Does Prohibition Ever Work

[anarchir]

This is a copy of a post (without permission yet) from a silver discussion forum.

Does Prohibition Ever Work?

    Can the prohibition of Gold and Silver money last?

    I have a theory that prohibition of anything is always doomed to fail from its inception because it contravenes (the divine law of) free will. That is, free will is the very basis of conscious existence and any attempt to systematically over-rule that through force and coercion will ultimately fail. That’s not to say that efforts can not be made, but that ultimately such efforts are unsustainable. Indeed, if fiat laws are for the good of the people, then policing of such laws should not be required as self interest should ensure appropriate action is taken and that where inappropriate action is taken, it is more likely an expression of ignorance rather than "criminality".

    Ignorance can be overcome through an individual’s desire for self-improvement and offensive action is overcome through the respect for others and their property.

    A respect of others and a motivation for self-improvement, on an individual basis, is all that is required for a civil society, for which no laws can enforce. Indeed, laws of prohibition are only enforceable against honest people who are inclined to the virtues of self-improvement and respect, as dishonest people with without respect for others will ignore or subvert such laws anyway.

    Prohibitive laws against drugs, alcohol or weapons all simply benefit the less scrupulous who would distribute drugs, alcohol and weapons against the best interests of the people anyway, and benefit from the larger profit margins prohibition ensures.

    Similarly, prohibiting the use of precious metals as a means of extinguishing debt by fiat is coercive and benefits not the people or their society, but those who profit from the creation and distribution of an illicit and irredeemable currency. Hence, just as the prohibition of drugs, alcohol and weapons have failed because they contradict the free will of the individual, so too will prohibition of gold and silver as money fail.

    "You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi