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A Better World
The Job of President Not Playing It Safe in Uganda Escaping the State? "Both our laws and our highest ideals" Obama -- Beacon of Hope? Lions for Lambs Lost Lesson of Thanksgiving Woodstock > Vietnam as Yin > Yang Last Night's Republican Debate The Rub on Vick Aaron Russo, RIP The Simpsons as Free Liberal Mythology? Notes on Sicko Greenberg on Immigration Someone in cable "news" has a clue Us (Us Us Us Us), and Them (Them Them Them).... Virginia Tech Every Day Ending Poverty: What Works? Amazing Grace Review Amazing Grace Let Me In--Recovery from Autism is Possible! Ron Paul Running for Prez! Left-Libertarians and workers of the world unite! On the Passing of Milton Friedman 300 million people Institute for Justice -- A Pro-Freedom Gem Global Family and Day of Peace Day or where is Tom Lehrer when you really need him! A failure to communicate The Tree Climbing Actress

About Free For All
Digg Away! Eric Dondero and The Free Liberal Changing of the Guard Bob Capozzi, Senior Editor Corporate State and Medicine Testing, 1,2,3... Introducing Free For All -- The Free Liberal Blog Pre-launch Testing

Economics
The Housing Bill The Future of Tax Reform What Does Barack Obama Know? The Swimming Brits Enivornmentalism Turns Against Itself *UPDATED* Milton Friedman: Singlehandedly responsible for libertarianism Wal Mart Katrina Response Illustrates Government's Failure Vote for Freedom Warmongering vs. Socialism Fed to Blame? Undo the Obstacles to the Manifestation of Comparative Advantage The Mercantilist Impulse Bottoms Up Boudreaux on the Falling Dollar Liberty Dollars: What's the Big Deal? Colorado Residents Missing Rebates Club for Growth Assessment of Ron Paul: Fair or Hatchet Job? What is Libertarian Paternalism? Huckabee's Smoking Ban Wall Street's Nanny Ron Paul and Bernanke Private Dollars Lead New Orleans Recovery No Magic Wand Whole Foods, Monopolist? The Inflation Tax Politically Incorrect and proud of it The great inflation cover-up The biggest lies told by the state Beckham: Not About the Money The Matter of $1 Tyler Cowen Calls for Carbon Tax Trans-Texas Corridor and Sovreignty A Desire Named Streetcar Pre-K in the Womb? Does the Dear Leader Understand Incentives? Too High? Why so Low? Uncle Sam: worse than Enron Taxaphobia? 10 Worst Government Programs Problems with geoanarchism? Assume We Do

Education
Find out if you could be on Leno's "Jaywalking" Vouchers defeated in Utah A Free Market in Education?

Energy
Enivornmentalism Turns Against Itself *UPDATED* Calculating the Cost of a Carbon Tax The Price of Gas, Again Problem Already Solved? Life After the Oil Crash 4 Life After the Oil Crash 3 Life After the Oil Crash 2 Life After the Oil Crash

Europe
Sticking it to the Welfare State Austrian Darkness & EU Light

Events
Honoring Milton Friedman on July 31 DEBATE: How Much to Spend on Climate Change? “Who Cares About Anarchy When You Can Have Limited Government?” Is Extremism a Virtue? Is Extremism a Virtue? It’s All Opportunism "Immigration reform and its challenges" -- event this Wednesday Robert Fuller Event at Busboys and Poets Right Against War with Iran

Foreign Policy
American Conservative Defense Alliance: Fighting the War Party Jon Stewart Takes on AIPAC Democracies and War Do Muslims Really Hate Us? The Lies Have It Burying Hitler Israel: NIE Report Could Spark War Bomb Iran, bomb, bomb, Iran Why did libertarians support the war? John Howard Deserved to Lose A Legacy of Losing: JFK, Obama and Viet Nam Disagreeing with Ron Paul Another great, but obscure anti-war classic Iraq = Vietnam? Bush: President for Life? Response to Randy Barnett The Push to Keep Us in Iraq Bizarro Libertarianism The CIA: Still evil after all these years Reason author Clueless on libertarian foreign policy USS Liberty

Immigration
Illegal Immigration and Moral Turpitude Immigration and Polls Ron Paul Ad Not What I'm Donating For Immigration: Global Warming on the right Republicans: Again the Stupid Party

Individualist Values
Mark Twain: An Original Free Liberal Tabarrok on Living Under Authoritarian Regimes Obama is Right on Leviticus Dancing and the Law Frank Talk About Irony Beltway Libertarians a Sad Tale Undercutting Collectivist Thinking, One Award at a Time Is Your Doctor/Lawyer/Accountant Endangering Your Privacy? Politicians Live by One Set of Rules, We Live by Another Early Retirement = Unpatriotic? Free to be Fatty US, Britian Ethnically Cleanse Diego Garcia Lost Libertarianism at Watership Down McCain Should Have Been at Woodstock Libertarian Paternalism? Do we serve the state or does the state serve us? The Love of Power vs. Power of Love Hey Hillary (and the rest of the nicotine Nazis) A bad argument for ending prohibition Another great Libertarian song Latest Bush Concept: Loyalty Day! Workers of the world unite and smash the state! Reps. Rangel and Flake agree??? Libertarian horror New Mexico Property Owners Finally Protecte New Mexico Becomes 11th State to Adopt Medical Marijuana Big Government Conservatives Dixie Chicks Among Esteemed Outlaws How to Disable RFID Chips in Your New Passport Muhammad Ali's Mixed Legacy Pro-peace, Pro-slavery? Sexy Nurses Illegal? Important new book Bipartisan thuggery Re: Bad idea dead Milton Friedman's greatest accomplishment Remember, Remember Remember, Remember, re: Rendering unto Caesar Rendering unto Caesar Enough to make any libertarian (or red-blooded Ayn Rand fan) drool. Gangster Politicians Re: Reform the LP Is Liberty on the March, Backwards??? Rockin in the Free World Snakes on a Plane "Libertarians" for the draft? Killing the Death Tax: A Liberal's View Re: the Pesky Section 8 Destroying Individual Virtue

Medical Freedom
Crowding Out the Right Prescription? CATO versus Michael Moore WWE versus the state: round II Brave New World Update Brave New World Update Good News in the War on Drugs Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The Marginal Benefit of Health Care Who's Afraid of Frankenstein?

Natural Rights
Using the Second Amendment as Intended Thought Crimes and Misdemeanors Blast from the Past No Rights? Freedom of Speech...yeah, right Korean Hostage Deal Versus Religious Liberty Speaking of Marijuana and Al Gore III Defending Al Gore III The Once and Future Republic of Vermont Superbowl Gambling and Silly Laws Atoms in the Here and Now The Last Straw for Bush Government Goons Murder Puppies! Hollywood Just Doesn't Get It Mr. Libertarian Thinking about Bob thinking about Darfur Go see Sophie Scholl-The Final Days Ron Paul, Big-Government Believer? Offensive and Intolerable A Priori Anarchists Am I a Utilitarian?

Photos
Free Liberals at the National Taxpayers Union Conference

Politics
No Respect for Huckabee " Some political hygiene would seem to be in order." Debt-Mail, All Over Again Libertarian-Liberal Alliance The Power of Mumpower Turbett on Bill O'Reilly's Fast and Loose Politics Bob Barr Gives Measured Response to Fannie Freddie Crisis Unfit for Office? Say you want a r3VOLution? Nuanced to Death Understanding Democracy Goodbye Raymond Burke "...in the home." 2A, Kelo and Federalism Move Over, Somalia Back to Square One The Most Important Question Veepstakes, Life and Choice Obama/Casey Cross Purposes Richardson Some voters have always thrown away their votes... Splitting the Baby Barr/Paul ticket still in the cards?! Bob Barr and the PATRIOT Act Start of Something Big? Libertarians in Denver Presidential Cult? Obama: Pot Smokers' Choice? Ron Paul #1 on Amazon Undercutting Collectivist Thinking, One Award at a Time Enivornmentalism Turns Against Itself *UPDATED* Hillary Hung On Obama Between the Extremes of Excess and . . . Excess? Obama under Attack over Patriotism at Debate Hillary vs. McCain Faux Pas: Which Matters More? You Libertarian Relativist, You Forget Iceland 1000 AD. How's About Switzerland Now? Mad Hatter Daze Taxing v. Killing Peasants Paying for It Obama: The Best Antiwar Option Left Not So Fast Change in DC without "Debaathification?" 09: Cause for Optimism? John McCain: Unfit to Lead Is The Path to Liberty to the North? Obama Can Fix America's Image Ba-Bye, Rudy and Fred Work for a Corporation, Democrats Say Camelot Gathers 'Round Petraeus '12? Asymmetrical Information Endorsements Giving Credit Where It Is Due Exploding Myths Running and Hiding The OTHER Open Letter Racist Words vs. Racist Deeds Haters As Cowards Ron Paul Isn't a Racist Thoughts on New Hampshire Fox News, Ron Paul and Conservatives Challengers from the Mainstream Love and Hate, Iowa Style [Blank] Need Not Apply Welcome to 08 Go Home, Ron Paul! Who Would Reagan Vote For? Huckabee: The Last Whig This is getting INTERESTING! Ron Paul Raises Record Cash Rodney King: Call Your Office Ron Paul v. the Beltway Libertarians Wonderful Ron Paul Article in Washington Post Paranoia, self destroyer Republican Rehab "Healthy" State Seeking Perfection? Jay Leno and Ron Paul Missing Warren G. Harding Ron Paul on PBS NewsHour Paul Jacob Indicted Heresies Out Loud "Don't Tase Me, Bro" Never Underestimate the “Power” of Denial Time for fascism Strippers for Ron Paul on Tucker Giuliani's Dangerous Bluster The Joys of Transpartisanship Is Hillary a Neocon? Ron Paul and the Libertarian National Convention Talk to those we don't agree with? Heaven Forbid! NY Times on Ron Paul On the "Edge" Citizen's Dividend and Health Insurance The Chasm of Abstraction In a free market... Sheehan for Congress? Closed-source Ames straw poll needs paper ballots The Spy Who Didn't Love Me More on Iowa, Ron Paul For peace and trust can win the day, despite of all your losing. Iowans for Tax Relief But Not Ron Paul Ron Paul Making Waves on the Net Human "Capital"? Ron Paul on the Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart Why do libertarians eat their own? Did Rudy "Win"? Fly in the Ointment? Stepping In It Ron Paul's Goldwater Moment New Media and Mike Gravel The GOP's Rodney Dangerfield Strange Bedfellows Never turn your back on the family David Brooks is Wrong Giuliani and the Price of Bread Who says politicians are stupid? Expanding the welfare state for fun and profit The loyal opposition Dispatches from Bizaroworld If you only buy one book by a Presidential candidate this year Bush and Chavez: A Marriage Made in Hell Does War Make Presidents Great? George Will on Ron Paul The on again, off again saga of global climate change My favorite bureaucrat Bruce Bartlett Takes a Hatchet to the Libertarian Party (and other third parties as well) Jon Stewart and the 2006 Election Will Triumphant Democrats Push Liberalism or Socialism? More on Libertarian Democrats Libertarian Democrats: NOT Libertarian-Democrats? Re: the cult of the state Reform the LP? The Vitiated Center Workers of the world unite...for liberty The Republicans' secret weapon Best idea I've heard all week The "unfree" liberal Moderation Without Meaning? Voter Participation is Not Paramount Jon Stewart: Enemy of Democracy? Political Whores Needed? The Milsted Strategy Feingold's predecessor More thoughts on Darfur The Other Enemy of Free Enterprise I'm a John Mackey Libertarian Hillary the failure Five excuses cover all government errors GOP war on the Family Sure to be Unpopular Partisan Talk Show Hosts Oppose a personality cult? You're a leftist! Cheney and Spin Not Very Open-Minded, Not Very Transpartisan You Gotta Love Lawyers Is Gore A Civil Libertarian? Corruption and Benefit Abramoff -- Seducer? Third Party Chances

Rule of Law
Land of the Free or Evil Empire? TSA's No Fly List Politicized Anarchy Works? Taking Olbermann and Obama to Task for FISA Support Illegally Download Music, Lose Your House? The Truman Transformation The Thugs of Redford Township Park Police Thugs Destroy Liberty in the Shadow of Jefferson Taxation is Theft. Go for it! 283 Nonarchy Pods -- Comin' Right Up “Original Intent”: Then, Now and Forever Alberto Gonzales Steps Down Orwell update State Secrets and National Security The Secretive Execution of Saddam Hussein The Case of Cory Maye

TFL Update
Moving my Blogging Publish JDM! Stumbling on Buddha The Free Liberal -- Expanding its Presence Nationwide Featured on the Free Liberal

The Freedomnista Movement
Honoring Kent Snyder Kent Snyder: Hail and Farewell Personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon...Let's Get to Work Ron Paul r(EVOL)tionary triumphs Happy Birthday Paul Jacob! Lew Rockwell? Is the Horse Dead? Despicable Behavior The L Word Is the Libertarian Party worth the fight? A Dear Friend Lost We broke it, we bought it? Fall reading The Nazi Welfare State Notes from the Parlor Game Hands held high quote of the month Take a few minutes See Ron Paul Wednesday Quote of the week Ron Paul Revolution Mises Media Read two books Left and Right Cowen’s “Package Deal” The Movement

Theory of Knowledge
Tectonic Ch Ch Ch Changes Logical Atomism and Truth Claims The Transitory Nature of Partisan Hacks Don't Quote Me on that... The Seen and the Unseen Theory and Consequences If a Tree Falls in the Woods…

Transpartisanship
Mob Mentality in the Ron Paul Revolution? Agreeing with Jonah Goldberg -- Twice! Ron Paul supporter spreading democracy from Iraq Polarized Too Extreme

Very Silly
Rush's Deal Environmentally Friendly Bombs Love, A is A style Firefly is returning Miss Bimbo isn't Shakespeare Hillary the Robot (at SOTU) For the Children Good enough for government work I Know An Old Lady... Brave New World Update What's in a name? Anti-Terror Extortion? Greatest Prank Ever The Purity of Being Broke? Ayn Rand Greeting Cards Achewood on Hating America and Anarchy

War on Drugs
Are you going to arrest me, Governor Romney? State Medical Marijuana Laws Under Attack in New Mexico The Right Kind of Flip-Flopping 55 Years for Weed?

War on Terror
Who will watch the Watch List Orwell update Hornberger Takes on the Wall Street Journal Dilbert Author Skewers Ahmadinejad Visit Panic (graphic language) Harry Potter's alright, but make mine Buffy Bush Backs Down on Torture If Big Brother can make it there... Terror debate Ron Paul-Giuliani Exchange on War Ron Paul Stands Up for Reality in Republican Debate Pentagon Lies Exposed Today Peace Movement Must Take on AIPAC Is Cheney Living in an Alternate Universe? Orwell update The Case Against War 4 Terror Plots Thwarted? The Feingold Option Can Congress Stop the War? Ahmadinejad and Bush: Something in Common 90% of Iraqis "We Were Better off Under Saddam" Libertarian Warmongers? The Lessons of Vietnam? Hint for Democrats: Protect Whistleblowers Pat Tillman's Birthday Keith Olbermann It is happening here 9--11 and cult of the omnipotent state Osama bin Laden as Cultural Icon The importance of foreign policy More on Israel's Aggression in Lebanon What is going on in Lebanon/Israel? Prominent Neo-Con: Suspend Constitution! The WTC Memorial and Admissions Fees Ann Coulter is insane The Truth Will get you in Trouble Cartoon Violence Conspiracy Theory Conspiracies McCain on Torture

Do we serve the state or does the state serve us?

Before I was even a libertarian I understood that the state was a creation of man and, at least in theory, it should benefit us. Since the concept of "state" is an abstraction, the idea of serving it seemed downright silly.

That is why I always felt John F. Kennedy's famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you...ask what you can do for your country," was a bit ridiculous. Why exactly should I be serving this nameless, faceless, unfeeling entity called the state? Sure, it may benefit politicians if I were to do so because they ultimately control the state, but do I really need to go out of the way to pitch in?

Sheldon Richman expounds on that theme far more thoroughly in response to the latest calls by the political elite for "national service." Of course, like the ridiculous Americorps program, it would be the involuntary payments of taxpayers who would foot the bill for these "volunteer efforts."

Posted by Paul Gessing on September 19, 2007 12:31 AM | Permalink

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