Government should be abolished

My opponent has agreed to debate this issue in terms of the real world. Let us look a few real world examples of situations in which private groups exercised defense powers: 1) Somalia – Somalia leads the list as an anti-anarchist's dream. Until the situation in Somalia, most of this debate would have been relegated to the realm of conjecture, but the 15 year absence of government has provided an excellent case study. A BBC reporter observed the conditions on the ground in 2004: "Somalia is the only country in the world where there is no government. Seventeenth century philosopher Thomas Hobbes wrote that "life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short", if there is no central authority. Few Somalis have probably heard of Hobbes but most would agree with his description - except for "solitary", as family and clan ties remain extremely strong . Driving 50km (30 miles) from one of the airstrips near the capital, Mogadishu, to the city, you pass seven checkpoints, each run by a different militia. At each of these "border crossings" all passenger vehicles and goods lorries must pay an "entry fee", ranging from $3 - $300, depending on the value of the goods being carried - and what the militiamen think they can get away with. There is no pretence that any of this money goes on public services, such as health, education or roads. It is now estimated that only about 15% of children of primary-school age actually go to school, compared with at least 75% even in Somalia's poor neighbors. Some schools, universities and hospitals continue to operate but they are mostly privately run and charge fees. The many thousands of people like Mrs Ladan are unable to pay the $3 it costs to see a doctor and so people die of diseases which could be easily prevented or cured. Somalia is a pure free market…But is a pure free market a good thing? Speaking from a theoretical point of view, some economists might say so, but in the very harsh reality of Mogadishu, it means guns and other military hardware are freely available in a market not far from the city centre. Similarly, the printing of passports has been privatised. For just $80 and in less than 24 hours, I became a Somali citizen, born in Mogadishu. For a slightly higher fee, I was offered a diplomatic passport, with my choice of posting or ministerial job. "I just want a government, any government will do," one man told me. We all seem to enjoy criticising our governments but life in Somalia shows the alternative is far worse, as Hobbes wrote 350 years ago (1)." 2) Los Angeles – "With a reported 720 active gangs and 39,488 gang members, Los Angeles retains the dubious honor of being the gang capital of the world (2)." Time Magazine reports: "Los Angeles is in terrible shape — again. The city's street gangs, which had been relatively quiet since the crack-cocaine epidemic of the late '80s and early '90s burned itself out, are back with a vengeance. After falling steadily from 1996 to '99, gang murders in the city increased 143% last year; 331 people died because of gang violence, in contrast to 136 in 1999 (3)." Gangs are of interest because they arise in situations in which government has failed to provide adequate protection for their citizens. "In American cities in the 1920's, neighborhood gangs often arose. Since the neighborhoods were often ethnic, the gangs tended to be dominated by Italians, Irish, Germans, or whatever group was dominant in the district. The leaders of these gangs claimed jurisdiction over their neighborhood - "territory" or "turf" - and collected taxes in the form of "protection money" for the services they performed (4)." The important thing is that gangs begin to act like alternative governments, thereby giving us another glimpse at real world anarchy. When laws and law enforcement are allowed to be competitive (such as the opposing laws of police and organized crime) the result is a turn to violence in defense of our "turf," or geographical area. My opponent argues that "They do not qualify as governments because PDAs are not monopolies, nor are they geographically based, and HOAs do not initiate force." HOA's are, by definition, geographically based. PDA's are not monopolies, but carefully note that my opponent's definition for government does not require a monopoly on the use of force, only a monopoly on" the legal initiation of force." This is important, because a dominant gang or warlord make the same effort to suppress and delegitimize their opponent's use of force within their jurisdiction just like any other government. Gang wars occur when one gang fails to respect the boundaries or laws of another gang. If PDA's are to be effective, they cannot permit another legitimate force initiator in their region, meaning that these function exactly like a private government. Private government is not a new idea – it is feudalism. This is not an abolition of government by my definition, which my opponent accepted, nor by his own. I believe that I have fully refuted my opponent's arguments. As to his specific claims that government is unethical or inefficient, these fail because the definition of government is not limited to a specific government. It is impossible to say that all government is bad while you continue to advocate a modified form of government. My opponent can only make these claims if he waives all claim to any governance of peoples. Otherwise, these same objections apply to his alternative governmental forms. My opponent claims that the social contract is not the same thing as a written contract governing a society. I would point out to him that the Magna Carta, the US constitution, and countless other charters and constitutions are precisely that – contracts for a society – social contracts. These contracts are signed and considered legally binding. I fail to understand his distinction between the two. In short, the Pro has not affirmed the resolution, while the Con has provided a solid case negating it. Vote con. Con reserves the right to address the questions to the Pro in the next round. (1) http://news.bbc.co.uk... (2) http://www.justicepolicy.org... (3) http://www.time.com... (4) http://www.vlib.us...