“It’s the government’s place to help people.” That is the common assumption behind most of modern American political thought.

What does such a view mean in practice?

The forcing of one person to work on behalf of another. And this, not for the sake of defending the country against an invader or a criminal, but for the sake of giving to a man those positive comforts he has not attained for himself. “If a person is unable to take care of himself, it is proper to force others to take care of him,” this view holds.

Over the next several posts I’m going to answer: “What is my exact position on government?”

These posts focus on my conclusions. Later I’ll explain the reasons behind them, but right now I want you to see where I’m going.

In broadest terms, the government’s role is twofold:

To judge between people who claim wrong has been done and to marshal the people in times of war.

If the government’s only role is to define force and to stop it, then what about everything else the government does right now?

In this series I’m explaining my view of a just government.
To read from the beginning click here.