(some excerpts were swiped, reworded and added here from a cnn article).
It's surprising to me that many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Lets break this assumption a bit. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Agreed, no debate there. However, voting for our government to use guns and force people to give money (in the form of taxes) to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness. I know, this might sound shocking. Please read on.
People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we're compassionate we'll help them (voluntarily), but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.
People try to argue that government isn't really force and forcing you to pay taxes isn't what it is. You believe that? Try not paying your taxes. (This is only a "thought experiment" -- suggesting that someone not pay his or her taxes is probably a federal offense, so not to be taken seriously). When they come to get you for not paying your taxes, try not going to court. Guns will be drawn. Government is force -- literally, not figuratively.
We are always asked to submit to any tax increase silently and we are expected to never question why such tax increases are necessary. Rachel Maddow, the political analyst said recently, "we have 2 great wars in the last 10 years, but no tax increase!". So, here we are, justifying tax increases so as to fund wars half-way around the world. If we do object to it, we are playing politics, hindering progress, allowing the terrorists to win and letting old people die. It is never a good time to question anything.
The problem I have with taxes is that I don't have control over how government uses it. If it is used to fight unjust wars and unending welfare schemes, I want no part of it. It is not government's god given right to collect money from the citizens to fund all their mis-adventures. Sure, we can pay for the services we use, and a reasonable tax seems acceptable for allowing basic functioning of a civil society. I also believe in charity, out of one's own free will ofcourse. Please don't be under this delusion that there is no charity possible if not for taxes. Case in point: the annual american private humanitarian aid is higher than the US govt humanitarian aid (citation needed).
Problem arises when the vocal majority take this to the next level. I don't believe the majority always knows what's best for everyone. The fact that the majority thinks they have a way to do good does not give them the right to use force on the minority that don't want to pay for it. If you have to use a gun and force people to pay up, I don't believe you really are getting the point. Democracy without respect for individual rights sucks. It's just ganging up against the weird kid and trampling his individual rights. People who trumpet democractic values need some lessons on the idea of the Republic.
It's surprising to me that many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Lets break this assumption a bit. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Agreed, no debate there. However, voting for our government to use guns and force people to give money (in the form of taxes) to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness. I know, this might sound shocking. Please read on.
People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we're compassionate we'll help them (voluntarily), but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.
People try to argue that government isn't really force and forcing you to pay taxes isn't what it is. You believe that? Try not paying your taxes. (This is only a "thought experiment" -- suggesting that someone not pay his or her taxes is probably a federal offense, so not to be taken seriously). When they come to get you for not paying your taxes, try not going to court. Guns will be drawn. Government is force -- literally, not figuratively.
We are always asked to submit to any tax increase silently and we are expected to never question why such tax increases are necessary. Rachel Maddow, the political analyst said recently, "we have 2 great wars in the last 10 years, but no tax increase!". So, here we are, justifying tax increases so as to fund wars half-way around the world. If we do object to it, we are playing politics, hindering progress, allowing the terrorists to win and letting old people die. It is never a good time to question anything.
The problem I have with taxes is that I don't have control over how government uses it. If it is used to fight unjust wars and unending welfare schemes, I want no part of it. It is not government's god given right to collect money from the citizens to fund all their mis-adventures. Sure, we can pay for the services we use, and a reasonable tax seems acceptable for allowing basic functioning of a civil society. I also believe in charity, out of one's own free will ofcourse. Please don't be under this delusion that there is no charity possible if not for taxes. Case in point: the annual american private humanitarian aid is higher than the US govt humanitarian aid (citation needed).
Problem arises when the vocal majority take this to the next level. I don't believe the majority always knows what's best for everyone. The fact that the majority thinks they have a way to do good does not give them the right to use force on the minority that don't want to pay for it. If you have to use a gun and force people to pay up, I don't believe you really are getting the point. Democracy without respect for individual rights sucks. It's just ganging up against the weird kid and trampling his individual rights. People who trumpet democractic values need some lessons on the idea of the Republic.
