Chris Polk is a Christ follower, podcast host, father, husband and entrepreneur. He owns a trucking company in West Virginia called Blue Ribbon Logistics. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and his podcast. Jacob Daniel is a Christian and friend of the show. He is an Austrian Economist and member of the Mises Caucus. He can be found online on Facebook, YouTube, his podcast, and website.
We discuss answers to the questions: What are rights? Where do they come from? Who has rights? Are there rights being claimed that we do not truly have? Is it really a right if we have to violate someone else’s rights to get it? Who is taking our rights away? How do we overcome tyranny and reclaim our rights?
Timestamps & Starting points:
1:10 Chris’s journey from staunch republican to anarchist
2008 financial crisis
1999 NYT article predicting it based on Clinton’s policies
Realized it was caused by the government
Everyone changed what they valued under Obama
No one in government actually has values; they just pretend to get ahead
Heard Ron Paul & Tom Woods interviews
Made choice not to worship founding fathers & Constitution
Went to his friend’s church where they preached about Jesus & anarchism
Today, refusing to be swayed by fear and shame
4:55 Dave Ramsey
Craig’s journey to financial security
“Dave Ramsey is the gateway drug to liberty.”
He causes people to ask questions and think for themselves
Too bad he’s still a statist
7:41 Jacob’s progression to anarchism
2016 Bernie supporter
Voted for Hilary under vegan peer pressure
Ben Shapiro-esque
Libertarian anarchy
10:01 Shameful old Facebook posts
“If I saw some of the things I said back then now on someone else’s wall, I would be on them in a heartbeat – like a cheetah in the wild.” -Jacob
Craig actually started writing a spicy comment on one of his own memory posts
12:06 Larkin Rose quote
“The truth is, one who seeks to achieve freedom by petitioning those in power to give it to him has already failed. Regardless of the response, to beg for the blessing of authority is to accept that the choice is the master’s alone to make, which means that the person already, by definition, is a slave.”
12:29 What are Rights?
Chris:
“Something that cannot be taken away from me without there being some sort of harm… simply being able to engage in those rights does not bring harm to anyone else.”
Jacob:
“Something you’re entitled to.”
Positive Rights:
Something society “owes” you
Cause you to use force against someone to get them
Negative Rights:
Needs we have that can be met without aggressing against someone else
20:35 The right to free healthcare
“How’s the worker gonna get paid if you want every damn thing for free?” -Chris
The person paying the bill has the authority
Why would we want to give the government power over our medical care?
People will fight for women to have the choice of abortion without government regulation, but forget to apply that right to other health concerns
Doctors are no longer trained to treat whole humans; they’re just parts changers
They must follow the authority’s guidance, even when it makes no sense
If they don’t, they’ll be cancelled
But those in authority are not even healthcare professionals
They just have money
Why are big corporations and big tobacco bad, but big pharma is ok?
Citizens of Canada come to US for emergency treatment because getting it there takes too long
But we still don’t exactly have a free market
Only big pharma is benefitting
There’s a lot of red tape
Regulations keep needs from being met
30:52 Environmental emissions regulation example
LA outlawed most trucks being used
Big companies bought compliant trucks and leased to smaller companies
How else could freight be moved?
And then the Marxists swooped in and said the corporations were evil for their high lease rates
Demanded unionization of truckers
But it wasn’t the corporations’ fault
It was the government’s
The laws were not really created to save the environment or lower illness
They were to help politicians get elected by making them look friendly to unions
“The more power we give to the state to try to give us these things that we want, that we think we are entitled to, we're giving the state more and more license and power to go and do things that nobody wants to talk about.” - Jacob
40:16 Where do our tights come from?
Most Americans, regardless of their religion, believe it’s from the state
“Every man, woman and child on this planet has the same, uh, individual natural rights that you do.” - Chris
When people think their rights come from the Constitution, the idea that humans from outside the States have rights is shocking
Non-Aggression Principle
Found in 10 Commandments & Jesus’ 2nd greatest
Love other people
Imago Dei
If people are made in the image of God, then aggressing against them is like aggressing against Him
You’re not loving God when you don’t love people
46:51 How to stop tyranny
People are so quick to follow the rules
“These are not rules. These are the actions of tyrants.” -Craig
“I am not waiting for the state in any way to do anything for me. My customers are my heroes. My customers are my thin blue line-- my customers and my associates and our drivers. And that's where my prosperity comes from.” -Chris
“There is no state solution. There is no political solution left for this. The only solution is for you to stand up.” - Chris
“Take me to jail if you have to. But y'all only got so much jail capacity, so you can't get us all.” -Chris
You don’t need everyone’s approval
You only need enough people to keep you in business
If everyone opposes the bully, he has no power
We outnumber the government by so many
If we all say no and just keep doing what we want, what can they even do?
“The Bible doesn’t say, ‘Go get the state to love your neighbor.’” -Jacob
55:25 “The revolution will not be televised”
The people standing up against the government are not in the news
Idiocracy -- made in 2006
58:40 Closing thoughts
You cannot serve two masters… We all know who offered [Jesus] the kingdoms of the world. Satan did. So, you’re going to serve the kingdoms of the world. Are you going to serve the Kingdom of God? -Jacob
If we want to actually help people, stop sitting around waiting for the state to do it; go do it yourself. -Jacob
The state isn’t going to take those resources and do what you want them to do with them. They’re going to squander them. They’re going to take that power you gave them and hurt people. -Jacob