Anarchism

Anarchism
by Richard T. Osborne

Anarchism is a belief in self-government. If the political government that governs least governs best, then the government that doesn't govern at all is the best government. Instead of governing, as is the case with all statism, a government that is non-statist in character will only provide services that the people cannot otherwise perform acting alone. This is the kind of political institution that was created in this country under the Constitution. These services included providing for the national defense, delivering the mail, maintaining a patent and copyright office, maintaining a standard of weights and measures, coining money, and insuring free trade between the States. The people were also at liberty not to utilize any of these services. Local municipalities also provide services such as police and fire protection, water and sewer services, public libraries, and public parks. City ordinances that go beyond providing services and which commonly create victimless crimes are statist in nature, such as curfews, anti-cruising laws, anti-smoking laws that intrude on private enterprise, restrictions on carrying guns, and banning porn shops.

Anarchism places government into the hands of the people, either individually (rightist anarchism) or collectively (leftist anarchism). But all anarchism opposes statism. Examples of leftist anarchism are co-ops such as co-operative utility providers, co-operative farming, credit unions, labor unions, and commerce associations. Rightist anarchism is based on self-reliance and individualism, such as living on a self-sustaining farm, using precious metals as a medium of exchange, bartering, and bargaining for wages individually.

Statists want to control and dominate society either through Marxism (leftist statism) or fascism (rightist statism). Both groups use government to ban what they don't like and to require conformity to what they like. Leftist statists seek governmental control of the means of production and to prescribe by law an equalitarian social order by imposing a progressively graduated income tax and by forcibly integrating society (communism). Rightist statists seek to ban vice, legally define marriage, and to enact Jim Crow laws to legally enforce a nationalist state (fascism).

Anarchism is based on the principal of free choice, mutual respect, and extends to others their sense of human dignity.