Quote:
Originally Posted by Evil_inKarlate
Hmmm... perhaps you are correct, but then perhaps someone who is so opposed to what is probably the most basic tennet of our society is perhaps not so much a member of that society as one who coexists with it?
In either case, all such 'thefts' still fall under my addendum to "taxation is theft": "...it is a necessary evil. And like all evils, it should be minimized when it cannot realistically be eliminated." As such, it is reasonable to make it illegal for me to kill you, but not reasonable to outlaw me sticking my toungue at you. (Gratuitous smiley withheld for use when/if it's actually warranted.)
I guess that's the underlying logic behind "That government is best which governs least." (Usually attributed to Jefferson, but a quick Google indicates it was probably Napoleon.)
|
How much does someone "coexist" with our society if they classify the means of maintaining that society as "theft"?
And how can it be classified as a "necessary evil"? The evil would be the breakdown of the society which could not support itself. The society is a positive force and the means of supporting it should be viewed the same way.
I have no problem with the "governs least" idea as long as it's kept in perspective. A society with few people, limited technology, unlimited resources and space needs less government that one whose members are crowded together, intimately connected to each other and the rest of the globe, and sharing a precarious and limited pool of natural resources.
In all of this theft talk we haven't even discussed the fact that only the existence of a governing structure makes the accumulation of wealth possible to begin with. There are still a few places on the globe where you can go and, with enough money to pay off the local warlord or enough weapons to frighten him, you can do pretty much whatever you please without interference from any government and without paying taxes to anybody. But finding a way to accumulate wealth in such a place will be next to impossible. This country is the best environment the world has ever known for a person not born to wealth and power to accumulate both. There is a cost for leveraging that environment for your own use. That cost is taxes to support the system which can make you rich if you want that and are willing to work for it. To call such a cost "theft" is to ignore the meaning of the word since you are free to reduce your taxes to practically nothing just by giving up your pursuit of the wealth available to those who are willing to pay for the chance.