Why All Governments Steal

If you'll give me just a few minutes, I'll explain why all governments seem like a giant fraud. If you don't have a few minutes to spare, accept being confused and frustrated for the rest of your life.

This frustration with theft through the government has been noted many times in history.

In 1849 in his article 'The State' Frederic Bastiat said, "The state is the great fiction by which everyone endeavors to live at the expense of everyone else."

In the late 1700s in the 'Philosophical Dictionary' Voltaire said, "In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one part of the citizens to give to the other."

A little after 400 AD in his book 'The City of God' St. Augustine said, “Justice being taken away, then, what are kingdoms but great robberies? For what are robberies themselves, but little kingdoms?”

A little after 100 AD in his book 'Annals' Tacitus said, “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.”

In 150 BC in his book 'Histories' Polybius said, “In dealing with an enemy it is not necessary to observe either faith or law.”

In the 300s BC in his book 'Dao De Jing' Laozi said, “The more laws and restrictions there are, the poorer the people become.” And, "The more rules and regulations, the more thieves and robbers."

In the 300s BC in his book 'The Republic' Plato wrote, "Then if anyone at all is to have the privilege of lying, the rulers of the State should be the persons; and they, in their dealings either with enemies or with their own citizens, may be allowed to lie for the public good."

In the 300s BC in his book 'Memorabilia' Xenophon wrote:

"Socrates: Again, suppose he deceives the foe while at war with them?

Euthydemus: That would be all fair and right also.

Socrates: Or steals and pillages their property? would he not be doing what is right?

Euthydemus: Certainly..."

Stealing is natural to humans, and what better way to do it than through the organization that monopolizes the violence, force, and power to control other people, namely, the government. This is why government power attracts bad people. And, when people are in government, they have a temptation to use their power for their own benefit, and the benefit of people and causes they see as good. This is why government power corrupts people.

The rich seek to steal from the poor through government regulation and taxation, making it harder to start competitive businesses and creating complex laws only the rich can afford to navigate with expensive lawyers and accountants. The poor seek to steal from the rich in the same way, through taxing the rich and having the government seize their assets.

Foreigners seek to steal from natives through government expenses to non-governmental organizations and welfare programs, and natives seek to steal from foreigners in the same way.

The present generation seeks to steal from future generations through debt and inflation.

Corporations seek to steal from tax payers through subsidies and bailouts.

Voters seek to steal from corporations through taxes and government asset seizures for stimulus checks and universal basic income.

The majority seeks to steal from the minority through the tyranny of the mob and elections, and the minority seeks to steal from the majority through the paradox of tolerance and deception.

Politicians seek to steal from everyone because power and money flow through them, and they usually aren't held responsible by the law since the government is the law.

Foreign governments seek to steal from domestic governments through bribery, blackmail, and death threats, and domestic governments seek to steal from foreign governments through economic sanctions, debt, and invasions. 

If any ingroup is able to see any outgroup as an enemy or foe, then it absolves them of guilt through moral disengagement to take their foe's money and assets by deception and force. An ingroup can be a nation, or a party, or an individual. When given the temptation of the ability to do it, and the probability of not being caught or punished, almost everyone eventually attempts to sacrifice everyone else to themselves and their favorite causes.

Stealing through the government is the best way. The least risk. The biggest opportunity. Who would correct it? The government? So the answer to a corrupt government is to give the corrupt government more power to stop themselves from being corrupt? So the answer to a government stealing money is to give the government stealing money more money to stop themselves from stealing money?

This is why government agencies become captured. Rich people, corporations, other domestic government agencies, and foreign governments all see the opportunity. If you can just gain control of the government agency regulating something, then you can make the rules to benefit yourself. You can stop competitors, you can approve your own proposals, you can fake any necessary paperwork so you don't get caught. The more tax money you get, the more you can take, both legally and illegally.

This is why corporations become captured by government agencies foreign and domestic.

This is why elites in a country become captured through bribery, blackmail, and death threats to other elites inside of the country, to government agencies, to foreign powers, to anyone with the ability that wants to control government, media, finance, food, military, communications, energy, education, transportation, etc.

The more government you have, the more stealing there will be. The less government you have, the less stealing there will be. Some humans have always known this, most humans never will. The wheel turns.

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