From: Neil Blanch (neilb@nswcc.org.au)
Date: Wed Jan 02 2002 - 19:51:44 MST
In v6#364 "Technotranscendance" said:
"One, I don't think tax money should be taken at all. So, there can be no
moral justification for tax funded aid to Afghanistan. I did not bomb
Afghanistan. Nor did I voluntarily support said bombing. In fact, I've
been against the war from the start -- and probably every military effort of
the US that has happened in my adult life -- e.g., the Persian Gulf War and
the wars in the Balkans. (Those who did support the war are another matter.
I did not.)"
While I sympathise that you do not want your tax dollars going towards such
ventures (particularly military ventures) I feel your reasoning is flawed.
If taxpayers were able to decide exactly where their tax dollars would go
there would be chaos - people who don't drive cars would refuse to
contribute towards road maintenance, healthy people would refuse to
contribute towards public health, young people would refuse to contribute
towards care for the elderly, employed people would refuse to contribute
towards welfare of any kind (justified or not). Pacifists would refuse to
contribute towards any military (& possibly any police) funding. I think you
can see where I am going with this...
Taxation, the great bug bear of American citizenry, HAS it's uses. Tax
dollars can & should be used to provide services that the community as a
whole needs otherwise these needs would not be met. I am the first to say
that current tax structures, both here in Australia & in the US, do not do a
very good job of catering to those needs, & much work in tax reform (&
government spending) is needed. However the constant obsession with lowering
tax burdens (particularly for the wealthy, who through tax avoidance
schemes, contribute increasingly small portions of their incomes) is slowly
killing off vital public services such as education and healthcare without
trimming the often ridiculous excesses of state & federal government.
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