As I watch the unfolding of events in Wisconsin I am drawn to re-read my copy of Frederic Bastiat's The Law. In this small excellent volume, which may be downloaded free at the Foundation for Economic Education, I see the two ways of using the law.
The first is to protect the life, liberty and property of individuals. The second is it's opposite; to plunder,( steal ) these rights from individuals. A person either makes a living by providing a service or product that his neighbors value and voluntarily exchange money for, or one uses the law to take money by force from his neighbor through taxation to provide one's living. It is easy to see the social cohesion and interdependence provided by the first. In Wisconsin we see the upheaval and strife caused by the second.
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