&quot;Independence&quot; does not mean living like a hermit, alone in a shack in the mountains. I am all for friendships and collaborations with others, and I recognize the economic benefits of the division of labor.<p>Obviously these relationships do not depend on the government taking from some and giving to others. It is well-known that people had friends, co-workers, families, and specialized occupations in the 19th century, prior to the advent of social programs, the income tax, and public schools.<p>What is the role of government in human relationships? It may surprise you that I think it has an essential role, via the justice system. In a properly functioning state, everyone can count on the government to retaliate against predators. After all, it is only when two strangers know that an objective arbiter will handle disputes between them that Hobbesian nightmares are prevented.<p>When the government goes beyond the role I just outlined, relationships between some people suffer. When the government unjustly takes from some and gives to others, people have no recourse but to see each other as resources or burdens, as threats to be avoided or saps to be taken advantage of. I can think of nothing more corrosive to goodwill and friendship than this, and we see it all around us in the world today.