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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (15608)	9/4/2001 1:29:13 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 59480

Well, I would suggest that we should be happy to relinquish some portion of our freedom to live in society, and that we should be equally cheerful in paying our taxes in the abstract If you and I were to independently sit down and draw up a Federal budget with its associated services and tax payments, I think that I would give up fewer freedoms than you, request fewer services, and propose lower taxes. Reasonable people can differ about such things. However, I completely agree with you on the principle you've stated. Karen

To: Neocon who wrote (15608)	9/4/2001 2:01:10 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 59480

If you acquiesce in the social compromise of your freedom, you have "signed the contract". If you do not, society is within its rights to consider you an outlaw, and protect itself. If I acquiesce when a gun is pointed to my head have I signed a contract? If I don't acquiesce but do not attack the members of this society then using force against me is not a defensive act but rather an attack against me. Do you feel you have been cheated every time you pay a bill? If the bill is the result of me voluntarily buying goods or services? Then no. Otherwise yes. Somewhere in between is when I voluntarily pay a bill for goods or services from a legally protected monopoly. The government is both a monopoly and non voluntary. The way the price is determined is through the legislature (city council, state, or Congress). Yes, the governing body of the organization charging you determines the bill and that you must pay the bill. One is not allowed to be a free rider, as an equity issue. There are a number of people who don't pay income taxes or even get a net subsidy from the government. They are free riders. (There are also the illegal free riders in the underground economy but they might not be as relevant). Also even when you ignore the free riders the amount paid is hardly universally equitable. because there are too many things we all benefit from, like keeping the crime rate down or containing fires.......... And most taxes, are not paid for these purposes. I might not have such a problem if government was solely concerned with this minimal level of important services. Tim