Principles of Freedom in Dealing with Government
“The first principle in dealing with government, then, is: Don’t be awed by it. What little the government achieves is almost always due to the voluntary participation of its citizens. Those who don’t want to help the government can go their own ways without running into much trouble.
The second principle is: Don’t confront the government. A sure way to make your life miserable is to attack the government head on. Its resources are limited, and it can’t waste them tracking down every possible violator of every law. But it will certainly aim its power at anyone who publicly defies it. So keep to yourself, do what you have to do.
The third rule in dealing with government is: Don’t organize. Don’t get a large group of people together to defy tax laws, promote ways of circumventing the government, or openly violate regulations. By joining protests, you might wind up in jail. And you won’t have much freedom there. And mass campaigns are easy targets. That’s where the government is likely to devote its limited resources. When many people are doing the same thing, it’s easy to stop them by passing laws or by applying existing laws against them. When you act alone, however, you’re usually not worth the trouble.
And when you act alone, you can flexibly do whatever is necessary to stay ahead of the government. If new laws are passed, you can change your methods to continue doing what you want to do. No cumbersome, bureaucratic government can move as fast as an individual who’s determined to stay ahead of it.”
- How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (Harry Browne)
