Law and Order Through Voluntary Exchange
This topic caught my interest when it was first brought up. I was curious as to how giving the states power to dictate themselves would unfold, and along those lines the topics of military and law were often brought up as counterarguments or genuine inquiries. The topic of law and order is important, and it makes sense that it would occur as a question. Thanks to this speech I was left more confused than informed, but I’ve managed to piece together a more concise view on the matter and develop a better understanding. Dr. Robert Murphy still left me questioning many things, but I was able to understand what he was trying to explain with the help of the numerous examples he so kindly repeated. It almost sounded like a broken record, but it was important to the build-up and presentation of what he was trying to achieve. Obviously, it isn’t an easy black and white solution, so it needed to be delved into. The complexity of how law would supposedly work versus how it may work is not an easy matter to discuss or understand and truly needs to be delved into, as I have my doubts about it. Likely it’ll be expanded on by a group of individuals like the ones in our class; people who are simply curious as to what it could look like if it worked and people who genuinely think it could be a better and more successful system. There are some factors that would factor in the idea’s favor, but there are some far and outlandish ideas that could become worrisome possibilities if we do switch to a system where law and order could be done through voluntary exchange.
First Inquiries
While I am in favor of a system that promotes more strength and self-governance among the states, I am worried about all the legalities that follow behind such a change. Change is good, but scary to confront in many ordeals. Of course, switching to a system that would require laws to be changed will have many people intrigued, as laws are what govern the lives of our society in which we live in. Giving people the power to govern themselves and decide their own laws is something I would like, but I can’t ignore the fact that people are dumb. I know many people who prefer to have things in the now than to prepare for their own future. Society doesn’t do well when we haven’t built any infrastructure to stand upon in the future. Sadly, I know one of the beautiful factors in giving states the power to self-govern is that people can choose to live in a state whose laws and requirements they agree with, and they can also choose to leave it. The ignorance of the majority will lead to the collapse of at least one state, and it’s just a sad event that will have to be observed if a system like this ever comes into fruition. I would like to talk further on this matter and learn that my thought process here may be wrong.
Some Outrageous Ideas
This paragraph will likely look like an absurd story told by a child, but it’s some genuine questions I have regarding the voluntary system. Under this system, military power will be divided amongst states, likely among privately-run militia groups, and protection organizations who will likely act as hired police. This system is all well and good, even though it lowers our power amongst the other world powers. Regardless, one problem I see with this is the possibility of someone rich enough deciding they want to own an entire state for themselves. For example, Elon Musk decides he is going to raise his own army and take over a state. Sure, it is possible for around 3,000,000 U.S. citizens to rally together their salaries and oppose Elon, but he will have a coordinated group that will likely overpower any militia raised by civilians. Not to mention the burden on the civilians who will be funding this counter-campaign. The U.S. citizens have guns and other weapons to defend with, but it doesn’t go toe-to-toe with a raised army with the funds to afford better technology and weapons, and a whole backed system of communications to boot. If Elon wanted to, I’m genuinely assured that he could conquer a state, and that’s solely on his own with his own money and private army. If he was able to amass a following and claim several states he could very well secede and declare his own country. It’s outlandish and dumb, but very much a possibility given the lower military power of the U.S. in this system.
Dumb Ideas Continued
Next up is how the enforcement of laws work. I know Dr. Murphy explained this matter through insurance and contracts drawn up by communities in the towns, and the following of said agreements. Yet the way he described the system led me to wonder what back door shenanigans could be conducted that could become very troublesome for people trying to lead their normal lives. Dr. Murphy gave the example of a delinquent teenager breaking into someone’s home and stealing their TV. To get their TV back, the person who was robbed would go to some sort of advisor that was like a lawyer. This “lawyer” would then hold a trial for you and set the case up for you, like lawyers tend to do. The only difference is it isn’t exactly done in court and there is no judge deciding on the case. Instead, it would be a smaller civil dispute between the two parties. The “lawyer” would act as judge and give the final verdict. I explained this terribly, but if there was ever a requirement for “bad example” it would at least win that position; nevertheless, the problems of someone being able to convict another person unjustly, and the actual procedure following the verdict still stand. I can dig into how the protection agency will handle the situation and how if one party doesn’t show up to the hearing it would affect the way it looks to community and why that’s such a big factor, but then this paragraph would be even longer, so I’ll end it here and just converse about them in person.
Conclusion
Like I said before, this speech raised more questions than it answered for me. That’s a good thing, as I have the desire to get them answered and discover if there could be a better way to handle certain situations. Until then, this topic makes me feel like I’m having a constant headache with all the possible loopholes I can find and how to possibly patch them. I love to talk about it, don’t get me wrong, but discussing rewiring a whole judicial system gives me some slight anxiety as to what the future could hold. This is a topic to be discussed and explained in further matter, and I would prefer not to read a book on it. I am very willing to do so, however, as my want to figure this system out is actually quite motivating.