How would YOU counter these questions or arguments...

Question

I've come across of a lot of these arguments before and while some are harder to counter, some are quite easy. I'd just like to see how people respond to some of these questions.. hopefully I'll learn some stuff here and be able to form more arguments of my own. These tend to be the arguments of strong patriots or capitalists that I've come across recently:


1) Laws protect us and without them, society would indulge in chaos.

2) Capitalism offers more jobs and gives 'everyone' the chance to start a business of their own and profit off it. Besides, it's voluntary. How is that slavery?

3) Why have such a radical opinion when none of these things are possible? Why not work to change laws and politicians?

4) We need government to create and maintain roads, hospitals, fire departments, medicine, etc.



Those are a few off the top of my head. Most of those can be argued against, very easily. Some, such as the capitalism, I still have trouble getting around and not having studied anything about economic systems, I can't come up with more than your basic 'anti-capitalist' arguments. So, anyways, I'd just like to see how fellow Anarchists respond to some of the questions.

Comments

1) Laws protect us and without them, society would indulge in chaos.

If laws protected us then there wouldn't be chaos now.

2) Capitalism offers more jobs and gives 'everyone' the chance to start a business of their own and profit off it. Besides, it's voluntary. How is that slavery?

Because if your worth is denoted by the amount of capital you have and it's enforced by the government, then it's not voluntary at all. There are few if any autonomous spaces where people can engage without oversight from the government or the economic system. Jobs, are very rarely held in high esteem, and the only time they are held in high esteem is when jobs growth numbers dictate how well a person in authority is doing. Jobs keep people away from their families, place physical strain on bodies and are often what people don't want to be doing. With the exception of workaholics, people tend to value free time over jobs, but feel begrudged to work so that they can provide a "comfortable way of life."

3) Why have such a radical opinion when none of these things are possible? Why not work to change laws and politicians?

Some of these things, if not all, are possible on a basic level. They might not be possible on a national/global level. Also, politicians, if they are good politicians, have to yield to the states/economic desires. Laws themselves are designed to protect the state/social desires. Even if we changed a law, it would still have to be enforced.  Enforcement is troubling because it's coercive.


4) We need government to create and maintain roads, hospitals, fire departments, medicine, etc.

Roads: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecourtyard/2630507892/
A lot of roads aren't maintained by the government

Hospitals: In the age of privatization,  many hospitals aren't owned by the government, and prior to capitalism, hospitals were frequently run by churches.

Fire Department: In the town I grew up in, we had a volunteer fire department.

as for Medicine: I know some anarchists oppose the concept of educational institutions, but not all of them do. There would probably continue to be research institutions. Also, a lot of people can't afford the cost of medicine as it is, if capital and government were eliminated, then the value of medicine would change.

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Awesome! Especially arguing the capitalist question.

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Veransi - shouldn't this be an answer, rather than a comment?

Answer 1

1) Laws protect us and without them, society would indulge in chaos.

Youu could ask them how well that is working with hgh percetage of repeated offenders and overcrowded prisons not to mention the amount of taxes we pay for their facilaties and needs.  Would they call the results of our law system effective.  
 
2) Capitalism offers more jobs and gives 'everyone' the chance to start a business of their own and profit off it. Besides, it's voluntary. How is that slavery?

Most new business go under before a year and leave the owner in financial debt.  Big business is able to dominate area businesses, and also can influence national policies.   Most businesses pay around minimum wage and keep their personal at part time to control thepr hoours and deny better benefits.  The option to that is management where business then can make you work any works for as long as needed.  
 
3) Why have such a radical opinion when none of these things are possible? Why not work to change laws and politicians?

The government is a beaucracy, that is slow and ineffecient as well as its political agendas focused more on the party's position than the needs of the people.  The design of the govenment would not change even if you change the people who run it or the laws they decide for the people.

4) We need government to create and maintain roads, hospitals, fire departments, medicine, etc.

Taxes pay for these service. So people support the police and fire departments; and when the govenment needs to cut spending the police and fire departments are the first affected along with our children's education.  So there could be a question of their values and concern for the well being of the population.

Medicine is now big business and mostly treat symptum rather than to focus on measure to help people accheive healthier lives.