Quoted in The Wausau Daily Herald. Thanks to Rolf Lindgren, via contact.ipr@gmail.com for the link:
“Altruism is an illusion when it comes to the government,” said Jim Maas of Rothschild, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin. “Americans are a generous people who donate to many worthy causes. … When misfortune or disaster strikes, Americans help out.
“Government is based on force, and force is difficult to reconcile with any meaningful concept of charity. When a government bureaucrat sends money to someone in need, it doesn’t make taxpayers compassionate and caring persons. It also doesn’t mean that the bureaucrat is a good and caring person, because he is doling out the money that the government has forcibly exacted from American taxpayers, not his own. To be meaningful, we must be free to give to those causes which appeal to us. There should be separation of charity and state.”
0 responses so far ↓
1 Deran // Dec 26, 2008 at 6:47 pm
“Government is based on force”
*snorts derisively* Government is a social organization. It can be structured how ever we want it.
2 paulie cannoli // Dec 26, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Currently, it is structured in a way that is based on force, and that is what most people mean when they use the term government, so Maas is correct.
3 Galileo Galilei // Dec 27, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Jim Maas is doing a great job in Wisconsin. He gets a good Libertarian article published in the newspaper every week.
4 JimDavidson // Dec 27, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Paulie is correct. Government as it exists presently refers to corrupt, externally imposed, coercion.
5 kiddleddee // Dec 27, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Deran @#1: “*snorts derisively* Government is a social organization. It can be structured how ever we want it.”
“We” may not want to structure government the same way, Deran. Therefore, whether it is structured the way you want it to be or the way I want it to be, if it is to govern both of us, it must necessarily be based on force against one or the other of us.
6 paulie cannoli // Dec 28, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Voluntary government is possible, but that is not what most people today mean by the term government.
7 Andy Pech // Jan 25, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Jim Maas has spenty his entire life working in govrenement and he currently is collecting a goverenement pension. Where would he be if his ideas of “liberty” were to become a reality? No one is forcing him to collect a pension.
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