“Conservatives propose to oppose the growth of the state by supporting politicians. And what do politicians do? They support the growth of the state. Conservatives would have you believe that you can dehydrate a plant by watering it, or get rid of rats by feeding them.”

—  Roy A. Childs, Jr.

“Autarchy and the Statist Abyss,” 1968

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Roy A. Childs, Jr. photo
Roy A. Childs, Jr. 18
American libertarian essayist and critic 1949–1992

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“And more: by rushing into politics, what principles are the conservatives abandoning, and which are they accepting? Voting and political action itself implies a sanctioning of the state, and hence of its basis — the rule of man by man. The conservatives would fight the principle by adopting it. They oppose the state — by sanctioning the entire governing process. What will be the result? The growth of the state.”

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