ut if a legally mandated police force funded by extorted tax money is a
lesser imposition on liberty than the expected imposition by increased
crime from the lack of such a police force, then it is consistent with
the valuation of personal liberty.
No, actually....for a reason brought into the light by scriver's post
here.
It's very rare when having these discussions to get down to the basic beliefs from which our world views come. And I think in this case we might might able to do that, if you'll bear with me for a moment.
let's consider the following thought experiment: let's imagine that someone kidnapped you and nine other people, tied you all up...then put a knife in your hand and told you that if you didn't stab one person to death, he would shoot the other eight.
Personally, I would not.
This decision might result in more "net" free will being violated. However, the violation would be performed by somebody who wasn't me. I am not responsible for the choices of others. I am responsible for my choices.
Wrong. He has already made his choice, and made that choice clear to you. It is your choice that can save the others. Inaction makes you equally responsible for their deaths as action would have made you for the one person's. You can't cherry pick the consequences of what you do or do not do.
We have two different belief systems here. I assert that no possible action taken by a third party can obligate me to action, nor create "karma" if you will, for me. To me, in the above scenario, I am not responsible for the death of those 8 people. The person who killed them is. However, apparently scriver would perceive me as "equally responsible" for their deaths, not for killing them, but simply for
failing to stop it.
I value individual liberty, and also having a police force
See, that's the thing. If you value having a police force, and so you fund a police force, I have no problem with that. However, if you value having a police force, and so you steal money from me to fund one...that's when it becomes a problem.
is a lesser imposition on liberty than the
expected imposition by increased crime
I'm not valuating that way. It seems unreasonable to me to steal money from everyone to try solve a problem. Magnified greatly by the repeatedly mentioned fact that it doesn't actually solve the problem, and tends to create more.
If I choose to not steal money to fund police to try to combat crime, I perceive no fault in that. Scriver, apparently...does. Whereas if I do steal money to fund police to try to combat crime, I perceive fault in that. You, I suspect, perceive it as "lesser of two evils." And in fact it might be. But I don't think "the lesser of two evils" is the most ideal basis for a society.
If you really believe that individuals are responsible for the actions of others that they fail to prevent, then who to rob and who to kill order to minimize the net total of robbery and death becomes simple math. With that worldview it makes sense to impose on people, extort taxes and imprison dissenters. But if you don't believe that...if you believe that individuals are responsible for their own choices and noone else's...then those sort of choices don't make sense.