After LewRockwell.com‘s publication of my article “Why Do Some Libertarians Support Social Security?” I received emails from older libertarians criticizing me for calling for the immediate repeal of this socialist program. Their critiques can be summarized in the following three ways:
- “For the last several decades, I put into the system and, therefore, I have the right to get my money back.”
- “For the past several decades, the state took massive amounts of my income, which has left me with little savings. Therefore, since the state has left me in a position of needing the money, I have the right to Social Security.”
- For the past several decades, in return for my payment of taxes, the state promised me that I would receive Social Security payments in my senior years. The state should be required to comply with its promise.
Libertarianism is a radical philosophy, one whose principles are internally consistent. Libertarianism cannot be modified or altered to suit changing circumstances or changing needs of people in society.
The Kennedy Autopsy
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The core principle of libertarianism is the non-aggression principle. It holds that it is morally wrong and illegitimate to initiate force against another person. It holds that a person has the right to live his life any way he wants, so long as his conduct is peaceful and non-fraudulent.
Social Security involves the forcible taking of money from a person to whom it belongs and giving it to a person to whom it does not belong. That constitutes a grave violation of libertarian principles. Under libertarianism, every person has the right to keep everything he earns and decide for himself what to do…