I was going through some old files today when I found some notes from 2016 that eventually became this post during my early days on Steemit Hive 1.0. I know the idea of statelessness is contrary to what we have all been taught to believe about the virtues of democracy, but my views have not changed over the past four years. If you are a Christian, remember that while you are in this world, you are not of it. Our kingdom is not here, and the vanity of men is not where our energy should be spent.
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Many people reject the current President, and insist that he does not represent them. However, if you still believe there is some fundamental legitimacy to the office, it is the presumed authority of the office that justifies the wrongdoings of the president you oppose.
What I find even more perplexing is the willingness of both parties to justify or even celebrate the expansion of power under the party they support. Every department that grew under Clinton was retained by Bush. Every expansion of power under Bush was built upon by Obama. Every authority Obama claimed has been abused by Trump. If Trump is voted out this November, the excesses the Republicans have celebrated for the past four years will immediately be condemned once Biden seizes power.
Some say the Democrats better represent Christian virtues of charity. Others insist the Republicans better represent the virtues of Christian religious freedom in general. Any critical examination of both can only conclude that politicians worship power and wealth, and no veneer of righteousness can withstand scrutiny. of course, there are third party alternatives running this year, as always, but we still face the problem of participation in a system built on a foundation of lies.
For a secular rebuttal to electoral legitimacy, look no further than Lysander Spooner's Letter to Grover Cleveland, from 1886. It deconstructs all the presumptions built into voting, representation, and political authority. We cannot grant to some stranger a power we do not possess ourselves. To claim authority to tax our neighbor, impose rules upon the use of his own property, demand he beg permission to travel or trade, or any of the other things governments routinely do would be bare usurpation.
Society exists in spite of the State, not because of it. Politics is a death cult religion. If you disagree, feel free to comment below. If you are not yet on Hive, you can join through my referral link on PeakD here.
