Who Owns Who?

I was just thinking about immigration and border control – the endless debate over whether a government should have the right to control who crosses its borders. And it occurred to me that the fundamental difference between an Anarchist approach and an Authoritarian one comes down to a fundamental divide over the relationship between people and government, and more specifically a divide that can be framed as a question of ownership.

If Government (and I use the word Government instead of the word State deliberately in order to include non-statist forms of governance) own the people, then it is completely proper for Government to dictate who can do what, where, when, and how. Further, all forms of authoritarianism, from a mild liberal “democracy” to the most authoritarian fascism, are all legitimate because in essence they’re only different methods for the Government to manage its property.

If, on the other hand, “We the People” own the government then border controls and all other forms of coercive control that typify the modern State are illegal and illegitimate.

It’s really that simple.

Thoughts?

Posted: March 6th, 2009 under culture war, political theory, politrix.
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