The Ethics Of Liberty - State Relationships Internal & External
The Ethics Of Liberty by Murray Rothbard Citizens' Relationship To The State In previous chapters Rothbard wrote about the illegitimacy of the state and inconsistencies found in the narratives supporting its existence. However, the fact remains that states exist and will for the foreseeable future. The next two chapters focus on how those ruled by the state should act and how states should interact with one another. To start, the state exists on the basis of aggression. Not only does it set up a monopoly on the use of violence, placing limits on the natural right of self defense, it funds itself by taking money from the citizenry by force (i.e. taxation). Therefore, as an illegitimate organization, individuals have no obligation to obey it. In fact taking over government owned property, refusing to pay taxes, and lying to the state can be morally justified if you aren't committing a property crime against another private citizen. Everything they own has been taken by f