[snappyTertle]

If you believe you own your body and the labor you produce, why would anyone else (including the state) have a right to your body's production?

People say "social contract". When did we opt in, and can we opt out? It's being enforced without consent. We pay for things we don't want. Whether this be never ending wars around the world, or the welfare state such as the ponzi scheme known as social security.

[notduncansmith]

Sorry, but you can't really exist here without benefitting from thousands of years of human effort offered up to you by our ancestors. Your ideas, your choices, your work, everything that you might consider a part of you, is a natural consequence of exposing the same basic machinery to a some combination of pre-existing material.

You are an emergent phenomenon - to claim "ownership" of anything is pure hubris, and reflects a dangerously limited understanding of causality.

[snappyTertle]

I agree, voluntary interaction between each other is what creates wealth. Not the shuffling of stuff from one group of people to another.

[ythn]

Social security isn't a Ponzi scheme because enough people die before getting the benefits that it covers those that do. For example smokers will never see a cent of the social security they pay because they will die first.

[snappyTertle]

The definition of a Ponzi scheme is paying off existing investors with money contributed by new investors. If it's a successful Ponzi scheme due to people dying, then that's a different argument. A Ponzi scheme is a ponzi scheme whether it's a success or failure.

[ttoinou]

You opt in when you don't really own your body (when you grow up), you can opt out when you're an adult by choosing another mafia in another country (but there's too much at stake for most people, I agree)

[AnimalMuppet]

> If you believe you own your body and the labor you produce, why would anyone else (including the state) have a right to your body's production?

Because others contribute to your body's production. Your position only works if you are truly prepared to ask nothing from the state - not defense, not roads, not clean water, not law enforcement. Most people who take the "taxation is theft" position don't recognize how much they benefit from the existence of the state.

[BeetleB]

Pretty much the same with HOA's in my opinion.

You can opt out with the US government as well - it's just a bit more complicated to do so.