Government is an agency of force. Everything it does is ultimately backed by physical coercion. Government dictates how much you should pay in taxes. Refuse to do so and somebody with a gun will show up to seize your property, throw you in jail, or both. In most locales, government dictates how you can use your land. Disobey and somebody with a gun will show up to seize your property, throw you in jail, or both. In most states, you must obtain the government’s permission before you can legally offer plumbing or electrical services, as well as dozens of other services. If you offer those services without government permission, somebody with a gun will show up to seize your property, throw you in jail, or both.
Examine nearly any law—from Obamacare to green energy mandates, from tariffs to minimum wage laws—and you will find that someone is being forced to act contrary to his own judgment. Indeed, the purpose of force is to “encourage” individuals to act differently than they would voluntarily choose. A robber threatens you with a gun to “encourage” you to surrender your wallet. The government threatens you will fines or jail to “encourage” you to obey its dictates.
To be clear, this isn’t an injunction against the use of force. It is an injunction against the initiation of force, of which the above are examples. Nor is this an injunction against government. Government has a crucial, life sustaining purpose. However, government force should be directed at those who initiate force—the robber, the arsonist, the kidnapper, the rapist, the murderer. When government initiates force, it becomes a greater threat to our well-being than the robber, the arsonist, the kidnapper, the rapist, or the murderer.
The fundamental question in nearly any government policy debate is the use of force—how will force be wielded and against whom? The alternative of prohibiting government from initiating force is seldom, if ever, mentioned by those who oppose a policy. And the reason is, most people believe that it is appropriate for government to use force to promote the “public interest.”