Homestead mailing list

["Marie McHarry" <mmcharry AT dtnspeed.net>]

Rob wrote (on the subject of freeloading by people who don't pay taxes):
<<This is not to say that tax dollars are not wasted, that pockets are not 
lined but there is a common benefit that comes out of the tax money.
Taxes are part of life, even a small (a very small) study of history shows 
that.>> 

After I read Melody's post, I was about to respond right off, but (for once)
I had the good sense to check to see if anyone else had.

Rob couldn't have said it better. Even if we all think we'd like to live in
a pastoral society, we don't. To date, we humans have a history of several
thousands of years of cooperating to support endeavors that make life better
for all in a given society. 

Yes, I firmly believe that I should do as much for myself as I can, and I've
done that pretty consistently (not a hundred percent consistently -- being
human and all) to the best of my ability. 

Melody wrote:

<<If I want to eat, who should pay for my food?  You? Others in my
community,
state, or nation?  No.  It should be *me*. >>

If you're living in the US and buying any food at all, you're being
subsidized. This is particularly true if you or your children drink milk
bought from a store (unless it's goat milk -- no subsidizing there). 

<<If I want an education, who should pay for it?  Others in my community,
state, or nation?  No.  It should be *me*.>>

Every school in the US is subsidized (even home schoolers generally use
materials developed by a subsidized organization). If students had to pay
the full cost, no one would get a university education -- not even at the
high end schools where tuition is breath taking (Harvard, University of
Chicago, USC, etc). OTOH, subsidizing education is a pretty good deal for
the society at large.

As for taxes being immoral and generally nasty: we in the US live in a
democratic republic. The king isn't taxing us. We've elected representatives
who do our bidding. Of course, if we aren't active in deciding who gets
elected, what these reps do may not be to our liking. The colonists were
willing to sacrifice their lives and sacred honor because they rejected
taxation with representation. They didn't reject taxation per se.

Marie