[Jacquerie]

Yes indeed, “a heavy onus on the state” before depriving us of liberty.

[IronJack]

The very fact that the state exists deprives us of some of our liberties. Such is the nature of social contract. However, if we remember that the authority of any such government arises from the consent of the governed, and that any contract is, by definition, a quid pro quo arrangement, then we hold the power of government in check.

Only when governments begin to see themselves as rulers instead of servants does the social contract devolve into tyranny. In history, no government has ever escaped that devolution. And it usually demands blood to restore the proper order of things.