Voluntary Participation Makes Good Coffee Tuesday Possible

I have opinions about the whole Kavanaugh circus, but I don’t have the energy to write about it today. Instead, I’ll highlight a perfect example of Liberty and Voluntaryism.

My employer provides coffee for us. It’s not particularly good coffee. In fact, it’s downright nasty. I have never heard one person make a comment that the coffee is good. Most that drink it basically say they tolerate it because it’s provided at no cost to them (it obviously isn’t free because my company pays the vendor to provide it. More on that point in a bit.)

I started to bring my own coffee beans and brew a pot in a Chemex every morning. Most of my coworkers on the floor have seen me brewing my own coffee. I get a lot of curious looks. Some people ask me about it. Others comment that it smells amazing. I tell them I just like good coffee.

Something wonderful happened a few months ago. Someone, or a group of people, decided to bring in better coffee to share with the team once a week. They started calling it “Good Coffee Tuesdays”. There’s a cup on the side for donations if the drinker feels inclined to contribute, but there’s no one enforcing sales.
Because it’s voluntary.

If you like the idea that someone started, then you contribute.

If you don’t like the beans this week or if you don’t drink coffee or if you’d rather drink the bad coffee, that’s all fair game.

The beauty of voluntary participation is that there are no expectations or limitations. No one is entitled to better coffee. If no one drinks it or contributes to the fund or even steals the bag, Good Coffee Tuesdays will probably stop. But it’s also not limited to Tuesdays. Anyone can start Good Coffee Wednesdays or Sweet Tea Fridays.

Now, some statists out there will say something like –

Those that are wise understand that if my company pays for bad coffee, that’s less money available for other benefits like bonuses, healthcare subsidies, parking, etc. “Free” coffee comes at a cost, diverting money away from other needs. And this is always the case with Socialism, nay, the world. (go and study the Scarcity Principle.)

This reminds me of something I saw the other day. As you might recall, I go to the local Farmers Market on the weekend sometimes with my wife. Glorious free market capitalism. I noticed a curious Honda with 2 particular bumper stickers.

One reads: FeelTheBern, supporting the socialist tyrant Bernie Sanders. The other reads: Every time you spend money you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.

Ever see something so completely contradictory that you have to believe that there’s either multiple personalities or really good drugs involved? Socialism, by definition, removes all opportunity to choose or Vote with your money. Your choices are made for you. Only in a free market are you actually given the opportunity to shape the world with your money votes. By spending money on better coffee, you are casting a vote for more Good Coffee Tuesdays.

Applying the analogy of Good Coffee Tuesday to the tyranny of government, imagine if another floor decided that they would not allow it to continue, making it illegal for any floor to have any coffee other than the company’s authorized brand, including going out to Starbucks for a cup. Or picture if an office in another state had determined their local brand was the best coffee in the world and that everyone in the company had to subsidize their building’s Good Coffee Tuesdays from now on. Or suppose some scientists or soothsayers had determined that coffee was bad for your health and instead required employees to drink kombucha each morning.

You get the idea. This is exactly why government meddling in any of our choices is inherently evil, inefficient, and devoid of morality. The only morally sound, consistent, and actionable policy for individuals is for us to take full responsibility and reward for the choices and votes we make with our time and money every single day.

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