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Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
I'm suggesting that where is the freedom to opt out. The basis for all of this country is the freedom to be in or out of the system as one sees fit for themselves.
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I think that is a mistaken assumption. You don't have the option to opt out of paying for a military that you don't see as serving you. You don't have the option to opt out of paying for police or fire protection even if you are never victimized by crime or fire. You don't have the option to opt out of paying for the infrastructure just because you don't see benefit from it. I could continue the list to cover a good number of other things.
I agree that we ought to hold liberty in high regard. But I just think that you are very mistaken if you think that the freedom to avoid paying for anything you don't think you are getting requisite benefit from is a foundation of this country. If so, we wouldn't have a federal government in the first place. There were founders of this country that argued for such to be the case, and there continue to be Americans that hold that opinion today, but they weren't then and aren't now the foundation or basis of the country.