[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Uncle Gabby wrote:
I’m anti Free Market economics anyway. As far as Taxes go, there are somethings the government exists to provide, roads, police, fire-department, education, and must raise taxes if necessary to pay for those services. Beyond that, there is always waste, pork, and corruption that should be eliminated but never is.
It seems like the majority here is pro-free market, and private sector, and that’s all good. That’s what we have elections for.
I think you’ve fallen into the trap of democracy. So, let’s say that you think the government’s job is to provide for health care and I think it isn’t. If you can get enough people to agree with you and win a referendum then you get your way, my rights be damned.
This happens every year here in Moscow. Every year these damned lefties vote to raise school taxes. Wait, let me rephrase that: they raise property taxes to support schools. Now, I don’t believe the .gov has the right to force me to pay for some other kid’s schooling (well, I do, but it’s a complicated position), and I certainly don’t believe in property taxes (because that means we are all renters) yet because a bunch of people want that to happen, I essentially have a gun put to my head and my money is taken from me for something that the government has no right meddling in. Democracy sucks, except in the most highly reined in circumstances.
mike[/quote]
That’s a good point. However, I didn’t mention health care, only roads, police, fire, and education. When we get to health care things get murky, but since I’m at work (yeah, on a Sunday) and our cable went out and I can’t watch the Football game I will take the bait.
First, lets start with the basics, like police, fire, and roads, then work our way out. Everyone in the community has to pay for police and fire/EMS services, whether they want to or not, because everyone in the community benefits from them. If you really wanted to go all out you could have a system where people voluntarily subscribe to a private fire service, and if your house catches on fire and you haven’t paid your dues, you are shit out of luck. I understand New York City had such a system once upon a time and it didn’t work so well, because when a non subscriber’s house catches on fire, and no one does anything, it spreads to their neighbor’s.
Educating other people’s children takes a bit of a leap. One has to assume that if more people are educated to the point where they can be productive members of society, the stronger our economy will be, and the fewer will turn to crime. That makes us all safer in the long run, and saves us money. Better to pay $5000 a year to educate someone else’s kids that $30000 a year to keep them incarcerated when they grow up because the only thing they know how to do is sell crack for a living. But the basic principle is, if you benifit have to pay, whether you want to or not.
Health coverage takes even a larger leap. One has to assume that we all end up paying for medical care for people who don’t have insurance anyway, and it ends up costing us more in the long run, so universal healthcare is good for everyone because it saves everyone money. I’m not really going to get into that because I’m not well informed on the issue, and it’s way way off topic.
However, I do get your point and agree that the concept of “essential” services is murky and the line is always moving to suit the political flavor of the month. And I agree that the fallacy of democracy is that one’s rights are always at the mercy of the mob. We don’t live in a democracy, we live in a Republic, and in a Republic citizenship comes with duties and responsibilities, including taxes. If you don’t like the situation in your city you could move out to the country. Moscow sounds every bit as bad as Richmond, and I plan to move out to the middle of nowhere as soon as I can afford to.