Social Contract

"'You have agreed to this by virtue of living in my general vicinity.' - Tom Woods"The Social Contract is an agreement that you never made nor were aware of. According to statists this agreement that you never made is why it is okay for the state to exist and steal. The social contract is employed, intentionally and unwittingly, to suppress any dissent to the government. Critics of government could stand on the roof tops and yell "I do not consent" and be told that it does not matter for some magical reason.

Explanation
The Social Contract theory was a cope by enlightenment thinkers when they couldn't justify why the state is okay. The line of reasoning from natural rights leads to a grim conclusion for those who support a limited government.


 * 1) Man has his natural rights of life, liberty, and property which are endowed
 * 2) Government collects taxes
 * 3) You cannot refuse to pay taxes and not receive the "services" like you can with a business
 * 4) This means that taxes are involuntary, which is a violation of these natural rights
 * 5) This would mean that government is immoral
 * 6) But then there would be no government which is big bad because state of nature
 * 7) It must therefore be voluntary, otherwise anarchy

Social contract theory is really just a secular version of divine right of kings.

Content
John Locke claimed that at some point people came together and agreed to form a state in a first generation. No state ever forms like this. They come about through war, conquest, usurpation, and maneuvering of political situations. This puts the explicit contract into question. Implicit contract is the idea that given a person's views and beliefs they would consent to a government. There are people who do not consent to a government or would only consent to a different government. The government can ask people if they consent to the government with the technology available. The government does not want to ask out of the basic fear that they'll get overthrown or bankrupted.

What is not well explained is the idea that the decedents are somehow beholden to this contract. They were not present at the creation of this government. Why are they obligated? The short answer, they are not.

Counter Arguments and Refutations
Statists will typically argue the following points:

By using the services you consent
If a man is kidnapped his captors may feed him to keep him alive. Does the kidnapping become okay if the robber says, "by eating the food we've provided you have agreed to be taken and held against your will." No this answer would be laughed out of court.

Move to Somalia
The typical statist will say, "if you don't want to live in a country of laws then move to Somalia where there are no laws." This argument is more of a "MUH FLAG" statement than anything else.

Why is it the burden of the man who questions government to move? They want to live in a place where they aren't getting constantly robbed by the state. Lets say Jones throws his trash into Smith's yard and Smith does not move away. Does Smith therefore consent to having the trash thrown into his yard? Saying Smith consents would be the most idiotic thing a man could say. The degree of idiocy would be so great that any man with mental retardation would seem neurotypical in comparison.

If the statist takes any position other than the government one tell them that they must now move away. "You support deregulation of guns, why don't you move to Africa." "You want universal healthcare, why don't you move to Europe?"

Somalia is an example of government failure. Somalia was ruled by a communist dictator and was overthrown by the local clans after the commie fuck starved them for not complying. Every time the US intervenes to "set up a government" the government turns out to be Al-Shabaabb or a shitty democracy where the president declares that his term is 10 years longer.

Democracy Makes it Okay
Getting in a mob does not morally justify an immoral action. If 9 men vote to kill the 10th it does not magically become moral.

The Restaurant
"When you order a meal at a restaurant you pay the bill when it comes."

The issue here is that you order food knowing you will pay for it. Prices listed on the menu next to the item. You will get an exact description of an item on the menu or from the waiter if you ask.

When you pay taxes you are not told what your taxes pay for. In many instances the government will call it classified. If you don't like the services of the government you cannot refuse to stop paying. They will force you to pay.