RE: Analyzing the "Trump is Not My President" Argument
I think the founders of this country had the right idea when they attempted to strictly limit government power. However, any such attempts are bound to fail once people become too complacent. That's where we are today. The Constitution is great but a piece of paper by itself can't actually do anything. I think too few people appreciate just how brilliant Thomas Jefferson was in his time:
"The people can not be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. We have had 13. states independant 11. years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half for each state. What country ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Jefferson though there would need to be armed rebellion from time to time to ensure liberty was maintained. I like to think it doesn't take that much but at the same time, lethargy certainly is the forerunner of death to the public liberty.
I think the founders were grossly mistaken when they believed the government could be restrained. Public Choice Economics describes the incentives of the political class to consolidate power and buy support with stolen money through subterfuge.
Armed rebellion is a risky measure, because government does two things very well: Violence and propaganda. Revolutions typically result in either the installation of a new corrupt government should the old regime lose, or a massive increase in tyranny when the existing government prevails.
Instead, I advocate individual secession. Use the underground economy, cryptocurrencies, and individual education. It doesn't produce instant results, but it builds a solid foundation for something better.
I don't think armed rebellion is ideal nor desirable except in the most extreme circumstances. Having said that, I do believe it is complacency that allows government to grow and expand its powers. The power of government can be restrained but only if a significant enough portion of the population are actually willing to restrain it. The founders of this country simply provided some of the tools. Propaganda only gets you so far and given the existence of the internet and the fact that government is so mistrusted I'm not sure how effective it really is. And the government certainly does violence well but there are certain limits on that violence before it becomes counterproductive. No government will ever create a utopia and neither will the lack of government. The question is what is the best path to take to get from where we are to something better?
Individual secession, as you describe it, is useful for getting around certain aspects of government power but at the end of the day, if government has enough power, that won't help you. I don't think it is a match for otherwise out of control government expansion of power without other checks.