From: J
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 8:05 AM
To: wblock@loyno.edu
Subject: Voting

Caught your article on LRC today. With respect, I believe your answer to DJ is less than fair:

“Do you give the state legitimacy by walking on its roads, using its currency, borrowing books from its library, mailing letters in the US post office? No, of course, not. The same applies to voting.”

Except possibly for your library example, which is minor in this Internet age, “the same” by no means applies to voting.

Voting, as DJ made very clear, is an optional and affirmative act of endorsement of the State. Walking on its roads and using its bogus money and using its postal monopoly are not; they are actions take only because no alternative exists, short of becoming a hermit.

Jim

GOVERNMENT IS A DISEASE

masquerading as its own cure

– Robert LeFevre

Dear J:

We’ll have to agree to disagree with this. What’s wrong with being a hermit, or, for that matter, committing suicide? You don’t have to go that far to refuse to give sanction to the state. Just use credit cards instead of money. Don’t use the post office. Very few people do, nowadays. But wait, you eat food, right? The state is involved with agriculture. Maybe go on a no food diet to be compatible with libertarianism?

Best regards,

Walter

Here’s a bibliography on this issue which includes both sides of this debate amongst libertarians:

Pro: Block, 2012; Block and Fryzek, 2015; Rothbard, 1972A, 1972B; Spooner, 1870;

con: McElroy, 2013; Watner, 2000

Block, Walter E. 2012. Yes to Ron Paul and Liberty. New York: Ishi Press; http://www.amazon.com/dp/4871873234;

http://libertycrier.com/education/walter-blocks-new-book-on-ron-paul/;

http://libertyunbound.com/node/862

Block, Walter and Nathan Fryzek. 2015. “Was It Immoral to Vote for Ron Paul? And other libertarian questions and answers.” November 26;  http://www.targetliberty.com/2015/11/was-it-immoral-to-vote-for-ron-paul.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TargetLiberty+%28Target+Liberty%29

Rothbard, Murray N. 1972A. “Should Libertarians Vote?”  Outlook, April, p. 6.

Rothbard, Murray N. 1972B. “Interview.” February 25;

https://mises.org/blog/voting-immoral; https://mises.org/library/new-banner-interview-murray-n-rothbard-0

Spooner, Lysander. 1966[1870]. No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority and A Letter to Thomas F. Bayard, Larkspur, Colorado: Rampart College; http://jim.com/treason.htm

McElroy, Wendy. 2013. “The Faux Slavery Analogy to Voting.” July 31;

http://dailyanarchist.com/2013/07/31/the-faux-slavery-analogy-to-voting/

criticizes Walter E. Block

Watner, Carl. 2000. “Is Voting an Act of Violence?” April, The Voluntaryist. No. 103

http://voluntaryist.com/articles/103.html#.VzDxM0n2Y5s

Vegetarian, anti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NNuG-6-hQ

The Best of Walter E. Block