I Used to be a Constitutionalist

I Used to be a Constitutionalist, Before I Knew Better
by Bevin Chu
Taipei, China
December 30, 2015

I used to be a constitutionalist. I used to believe in “limited government”, in the “night watchman state”.

But eventually I started thinking about the concept of government “authority” and “legitimacy” without preconceptions, and began to realize that all governments, including those based on constitutions, are plain and simple scams.

Think about it.

A bunch of strangers you don’t know from Adam hold a meeting. They call their meeting a “constitutional convention”. They make up a bunch of rules, jot them down on a piece of paper, and call the paper a “constitution”.

Then, and here’s the kicker, they come to your front door and claim that the “constitution” they “drafted” up without consulting you, mean that you must obey their rules, which they call “laws”, and pay them money, which they call “taxes”.

Or else.

Or else they will come back with guns drawn, kidnap you and lock you in a cage, or if you resist their aggression with armed force, murder you in a hail of gunfire.

My question is: “By what right???”

Why couldn’t I do the exact same thing they did, knock on their front door, and demand their obedience and money?

This, when you clear away all the mental baggage about “convening constitutional conventions”, “drafting constitutions”, and “ratifying constitutions”, is the plain and simple, and ugly truth.

Constitutions are meaningless.

I’m Allowed to Rob You!

Want to see a piece of paper that gives me the RIGHT to rob you? You don’t believe there is such a thing? Are you SURE you don’t believe it?