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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (262857)	4/27/2008 2:17:11 PM
From: geode00	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

In the real world, taking a weapon like tariffs away from our government unilaterally isn't a good idea. You may dislike them from an ideological standpoint but, even there, when the world isn't a single, unified market it doesn't make sense to pick and choose tariffs to eliminate. ======================== This is where 'libertarians' are unable to close the loop on their argument. Things go wishy-washy: " Whether the education is run by the state or by a private institution its more providing a service than a transfer payment." For the argument about transfer payments, it does not matter whether the provider is public or private. If you hate transfer payments from one individual to another, why do you support ANY taxation for schooling of ANY kind? Why should I have to pay for your child to go to school? You say: "And its one of the more reasonable services, at least out of the services that go beyond the absolutely essential nature of a state (controlling and defending territory, keeping the peace, and such)." That is wishy-washy. I will then say that keeping people out of poverty is also a reasonable service and good for society as a whole. I do not want to see even more people living on the streets begging for money. I certainly do not want to see seniors out on the streets. That is bad for society as a whole and has its own set of costs associated with it. This is also the case for health care. It is bad for society as a whole (as well as being morally wrong) to have sick people running around making other sick, getting into accidents, unable to work or simply suffering and dying. ================== The USPS does its route 6 days a week which is different from FedEx and UPS getting their routes depending on what needs to be delivered to what specific address. The USPS also charges the same 41 cents regardless of how out in the boonies you may be. Try getting FedEx or UPS to deliver anything for 41 cents. I don't recall FedEx or UPS wanting to deliver first class mail. I suspect if they did, the price would go up for everyone as you have multiple trucks (esp with gas prices these days) running the same routes. I don't see any efficiencies there. I don't have any particular love for the USPS but I do think that, if it was privatized, there are many addresses in the US that would never get any mail as their level of mail would not pay for the gas to deliver it. I don't think you can force a private business to lose money in that way. If you can see any additional efficiency, lower prices or improved services, I'm all for that. I just don't see it. I don't envy the USPS their job and I actually think they do a pretty decent job of it despite their reputation for losing mail. ======================= No, if it is a mandatory insurance program, it is not an entitlement the way in which you use the term. Actually, SS is less of an entitlement program than a public education. At least SS recipients generally pay into the program (there are some survivors benefits) and generally receive the money back as seniors. In public education, that is simply a transfer of money from people without children in school to people with children in school. If you hate entitlements and transfers, get rid of that first. No, those making over the income cap have been getting a FREE RIDE all of these years. That free ride needs to come to an end. It is part of living in this society. That simple act makes SS funded as far as you can see. It is simple, it is fair, it can be done tomorrow with the right people in office. Yet again, you make up your own rules about what is a 'service' paid for by taxes and what is a 'transfer' of monies through taxes. It is a distinction that is wholly made up by you.