[Kaj]

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Can you describe such a beast?

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Play nice -- I won't call anarchy "such chaos". [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

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Can this "government" unilaterally create law?

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No. It will have very limited powers. You can argue that it's impossible to limit the growth of government in MinarchyLand, but then one can use your same reasoning to say it's impossible to control the formation of government in ACLand.

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Can it tax it's citizens against their will?

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It could tax for provided services. Depending on how you go about this, you could have some form of limited taxation.

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Can it forceably exclude competition from it's markets?

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I think it's markets would basically be to organize a common defense, contract arbitration, and helping care for those who can't care for themselves. It would not need to have a monopoly on any of these roles.

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If you answer "yes" to any of these, then it initiates force against its citizens.

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You could have an institution wherein living under this structure would be a compact between you and your fellow citizens. If you choose not to take part, you lose access to its services -- so don't expect to use community property like roads, courts, hospitals, etc. Under another construct, you could say "yeah, there's a fee for living in this state, if you don't want to pay it, you are free to leave."

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If you answered "no" to all of them then it is not a government.

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Well, if people agree on a common framework to live under, elect representatives to carry out the designated duties under this framework, and are represented by this institution in discussions with other states, it sure smells like a government, although I admit it is almost like a company. But that's just semantics anyway, the point is that you can have a single institution responsible for certain designated duties carried out by designated members. Essentially living in my state is like living under a corporate structure with a limited board of directors chosen by its members to fulfill limited responsibilities ... and you are free to choose another corporate structure if you'd prefer, just not on my state's property (within its borders).

If you really believe in ACLand, then my state could be a stepping stone to that society. Frankly, I see no way from getting from today to ACLand without a minarchist state in between, one which eventually people decide to get rid of as unnecessary. Or maybe they determine it works just fine and leave it there. Either way, it is a state which ACists and libertarians should both be moving towards. Let's keep moving towards more freedom and worry about when we stop progressing once we're a lot farther along than we are today.