Society

Society's Choices vs Top Down Rules and Force

President Obama, recently said; "I think it's important to understand that you can't have 100 percent security and then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience. We're going to have to make some choices as a society."

I'd like to deconstruct the last sentence. Who makes the choices? He implies its 'society' but its not us making those choices and none of the choices will be voluntary. Society is voluntary or it once was....

from Nana's 1950 unabridged dictionary, 'society' meant:

1. Companionship and association with one's fellows, usually, friendly and intimate intercourse; company.
2. One's friends and companions collectively.

While today, a web search came up with, 'society' meaning:

1. The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community. 
2. The community of people living in a particular region and having shared customs, laws, and organizations. 

Who benefits when we think of the government as a 'society' of voluntary interactions and not the power to exercise authority directing and controlling our actions? I think we know the answer.