pro-freedom, anti-tax rant
first of all, the US has a prety slick system right now, as compared
with the many tyrannys and socialist governments in the world. We came up
with this system 200 years ago, however, and now that we're taking it for
granted, it might be time to make a few long-needed improvements.
To maximize personal freedom, we need to identify those things that
currently limit freedom and justify them, morally and practically. In
particular, we should consider the freedom-limiting impact of taxes.
Taxes, I suggest, limit the total freedom of an individual in direct
proportion to the amount of
(hours worked / total hours concious) * net tax % of income
granted, this is a rather simple equation, but if more people looked at
taxes in this way, we would realize just how limited our freedom has
become, and for what cause. By this equation, a middle class worker
whos net income is taxed (through various sources) at 50% has sacrificed,
without his own consent, a great deal of freedom.
Some easy justifications:
- national defense
- police / courts / emergency services
Some less clear, but probable justifications:
- schools
- roads
Some horrifyingly unjust limitations:
- wealth redistribution
- special interest grants
If you buy this argument, then look at the chunk of the pie (your tax $)
that go to each category, you may find that quite a bit of your freedom
is artificially limited by our government. Think about it - 4 hours out of
your 8 hour day you're working for the government - a half communist
existence
... just thought I'd throw that out to spur discussion. If this particular
aspect of freedom in the US generates much interest, I'll expand...
America and communism - we're half way there!! :) :) :)
rant back at miff
return to miff's homepage