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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Views on government
  • Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:58:20 EDT



> >How about law enforcement?

A fair but tricksty question. On the most local level, we have a fairly
decent police force (sheriff) but they are located at the county seat nearly
40
miles away. And the road between here and there is crooked and winding. In
any
sort of immediate emergency, we are entirely on our own. The gendarmes are
well equipped to come afterwards to clean up the mess, but are of no use in
actually 'enforcing' the law. Officers Taurus and Winchester are much better
prepared for that task. And the thing is, everyone well knows it, or assumes
it
(little odds) with the result that there is nearly no crime of an consequence
here about.

Now, petty vandilism, illegal dumping, poaching, and the like ... I am very,
very happy to have the various 'law enforcement' (as it were) persona take
care of that. It is not only money well spent, but it is the only logical
and
only civilized way of dealing with it. When some loose cannons from the
local
job corps were tearing down some of my fences, I went looking for them with a
camera, not a gun.

More on this below.



>
> But can you live without it? Btw, get the greater Bristol area to use
> its own, legal, currency and you can ignore dollars except when you
> buy something out of the area or pay taxes.

It's been proposed, in fact it was part of the Mountain Empire economic
proposals of some years ago which would have taken in an area from Abingdon,
Va,
down to Greene Co. TN. Can we live without it? If you mean creaturely
survive,
yes. Wouldn't want that though. I like living on very little money, but I
am not at all opposed to rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
Money is not bad, same as oil is not bad, but an utter dependence on it is
bad.




>
> Even higher education? I would want a trained and certified physician
> removing my child's appendix or worse.

Higher education need not involve the government in any way and neither does
certification of physicians. Of course, I am a unrepentant libertarian. I
believe there should be any sort of education and certification anyone wants
to
devise and it should be the responsibility of the consumer as to whether they
put confidence in it or no. But it need not involve the government.


> > I like it when I can get a clear radio station, not jumbled
> with a gazillion others fighting for the same waves. I like it that
> drivers on the road stay within a speed range calculated to allow me
> time for evasive action if necessary.

All the things you list here, as well as the issue of currency and local
police mentioned above ... all that costs very little and is very little
invasive
into our lives. Again my caution about absolutism, that the sentiment against
government solutions for things is disingenuous unless it is carried to the
lunatic fringe. You could eliminate 98% of government and still have all
those
things.



>And I like going to sleep

> knowing it is highly unlikely that roving bands of criminals will
> burst into my house at two in the morning. Much more that we take for
> granted.
> >


I do too. But I know that here at least the police are powerless to prevent
it. It is not hte police that keep the criminals at bay.
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