What is a legitimate government?

True Governments
Legitimate governments do NOT commit crimes.
Two traits distinguish a legitimate government from a counterfeit one.

This means we do not currently have a legitimate government. Our current so-called government initiates force in nearly everything it does, and is therefore illegitimate. To promote empathy, Zero Aggression, and legitimate government, take the following actions…

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Jim Babka

About the Author

Jim Babka

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Jim Babka is co-founder of the Zero Aggression Project and President of DownsizeDC.org, Inc. He’s an author and former talk show host.
Previously, he was the President of RealCampaignReform.org, Inc., defending free press rights all the way to the Supreme Court. He and Susie are the proud, home-schooling parents of three teenagers. He enjoys theology, UFC, target practice, and Tai Chi.

Perry Willis

About the Author

Perry Willis

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Perry Willis is the co-founder of the Zero Aggression Project and Downsize DC. He was the National Director of the Libertarian National Committee on two occasions, and ran two Libertarian Party presidential campaigns. He has an extensive background in marketing and fundraising, and has ghost written direct mail appeals for numerous luminaries, including Karl Hess, Ron Paul, Charlton Heston and Harry Browne.

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  1. First, I love the work you folks are doing! Making these concepts available in bite size chunks is a great idea.
    I was wondering where taxation comes into the picture to pay for the legitimate government you describe. Clearly the imposition of taxes is taking money by force. So how would this government be funded? My apologies If you’ve covered this topic elsewhere.
    Ted

    1. Hi Ted. Thanks for the kind words. We cover your question in a general way in our Mental Levers collection Elements of a Voluntary Society. We plan to add a collection in the near future called “The Machinery of a Voluntary Society.” It will go into program-by-program detail about the mechanisms and virtues of voluntary funding.
      Perhaps the most important Lever in the “Elements” collection is this one — “Is taxation practical?”
      Thanks for your interest in our work.

  2. With this definition of a “legitimate government” one could argue that there is literally NO legitimate government to be found anywhere on the planet.

    How then, is this article helpful? How does it help create change that benefits the liberty of anyone?

    If it’s all a mental exercise, and not something pragmatic, then I fail to see the value added here.

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