>From what I understand, the term “gooferment”
When I use “Gooferment”, I refer that gang that uses their supposed monopoly on the use of force to impose “its will” on the Sheeple. I urge care because we anthropomorphize a group of people into its own entity. I’m a voluntarist. Maybe even an anarchist. You know those PEOPLE with flags and costumes that purport to be part of the matrix?
>Mr. Cranick lived outside of the town
http://seerpress.com/fire-department-lets-house-burn-down-over-unpaid-dues/9139/
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Cranick lived just outside the city limits of South Fulton in Northwest Tennessee in Obion County, but within an area that allows homeowners to subscribe to the city’s fire department services by paying a $75 annual fee.
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So we have one subdivision of Gooferment that takes taxes from the victim. Then, they say they don’t provide fire protection? But you can buy it from this other subdivision of Gooferment. Excuses!
So what did the victim “buy” with his county taxes?
>It does seem heartless for the fire department to stand there and watch his house burn down,
It doesn’t say if the FD was paid or volunteer. It doesn’t say much about what went on. I find it hard to believe that they rolled on the scene and didn’t deploy immediately. There must have been a decision earlier about what they were going to do. Firefighters train. Hell, if I’d been the Fire Chief, then I’d have called it a “live fire drill or training session”.
>if they didn’t, everyone similarly situated who did pay the $75 would stop paying,
> knowing that if their house caught fire they could pay then.
I’d suggest that this is the problem with Gooferment. They are not responsive to market place discipline.
>Should they also drop their fire insurance and be allowed to purchase
>it when their house starts burning?
Clearly not, but I bet the insurance company would have paid the $75 rather than pay off for the fire.
> Being able to set the fee at only $75 is based on most people
> agreeing to the assessment, but not having to use it.
Ludwig von Mises’ “socialism calculation debate” points out that “socialists”, which is what he’d call the Gooferment in all its forms, doesn’t not have the free market’s mechanism to set a clearing price. That price where there are no more willing buyer or sellers. Everyone has acted on their particular time preference calculation. So how does anyone know that $75 is the right or wrong price? There is no competition.
Fredrick Hayek’s “knowledge of the particular time and place” points out that “socialists” can evaluate the facts and costs at a particular time and place. So the bureaucrats arriving at the fire scene can’t decide what is the correct course of action.
It’s not as if the person had to decide between three offerings: McD’s, BK’s, and Wendy’s. He could pick based on criteria that he decided on. In a free market. Where he choose the “best”. Knowing the (Mises) true cost as deiced by the marketplace. Knowing how important each (Hayek) of the criteria was to him.
>I would think a libertarian would agree to this.
As a little L libertarian, and I can only speak for myself, there is a lot of blame to spread around. I blame the “socialists” in the illusion of Gooferment. And the “firemen” who are nothing more than bureaucrats.
And some blame for the victim for not picking his battle better.
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Reinke Faces Life 