From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Mon Jul 08 2002 - 08:46:29 MDT
>From: Harvey Newstrom <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com>
>Does anyone really know how much of their taxes go to others
>versus how much goes to themselves? I would gladly pay those
>taxes that go toward anti-terrorism, defense, police, public
>roads, air-traffic control, etc. I use these services and think
>I get a bigger discount by bulk-buying with the rest of America.
We agree completely here.
>I also see some indirect benefits by feeding the poor and
>educating the next generation. Even though these benefits go to
>others, I think my life is directly improved compared to if there
>were a lot of hungry poor, or whole uninoculated populations
>spreading disease, or even more unskilled teenagers who don't
>understand science.
We begin to disagree here, I don't agree at all with the common
myth that it is somehow to my benefit to pay the bulk of the costs
for other peoples children to be educated. Although I do hope/plan
to assist children of friends/family with their education when the
time comes.
>I further see some safety nets as insurance.
>Sure, I pay insurance fees and hopefully never have to claim
>anything in return. But if I do have a catastrophic disaster, I
>am covered. Some social programs fall into this category. I am
>not really paying for the benefit of others, but in case I need
>that benefit myself. Social Security, medicare, and disaster
>programs fall into this category.
I can see limited funding for some safety nets, but disagree with
the Socialistic Insecurity and Medicant examples. Since neither is
likely to be around when it's my turn, I am again funding someone
else's safety net (read as insufficient/bad planning) and also have
to fund a personnal safety net in case the public net fails.
>So, I think a lot of my taxes are for my own benefit. I don't
>know how much is taken that never benefits me, or how much is just
>wasted. I know there is waste, fraud and abuse. But has anyone
>worked up numbers to show how much tax is wasted, how much is
>beneficial, and how much is charity? Or, has anyone worked up
>numbers to show how much it would cost me build a defense network,
>private police, border guards and all that?
I think we can simplify this process a great deal. Greatly reduce
the amount of tax money used for education and let the parents pay
the bulk of the cost for example.
Set a flat rate for taxes, and have everyone pay, then if people
want more social services, everyone pays. As the system is
currently run those who favor these increases are not the ones
paying the bills.
Once we have a much more egalitarian system, we can talk about new
social programs like health insurance.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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