When the Voluntary Isn’t

On March 25, the Austin Police Department (APD) issued a statement that declared that Austin’s “Stay Home, Work Smart” order “is NOT a mandatory lock down.” By implication, that which is not mandatory is voluntary. Indeed, the statement goes on to say that APD’s goal is to gain voluntary compliance. However, APD then declares, “if necessary, officers may issue warnings and as a last resort, citations.”

In other words, if you don’t “voluntarily” comply, you will be forced to do so. When individuals are forced to act contrary to their own judgment, their actions are not voluntary.

It’s bad enough that government officials have put most of the nation under a lock down. But now they (and the media) are beginning to use deception to mislead the public. That deception is fueled by altruism, which holds that we exist to serve others.

We keep being told that each of us must do our part to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Each of us must sacrifice our values–our jobs and our businesses–for the alleged benefit of others. Each of us must sacrifice our freedom–freedom of travel, of association, of production and trade–for the alleged benefit of others. We must sacrifice our own judgment and happiness in obedient servitude to government officials.

All of us are being forced to sacrifice our values, and the only “choice” we have is whether to do so “voluntarily” or not.