X-Message-Number: 22918 From: Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 19:43:02 +0000 Regarding Mike Perry's message #22913: I have two points. One: In my opinion theft falls under non-consensual force. Lets keep the rules simple and to a minimum, unlike our current government with tens of thousands of rules that increase each time congress convenes and rarely is anything repealed. Two: The type of government proposed by libertarians, to a certain extent has been tried. It was what came out of the constitutional convention back in the eighteenth century...not exactly libertarian as I imagine it, but fairly close. Once the parasites discovered a voice in pandering politicians back in the nineteenth century, it was doomed! Yes, there is something in human nature that resist this type of government. It is called ignorance and disregard for the rights of others. I was a democrat prior to reading Atlas Shrugged. That book alone didn't convert me but it led to reading other sources of information that opened my eyes to the requirements for freedom and prosperity. If I can change why can't anyone else? A government that limited itself to enforcing prohibitions against those three things would be focused, unlike our current un-focused government. An example: I have a relative who has currently abandoned her children. Is the government dealing with this "breach of contract" and in my opinion "initiation of non- consensual force"? NO! Instead sheriff Joe just finished arresting seventy prostitutes. Prostitution among consenting adults is not only not a crime but has nothing to do with morality...is is a business proposition. Freedom and prosperity stands on two legs: Self responsibility and tolerance...both seriously lacking in today's America! Jerry T. Searcy Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22918