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Well Tucker, I've read some of your other comments here and don't necessarily disagree with them, but I think the discussion could be talking around one another - and likely on this syllogism here.Governments exist to create laws.
Laws, by their very nature, limit freedom.
Therefore governments exist to limit freedom.
Instead of saying "You're wrong! That's preposterous commie bull****!", point to what is not 100% accurate in that logical syllogism. Which premise is false?
First: "Governments exist to create laws." Well, I don't think that's accurate. I think the more accurate statement would be that laws are the mechanism by which governments carry out their purpose(s).
Second: "Laws, by their very nature, limit freedom." This is I think accurate.
Third: "Therefore governments exist to limit freedom." Given the first premise is inaccurate, this conclusion is necessarily inaccurate as well. The logic doesn't follow.
Put differently, for the syllogism to be accurate, it would have to work in the opposite direction:
"Governments exist to limit freedom."
"Laws, by their very nature, limit freedom."
"Therefore, governments exist to create laws."
Again, if you look at the first premise, that is easily refuted. Consider:
The purpose of the United States government is outlined clearly here:We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
1) to form a more perfect union
2) to establish justice
3) to insure domestic tranquility
4) to provide for the common defense
5) to promote the general welfare and,
6) to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity
The government then enacts laws to secure the above. Laws are the mechanism, not the purpose of [our] government. Ergo, governments (specifically, ours here) DO NOT exist to create laws.
I think the more accurate statement here is that in the process of carrying out their purpose(s), governments need to create laws, which by definition limit freedom, ergo for a government to carry out its purpose it will necessarily limit freedoms.