (1995)

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But coercion never produces harmony. How harmonious are people who are being forced to act against their will? Most likely, those who are coerced will resent those who benefit from the coercion. This sets group against group; it doesn't bring them together.

Harry Browne
The government that's strong enough to give you what you want by taking it from someone else is strong enough to take everything you have and give it to someone else.

Harry Browne
Once its considered proper to use government force to solve one person's problem, force can be justified to solve anyone's problem.

Harry Browne
So what is government? Very simply, it is an agency of coercion. Of course, there are other agencies of coercion—such as the Mafia. So to be more precise, government is the agency of coercion that has flags in front of its offices. Or to put it another way, government is society's dominant producer of coercion. The Mafia and independent bandits are merely fringe competitors—seeking to take advantage of the niches and nooks neglected by the government.

Harry Browne
I call this The Dictator Syndrome. You see suffering or danger, and in your imagination you see a government program eliminating it. But in the real world the program would operate as you expect only if you were an absolute dictator—having at your disposal all the government's power to compel everyone to do things your way.

Harry Browne
If you resist, their job will be to "take you into custody"—which is a euphemism for seizing you, handcuffing you, and taking you to jail. At this point, it will be obvious that the regulation's purpose is to force barbers to charge at least $8—not by persuasion, but with a gun. Every government program, no matter how benign it may appear, is the same. Coercion is the reason—and the only reason—it is a government program.

Harry Browne