I thought it might be helpful if I listed some of Bob LeFevre principles of liberty. If we could all live by these simple principles, life would be a lot easier, safer, and more enjoyable. If you adopt these principles and live by them, you do not need to know much more about libertarianism.
1. Man owns himself. He may do whatever he wants with his body so long as he does not damage others.
2. Man’s most valuable property is himself. Man is never broke so long as he is alive.
3. Man has the right to freedom. He has the right to use himself and the property he acquires to sustain himself as he chooses.
4. Man does not have the right to violate the same rights of others.
5. Any form of forced denial of these rights is wrong.
6. Use of force to achieve ends is wrong, either for an individual or for groups of people.
7. Government has no money of its own. It only has what it takes from you and me.
8. Everyone likes the childish idea that government is here to help and protect us. They think the problems they have with government are just aberrations. They are only unhappy when they have contact with government agents. They fail to recognize that government is for slaves and free men govern themselves.
9. Taxation is theft unless voluntarily given.
10. Ownership implies the right and responsibility for protection. No one who owns valuables relies on the police for protection. Police provide retribution in a limited geographic area at monopolistic prices.
11. Man works in his own best interests as he perceives it. Man has the right to destroy himself and his property.
12. Man produces with incentive. Hope of gain is a stronger incentive than fear of punishment.
13. It is important to remember that your rights stop at the end of the other person’s nose and vice versa.
14. Life on this planet requires superior effort.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Free Up Some Time By Just Managing Yourself
In 1981, I was asked to write a Happy Birthday message for Bob Lefevre’s 70th Birthday. Bob’s basic message was that each individual has a full time job managing themselves. As such, individuals need to worry more about their actions than the actions of others.
You can learn more about Bob and his philosophy by visiting his Wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_LeFevre. The things Bob said are more accurate than the things that others have said about him and his philosophy.
Below is the letter I sent to Bob:
Mr. Robert LeFevre, Jr.
18036 Cross Road
Prunedale, CA 93901
Dear Mr. LeFevre:
I want to wish Bob LeFevre “Happy Birthday.”
I bought a pig in a poke when I got Bob. With just the scantiest of information, I scheduled him for a week long seminar for thirty of our key employees in 1975. We, or course, were surprised, delighted, entertained, enriched, and rewarded.
While Bob doesn’t bill himself as a business or time management consultant, he really performed that function for me. He helped simplify my life and my business. His philosophy and his wisdom brought a lot of things together for me. It became apparent to me, which I had no control. He pointed out that I had a full time job just managing myself. It was wonderful to find out that if I only managed myself, a lot of other things would fall into place.
Not that the dragon of interference into the affairs of others is easy to slay. On occasion I still find myself starting to cross other people’s boundaries. I then sit back and try to remember Bob’s premises and logic from his seminars and can generally let the folly of others pass me by.
Bob’s message has been good for me and for my business. He has given me a better framework in which to work and live. He’s saved me a lot of time and needless effort. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!
John F. Roscoe
You can learn more about Bob and his philosophy by visiting his Wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_LeFevre. The things Bob said are more accurate than the things that others have said about him and his philosophy.
Below is the letter I sent to Bob:
September 11, 1981
Mr. Robert LeFevre, Jr.
18036 Cross Road
Prunedale, CA 93901
Dear Mr. LeFevre:
I want to wish Bob LeFevre “Happy Birthday.”
I bought a pig in a poke when I got Bob. With just the scantiest of information, I scheduled him for a week long seminar for thirty of our key employees in 1975. We, or course, were surprised, delighted, entertained, enriched, and rewarded.
While Bob doesn’t bill himself as a business or time management consultant, he really performed that function for me. He helped simplify my life and my business. His philosophy and his wisdom brought a lot of things together for me. It became apparent to me, which I had no control. He pointed out that I had a full time job just managing myself. It was wonderful to find out that if I only managed myself, a lot of other things would fall into place.
Not that the dragon of interference into the affairs of others is easy to slay. On occasion I still find myself starting to cross other people’s boundaries. I then sit back and try to remember Bob’s premises and logic from his seminars and can generally let the folly of others pass me by.
Bob’s message has been good for me and for my business. He has given me a better framework in which to work and live. He’s saved me a lot of time and needless effort. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!
Very truly yours,
John F. Roscoe
Are You Willing to Pay the Price of Freedom
As with most good things, freedom has a price.
Unfortunately, it is a price higher than most anyone is willing to pay. That price is minding your own business.
This seems like a simple thing. Most of us believe in the concept of minding our own business, but putting it into practice is tough. When your neighbor does something you disagree with, you want to tell them what to do. If they still disagree, you want to force them to do things your way.
It could be as simple as not cutting their grass or having an old car in the driveway. When persuasion does not work, most of us then want to resort to the law. We try to use the force of law to get what we cannot obtain voluntarily. We want to force folks to live by our standards and our view of right and wrong. We want to define correct behavior for them.
Just as you cannot get everything done voluntarily, you cannot get everything done through the force of law. Americans use the force of law more than the citizens of any other country do. We have five times as many people in prison as Britain, nine times as many as Germany, and twelve times as many as Japan. One out of thirty two Americans are either in prison or under the supervision of the courts. While some of the offenders might be a danger to society, most have been imprisoned because they made choices that other people disagree with.
Most of us are unhappy with the actions of our Federal Government. We think they squander the money they extort from us. Many others are displeased with their State Governments. However, folks are generally happy with their local governments so long as they do not have to deal with them. They like to march to their City Council meeting after something they disagree with happens in their town. People want to use coercion to obtain what they cannot obtain through persuasion. We need to banish the phrase “there ought to be a law” from our thoughts. We need to realize most bad laws and most bad politicians start at the local level.
We should do what we can do; set a good example. We should do what we can to persuade individuals to do the right thing. We should recognize that not everything is going to come out the way we want it to come out. We should not try to limit our freedom by passing additional laws to force people to do things the way we wan t them done.
Are you willing to pay the price of freedom?
Unfortunately, it is a price higher than most anyone is willing to pay. That price is minding your own business.
This seems like a simple thing. Most of us believe in the concept of minding our own business, but putting it into practice is tough. When your neighbor does something you disagree with, you want to tell them what to do. If they still disagree, you want to force them to do things your way.
It could be as simple as not cutting their grass or having an old car in the driveway. When persuasion does not work, most of us then want to resort to the law. We try to use the force of law to get what we cannot obtain voluntarily. We want to force folks to live by our standards and our view of right and wrong. We want to define correct behavior for them.
Just as you cannot get everything done voluntarily, you cannot get everything done through the force of law. Americans use the force of law more than the citizens of any other country do. We have five times as many people in prison as Britain, nine times as many as Germany, and twelve times as many as Japan. One out of thirty two Americans are either in prison or under the supervision of the courts. While some of the offenders might be a danger to society, most have been imprisoned because they made choices that other people disagree with.
Most of us are unhappy with the actions of our Federal Government. We think they squander the money they extort from us. Many others are displeased with their State Governments. However, folks are generally happy with their local governments so long as they do not have to deal with them. They like to march to their City Council meeting after something they disagree with happens in their town. People want to use coercion to obtain what they cannot obtain through persuasion. We need to banish the phrase “there ought to be a law” from our thoughts. We need to realize most bad laws and most bad politicians start at the local level.
We should do what we can do; set a good example. We should do what we can to persuade individuals to do the right thing. We should recognize that not everything is going to come out the way we want it to come out. We should not try to limit our freedom by passing additional laws to force people to do things the way we wan t them done.
Are you willing to pay the price of freedom?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)