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I'm talking about the hundreds of dollars I personally pay toward the Ponzi scheme called "Social Security", as well as the substantial sum exacted yearly to pay farm subsidies to Rupert Murdoch.

Errr, I don't have a crystal ball here, my man. We've been discussing the national defense for a few dozen posts now - if you want to drop the (rather silly) idea of turning the Pentagon over to mall security, I'm all for it, but try to give everyone a heads-up at least.

In any case, if you want to argue for smaller government, you should definitely do so - you'll find precious few here who disagree with you on that. On the other hand, the no-government argument is a non-starter for, oh, about 99.997% of the world, this board included, so rather than slogging through all that to get to a kernel of a sensible argument for smaller government, I suspect that most folks who might be inclined to listen to a smaller-government argument simply tuned you out a while ago. Lead with your strong foot first, is my suggestion - anarcho-capitalism is simply not on the table, regardless of how immoral you find the concept of the state to be. Sorry.

Errr, I don't have a crystal ball here, my man. We've been discussing the national defense for a few dozen posts now

My tax bill doesn't come with line items. However, the morality of extorting money for protection is the same as the morality of extorting money to pay Rupert Murdoch big farm subsidies. You seem to believe that forcible taking of another's property is okie dokie.

In any case, if you want to argue for smaller government, you should definitely do so...

If we reverted to what the founders envisioned--not counting Washington--then I'd be so ecstatic I'd have no energy left to protest for further steps toward libertarianism. But it's worth realizing that I favor total respect for self- and property-ownership, even if you do not.

anarcho-capitalism is simply not on the table

I agree--as I pointed out forcefully on a recent crevo thread: anarcho-capitalism is impossible precisely because too many humans are exactly where you are: they haven't evolved beyond the conviction that they are free to impose their wills on others, as long as they believe the cause to be just. If government disappeared tomorrow, you and millions like you would immediately start setting one up--and you and millions like you would cheerfully shoot me for standing in your way. After all, you're trying to create a civilization here!