Anarchy on Welfare

I know someone who happens to be a self-proclaimed anarchist. I'm going to call this person "SPA" (self-proclaimed anarchist) to protect hu(man)'s identity (and my well-being).

The Merriam-Webster defines anarchy as "1 a: absence of government b: a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority c: a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government 2 a: absence or denial of any authority or established order b: absence of order."

SPA goes to protests, doesn't vote, believes that there are enough people in the U.S. to revolt against the government (and win), and thinks that the U.S. government is a sham that should be overturned.
The protests I am okay with (against the Iraq war; against W.; etc.), although SPA thinks that China has a better government because they are communist. I do not know if SPA realizes protesting against the government in China gets you killed or imprisoned.

The belief that voting is just "giving into the system" and therefore boycotting SPA's voting rights to "fuck the system" is just silly. Voting is the only way we are able to manipulate "the system" since our votes decide laws, law-makers, authority, etc. "Fucking the system" by not voting is just downright silly.

There are not enough anarchists in the U.S. to stage a successful revolt against the government that would eliminate all government authority, as SPA believes there is. I asked SPA how many people that SPA thinks are proclaimed anarchists in the U.S. today. SPA told me around 750,000. I said, "Okay, let's double that to 1.5 mil just to be fair. If all of the 1.5 mil anarchists in the U.S. get 5 people to also join in this revolt, we now have 9 million people rising up against the U.S. government." I started to explain how that is only 3 % of the population (out of 306,613,878 as of 2008 according the the US Census Bureau). A majority of Americans are not going to risk losing their homes, freedoms, cars, boats, jobs, or whatever to join in with 9 million people to revolt against the government.

I have no qualms with SPA's opinion of the U.S. government. Everyone has a right to their opinions. And, at the time of this conversation, W. was still in office so I agreed.

Anyway, none of that is really the point. Just some background info on my anarchist friend.

Someone has recently informed me that SPA has been on welfare, WIC, and receives food stamps from our government for over a year. In addition to the Pell Grants for school, of course.

I have no problems with receiving assistance from the government, in any form. I give, I get back, people with more need than I receive assistance because I payed my taxes...it all works out. I think Pell Grants, welfare, WIC, food stamps, and the like are all wonderful programs. I'm glad to hear that this is working out for someone I know.

Of course, SPA would never admit they receive government assistance. I wonder if SPA knows that if an anarchist revolt were to succeed in overthrowing our government, the government assistance that SPA receives would no longer exist.

I just thought some of you might join me in enjoying this wonderful example of irony.