Coercive Politics is Fundamentally Evil

While politics in general is the everyday struggle that we all encounter in which we try to get the most out of our position, coercive politics is a different beast entirely.

Coercive politics is about control of state power in order to further our own agenda. It is about force. It is the idea that some ideas are so good that they have to be forced upon people. It is about hierarchy and power. It is fundamentally Saturnist. In short, it is a beast that turns good people into evil people.

Coercive politics should therefore be avoided. However, as always, when surrounded by potential predators, ready to take away our money and our freedoms, we need to stay aware of our surroundings. We cannot blindly hope that things will turn out all right.

The temptation is therefore great to join a side in the vile game of coercive politics. If we stand to loose by letting one side win, but stand to gain if another side wins, it is tempting to join the side that will put us above the other side.

But if the gains we hope to get are due to coercion, then we are no better than the other side. It is only if the gain we get is that of more freedom for all that we can honestly say that we stand on the side of good in the battle against evil.

Any program that gives some people a privileged access to goods at the expense of others is evil. It can only be enacted by force. Some people have to suffer in order to make the program work.

However, the removal of a state sanctioned privilege is not evil. It may be experienced as evil by the ones loosing the privilege. But the suffering that the privileged have to endure is always less than the good that is created for those who had to support it.

When it comes to politics, the only position we can take that is not fundamentally evil, is the position of more freedom to all. The removal of state sanctioned privilege such as welfare handouts, affirmative action, and all forms of obstructions to free association, is the right position. Anything else is evil.

Coercive politics, whether to the left or to the right, make good people evil. Watch any political rally in which coercive power is called for, and feel the hate. Listen to any imbecile promoting his or her favorite coercive program, and feel the evil when the implementation of the policy is discussed. It is always about taking money and freedom away from some in order to give it as privilege to others.

Promoting coercive ideas make us hateful and ultimately unhappy. Coercive policies rot our very soul. That's why we should stay away from them. When the day arrives when we are permitted to vote for who should be our new masters, vote for the one that promises to remove state sanctioned privilege without the introduction of new ones. If no such party exists, don't vote.

If you feel unhappy and afraid of your fellow men, make sure you stay away from coercive politics and its promoters in the media. Stay principled at the side of liberty, and you will feel better about life and the people around you.