America: Land of Coercion, Permitting "Degrees" of Freedom

Welcome to America, the land of coercion. It doesn't take much brainpower to understand that this is not a free country, not by any stretch of the imagination. Over the course of our history, we have further descended into a nation of coercion and force, where we are permitted degrees of freedom by our rulers. In the United States, we have a right to pursue our own happiness, a right to own property, and we have a right to our own life and liberty, all to a certain degree, of course. These rights and freedoms are not absolute today as they were intended by our founders ("...unalienable Rights [to] Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -Declaration of Independence, 1776). 


The one major way that our government violates our rights is through the seizing of our wealth in the form of income taxes. This system of coercive taxation has enslaved us all, robbing us of and violating those unalienable rights (rights incapable of being sold or transferred, regardless of the consent of the owner, either tacit or explicit). This immoral act of our government deciding how much of the wealth we have earned we can keep and how much must be turned over to the government steals from us not only our property but also that part of our lives we spent making that money. This undermines our freedom. Either we are free, or we are not. Freedom is an absolute and freedom is what we do not have.

So, how do we arrive at absolute freedom? Well, it certainly is not anarchy, as many perceive. Living under a system (or lack thereof) of anarchy and lawlessness, individuals would be under constant threat of others, of the ones who are physically stronger than them, of the ones who wield the largest and/or more powerful weapons. In the chaos of anarchy, people deal with one another through force.  Under this lawlessness, there is no protection of individual rights. This is not freedom.

In order for man to be free absolutely, he must be free from force. The only way this is possible is if the government is constitutionally limited to it's only morally justifiable role: protecting the individual rights of its citizens. This entails that the government be limited to three functions: providing a court system, a police force, and a military. 

• The role of the courts would be to arbitrate between individuals in the event of a civil dispute and/or if a crime has been committed. 

• The role of the police would be to protect us from the initiation of force from other individuals.

• The role of the military would be to protect us from the initiation of force from foreign countries and enemies. 

Everything and anything else, from education to healthcare to scientific research, must be left to the private sector. The three functions would be funded not by means of force but by means of voluntary taxation, as it is in each individuals self-interest to have their own rights protected. Will there be freeloaders? Perhaps, but it would not dissuade those who do fund it. To explain, I'll use a realistic analogy. I have witnessed, on several occasions, people reading newspapers on the subway. Almost every time, there is someone sitting next to the owner of the newspaper, glancing at the pages. Both people in this situation are gaining benefit from the paper, however, only one paid for it. Does this dissuade the owner of the paper, or others from purchasing newspapers? No. Why? Because the people who bought the paper have the assurance that they will get the benefit that they wanted or needed at that time, in this case, information. The only way to get that assurance, is by paying for it yourself. It is assurance that motivates and allows voluntary taxation to work. Seeing as one's rights are more important than a newspaper, there should be no doubt that people will voluntarily pay to have their rights protected.

Only when we restore our republic by limiting our government to its proper role, can we then truly declare, with pride, that this is America, the land of the free.

My Farewell Address to GAM

The following was a speech I gave at Great American Mentoring's Bon Voyage Ceremony on Thursday, May 5, 2011, upon passing the torch to a new Captain.

My Fellow GAMers and Guests,

It has been a great honor to serve as Captain of the Manhattan chapter of Great American Mentoring for these past two years. I am proud of our members and of our many accomplishments. During my tenure as Captain, GAM was awarded the Outstanding Student Organization award by the Office of Student Affairs and the Student Organization of the Year award by the Student Government Association. But most importantly, our greatest accomplishment was that we built a vast network of mutually beneficial partnerships through the exchange of value for value. In essence, we created a stronger community, not based on any immoral altruistic motives of sacrificing our needs for the needs of others, but by pursuit of our own self-interest, knowing that a stronger community is of benefit to each one of us as individuals. Why is this important? Because I have been labeled a “servant leader” by the NYIT community. A "servant leader" by definition is one who is in a position of power or influence and is compelled to sacrifice his needs for the needs of the people he serves. I denounce this label. When I became Captain of GAM, I did not do so sacrificially because it was something I had wanted and something that would benefit my life in the long-run. I had a self-interest in helping the people around me, and in providing opportunities for the members of GAM to succeed themselves, because that would give me a good reputation as a student leader and a track record of success, which it did. By the same people who falsely branded me a “servant leader,” I was awarded Outstanding Student Leader of the Year and Outstanding Club President of the Year. But there was nothing sacrificial about my leadership and the result was both myself and the members of GAM benefitted and we enriched the NYIT community as a whole. This is the virtue of selfishness. What is interesting is that most people abide by this moral code but lack the integrity to admit it not only to the people around them, but most importantly, to themselves. Integrity is an integral part of leadership.

So how did I come to an understanding of such a revolutionary philosophy? It all goes back to my sophomore year, where by chance, I had signed up for Judge Gregorek’s history class in the Fall of 2008. Upon walking into his classroom, I was a man who lacked self-esteem. Little did I know, meeting him would be a positive turning-point in my life that would fundamentally change me for the better. He explained the formation of a club, GAM,  developed on the premise of “business sense and social grace.” Having been the Vice President of my high school’s business club, DECA, (and severely lacking social grace) I was interested. That was until he held up this monstrosity, Atlas Shrugged. Suddenly my interest faded. However, it was through Gregorek’s persistence and my ambition that eventually led me to attend the first GAM meeting, where I had volunteered to be Chief Mate, the Vice President of the club. In the coming months, I would endure endless nagging to read Atlas Shrugged. Finally, after being promoted to Captain, I caved. As I turned the last page of the book in early September 2009, I knew my life would not be the same. This book instilled in me a new perspective on life based on a concrete set of values and principles, and most importantly restored my self-esteem. Selfishness is a virtue only the individual with self-esteem can truly understand and appreciate. Take note that true selfishness is not about short-term gain. A businessman who defrauds his customers will not be in business for long, and in retrospect, is acting self-destructively, not selfishly. It is about the creation of an environment that promotes the individual’s long-term survival and happiness. This can only be done through the creation of win-win, mutually beneficial relationships, relationships where both parties gain benefit. It is this premise that serves as the building blocks for a stronger community. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the legacy I leave here, and I cannot thank my mentor, Judge Gregorek, enough.  In the name of the best within us, I thank you and bid you farewell.

Property Rights Lead to Prosperity? No Wonder America is in Decline!

Above is an amazing illustration about the importance of property rights. However, keep in mind that property rights alone don't lead to prosperity. You must have a system of free trade, both domestically and globally.

Does the end of the above clip look familiar? Unfortunately, it's the direction the United States is heading in. If you don't believe me, check out this disturbing video below:

So what say YOU!? Do you think it is ever okay for the government to confiscate property? If so, where do you draw the line?

(The Capitalist Warrior's answer to the above question is NO!)