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11A058
The End Game
by Jim Davies, 2/27/2011
A reader of The African Precedent doubted that in this country, government enforcers like police and military would quit their jobs as readily as the Libyan soldiers and airmen who deserted Qaddafi. I fully agree that they won't do so any time soon. They still enjoy too much pay and popularity. It's a subject explored in some detail in my Transition to Liberty, but as the population of re-educated Americans grows exponentially, more and more of those who are not armed government agents will resign and find honest work. Most early graduates are in the productive sector, but then some of those in the unarmed part of the parasite sector will graduate and quit their jobs, then lastly those who are armed and therefore the ultimate source of government force. The enforcers will respond to their friends' invitation to join a freedom school partly because of the friendship (like every other joiner) and partly because everyone else around them is doing so. Indeed, in the last few months of the process, every one of their friends will be urging them to open their minds to the concept of liberty; in the final stage there will be a storm of many such invitations every day, from different people. That is the inevitable result of exponential arithmetic; it's like an avalanche. Small at first, when it reaches full momentum it will be irresistable. Another factor will play powerfully in the process. For every government enforcer with a gun, there is a whole pyramid of parasites feeding off productive workers and furnishing him with support. Most obviously, taxgatherers are issuing demands for money; a clerical task, known to be backed up by the threat of force (pay the prop-tax or we'll seize your home) but not normally needing any; the payer also knows about the available force, and prefers a quiet life. Other clerical support workers in the government ant-heap who provide for the front-line thugs include those who arrange to pay their wages and administer their schedules, uniform laundering, paid vacations and promotions. When those quit their jobs, the thugs' morale and motivation will be seriously impacted. They'll feel less invulnerable. A virtuous circle will also take effect, helping unravel the government scam. As those clerks and tax penpushers quit, the public (not just the re-educated members, but nearly everyone) will rightly perceive that tax collection is melting down - that if they forget to pay, reminders come late or not at all, etc. So they will delay payments, making none until the threat of force becomes explicit. That will reduce the resources available to pay the thugs - even if the staff were still available to administer the payments! True, "money" will be printed at an increasing rate, to make up the shortfall (in the Federal case, anyway; as we're seeing currently that's not so easy for State and local governments) but the effect of that is to decrease the purchasing power of paper currency. At present that happens only after a delay of 18 months or so but as the cycle spins faster hyperinflation will take over and the value loss will be seen in days or hours. So ultimately, the effect of that tax strike will not be avoidable. Government workers, including the crucial ones furnishing the force, will face a shrinking paycheck. At every stage of the unraveling, alternative employment will open up for those considering walking out. I'm guessing that first, home schooling will draw many out of the work force - for one of the first vital lessons learned in the freedom schools is that children need protecting from government indoctrinators. Home teaching isn't paid work of course, so it will - as today - often involve sacrifice, but as those vacate a variety of regular jobs they will leave holes for others to fill, when they leave government service. Later, when the armed thugs consider quitting, there will be a free-market justice industry developing, with openings for experienced detectives and security guards. So while the turnover will be enormous - probably forty million employment changes in half a dozen years - it will be perfectly feasible. What fun it will be to identify the last person to walk out of a government job; I wonder if my guess in E-Day will prove correct.
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