I have written up a template for a real contract between the state and the citizen. Enjoy!
Social Contract
among
[ ________________ ]
(The Citizen)
and
[ ________________ ]
(The State)
Section 1 - Definition of Certain Terms Used Herein
As used herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
Excessive force shall mean any amount of aggressive violence, including any of the following: kidnapping, jailtime, or murder.
Taxation shall mean a legitimate claim to any amount of moneys from the citizen. The state is entitled to collect the moneys it claims by EXCESSIVE FORCE if necessary. The amount of moneys collected will be arbitrated by the state. See SECTION 2 for more detail.
Law shall mean any action taken by a citizen that offends the state. The state writes these offenses into a LAW. These offenses are enforcible by EXCESSIVE FORCE.
State-Sponsored Monopoly shall mean a business made up of citizens that has paid enough tithe to the state to be granted special privileges. The state may grant some of it's powers to this business, such as the ability to write offenses into LAWS.
The above definitions are used when a term is in ALL CAPS.
Section 2 - Taxation
The citizen accepts that the state is morally permitted to claim any amount of moneys from the citizen and collect them using EXCESSIVE FORCE. The state recognizes that this is highly contentious, so it will arbitrate and rule on any disputes.
Section 3 - Self-Ownership
The citizen relinquishes self-ownership of themselves to the state. The state may decide what the citizen does with his body, labour, and actions. This is enforcable by EXCESSIVE FORCE.
Section 4 - Constitution
The state will provide it's attached constitution as a guarantee that it will not grow too big. There is no penalty for the state if it does not follow it's constitution.
Section 5 - War
If the state feels threatened by another state, the citizen may be drafted into an army and forced to murder people from a different state. If the citizen refuses, the state may use EXCESSIVE FORCE. The war's duration is determined by the state. The individual shall not be morally culpible for the actions they take in an army.
Section 6 - Voting
A citizen can change the figurehead of the state by voting for 1 candidate to represent the entirety of a citizen's views on all matters. A vote is worth the same as any other citizen's vote. A citizen may become a candidate for statehood as long as they pay the right fees and know the right people. Voting rights can be revoked by a state if the citizen has broken a serious enough LAW.
Section 7 - Monopolies
If the state claims a monopoly on any service (healthcare, defense, roads, etc), the Citizen shall pay whatever TAX the state deems fair. Not using a service does not exclude the citizen from being TAXED to pay for it. The state may decide that the TAX required for a service is too high for the citizen to pay, in this case, the citizen's children will pay for it by taking out a loan and defering the full cost of a service to a future citizen.
The citizen may not compete with a state monopoly, however they are free to compete with a STATE-SPONSORED MONOPOLY.
Section 8 - Children
The state shall have the same privileges granted by this contract over any citizen's children. These children are citizens, they inherit their parent's agreement to this contract.
Section 9 - Restitution
If the state decides that the citizen has offended it, by violating a LAW, the citizen must pay restitution to the state. The amount of restitution shall be determined by the state at the time of being offended. Disputes with the state shall be arbitrated by the state.
Section 10 - Services Rendered
The state may provide services at any quality it wants to the citizen. The citizen is free to choose whether or not to use the service. The citizen is not free to choose whether or not to pay for the service.
Section 11 - Relocation
A citizen may leave the geographical area the state claims as long as the following are satisfied:
- The state has not yet become totalitarian. It reserves the right to do this at any time, even if the constitution says it won't.
- The state allows the citizen to leave.
- The citizen will pay all costs in full (departure, passports, moving costs, etc)
Section 12 - Reparations
There will be no reparations paid to the citizen if the state breaches any part of this contract.
Section 13 - Equality
The state shall do it's best to ensure that all citizens who sign this contract shall be ruled equally and fairly. There is no penalty for the state not adhering to this. The state determines the definition of "equality" and "fairness".
Section 14 - Tyranny
If the state becomes tyrannical, the onus is on the citizen to dismantle the state and rebuild the state so that it may grow to be tyrannical again.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year written above.
State:__________
Witness:___________
Citizen:[Full name]______________