Bryan

Originally posted: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...ust-leave-quot


This is the second part of a two-part series; Part One is found here:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...-for-the-State


RPFs – by Bryan: The phrase "If you don't like it, just leave" is often used in public discourse when someone suggests that others move if they do not like the rules. Is this is a fair and rational position?

Two issues need to be considered when determining who is correct in a “just leave” argument. The first issue to consider: Did the individual freely agree to the terms of what they are now contending? If someone bought a home in a subdivision that requires the payment of homeowner association dues, do they really have a valid position to not pay them? Wouldn’t “just leave” be the valid solution unless others agreed to change policy?

Conversely, consider someone who as they grew up they realized that the attributes of their country did not support their principles -- perhaps the taxes are overbearing or the laws restrict rights such as free speech. They never chose to live in that land; they just happened to be born and raised there. In such cases, the individual did not make any willful agreements, so perhaps this situation can be different.

The second issue to contend with is the attributes of the grievances themselves. In doing this one must answer, what is needed to resolve the grievance and how does resolving it affect others? All grievances can be classified into one of two categories: resolving the grievance requires other peoples time and/or their resources to resolve or they don't.

For example, if the grievance is "I should be provided with a new car", that would require others' time, effort and resources, since the car has to be designed and built by other people. If the grievance is "I don't want to pay taxes for things I don't use", that is not something that would require time, effort and/or resources from others, since none of these elements are inherently needed for the individual to not pay taxes for things they don't use. The ability to do something or not do something that does not infringe on others or their property can be considered a “natural right”.

While understanding the solution for some of these cases is straightforward, what do you do about someone who never agreed to some restriction that imposes on their perceived natural rights -- are they just out of luck, or can something be done? If nothing is done, what is the end result? What if there is a large minority just like them? If legitimate grievances are ignored, won’t that lead to problems within society?


Upholding natural rights with a Free State
While trying to resolve all grievances can seem like an impossible mess, there is a guiding solution: the free state. In a free state, all individuals have their natural rights upheld such that the state and its apparatuses do not infringe on individuals. While there can be no singular or perfect construct of a free state, it is the basis of what the United States is supposed to be under the Constitution, inclusive of the Bill of Rights.

A free state does not mean society is a complete free-for-all, however, as mutual agreements can be made that create sub-jurisdictions which can regulate undesirable behavior, impose taxes, provide desired services and the like.

Unfortunately, the United States federal government has been permitted to drift so far from the limited, enumerated powers allowed to it (as defined in the Constitution) that the country no longer has much resemblance to a free state; there is an endless array of federal taxes and regulations that everyone must contend with and more. There is always a justification to trample natural rights to solve some new problem. America has simply lost its way.

In a critically-driven free state, one would never say "just leave" to individuals with grievances relating to natural rights. In America today, however, one should seriously consider what others are saying before making the "just leave" statement, as doing otherwise can easily put them on the wrong side of the freedom equation.

The following videos are suggested viewing which will help one better understand if they are on the wrong side of freedom:



Overview of America