travis would say that your reasoning is circular.LightinDarkness wrote:Regardless of whether one believes the law can't apply to you without your consent, the definition of government is whoever has the legitimate use of force. Legitimate, in this case, is defined by the public in general and not by the individual.
We define words based on how we use them, and we use words to describe the world as it actually exists. In the world as it actually exists, every citizen does not agree with every rule imposed by the government, and governments use force against those who act contrary to the rules imposed by the government.
People like travis want to believe that there is a concept of "government" and "law" that exists separate from reality. They want to define those words differently from what everyone else understands those words to mean, and then demand that we "prove" that our government and laws fit within their definition. (And they either don't tell us their definition, or they make up a definition that no government and no law could ever fit within.)
It's all just an exercise in fantasy.
I sometimes call this "voting with your feet." If you don't like our government, you're free to leave, and by staying you are consenting.LightinDarkness wrote:So, wheres the evidence, OP? The evidence is that by posting here you have proven that you have enjoyed the benefits by government, and thus contracted with them through your implied consent. You see, the internet was a government funded project to begin with and you wouldn't have been able to post here if the government had not established that project. Thus, you benefited from a government service. Thus, you are subject to its laws. Don't like it? Fine with us - move to a place where you no longer enjoy the benefits of the US government. I hear Somalia is nice, if your into that kind of thing.
You could argue that the very act of being born in this country is an acceptance of government benefits. Medical schools and hospitals are tax exempt organizations, which means that they were built with tax-deductible dollars, which is a form of government support (or "tax expenditure"). If your mother received any medical care before or during your birth, or if you received any medical care after birth, it was paid for in part by the government.
Does that health care bind you your entire life? No, as was said, you can leave. But travis (and others) shouldn't think that they burst full grown from their mother's forehead, or that they got where they are today completely on their own, with no government support.