Re: Taxes (was: Re: capitalist religion)

From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Sat Jul 21 2001 - 04:56:44 MDT


On Fri, Jul 20, 2001 at 12:58:54PM -0700, Reason wrote:
>
>
> --->Brian D Williams
>
> > I think it's a serious social problem that many citizens quite
> > literally have nothing "invested" in this country.
>
> I'd agree with this; it's back to basic human psychology again. People don't
> care about something unless they built it or something that they own or
> value is at stake. S'why council flats and communal property are such a
> horrible failure in terms of maintenance and responsibility.

In psychology it is called diffusion of responsibility. You are more
likely to get help if you keel over on a nearly empty street than on a
full street ("Oh, there is probably a doctor there in the crowd
somewhere...").

Why not make the investment literal? Have people invest into their
country like in a corporation?

-- 
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Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
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