Mugged or Taxed?
When a mugger robs me:
1. He has courage. He approaches me man to man, risking his own life, betting that he is stronger.
2. He is honest. He is robbing me for his own personal gain, and he makes no excuses.
3. He has integrity. Even though he has me helpless, all he does is take my money. He doesn't try to get me to say, "Thank you for assisting me Mr. Mugger." He doesn't try to get me to pretend it's for my own good.
4. He has goodness. For he spends all the money on people who specialize in creating happiness - liquor store owners, hookers, drug dealers, jewelery sellers, TV makers. It's not everyone's idea of happiness, but it's many people's.
When a government robs me:
1. They are cowards. For they pass their laws, but depend on local cops to kidnap and torture me, and kill me if need be, should I refuse.
2. They are dishonest. They pretend that each of them is selflessly serving mankind - though not a one of them doesn't campaign that his opponent is a crook. Each one is laughably supposed to be the "lone exception".
3. They have no integrity. When they have me helpless, it's not enough that they rob me. I must be encouraged to vote. I must be forced into their indoctrination centers from K-12 and learn that it is good. I must acknowledge that the policeman is my friend. I must disclose all my personal info so they can "better assist me".
4. He has evil. For he spends my money on people who specialize in creating pain, agony, disease and death - nerve gas makers, concentration camp guards, biological warfare researchers and bombs for liberating foreign innocents. This is everyone's idea of UNhappiness, except for a few sick bastards who truly think this serves some kind of good. More people think those things are bad then think drugs are bad, that's for sure.
Dean West
1. He has courage. He approaches me man to man, risking his own life, betting that he is stronger.
2. He is honest. He is robbing me for his own personal gain, and he makes no excuses.
3. He has integrity. Even though he has me helpless, all he does is take my money. He doesn't try to get me to say, "Thank you for assisting me Mr. Mugger." He doesn't try to get me to pretend it's for my own good.
4. He has goodness. For he spends all the money on people who specialize in creating happiness - liquor store owners, hookers, drug dealers, jewelery sellers, TV makers. It's not everyone's idea of happiness, but it's many people's.
When a government robs me:
1. They are cowards. For they pass their laws, but depend on local cops to kidnap and torture me, and kill me if need be, should I refuse.
2. They are dishonest. They pretend that each of them is selflessly serving mankind - though not a one of them doesn't campaign that his opponent is a crook. Each one is laughably supposed to be the "lone exception".
3. They have no integrity. When they have me helpless, it's not enough that they rob me. I must be encouraged to vote. I must be forced into their indoctrination centers from K-12 and learn that it is good. I must acknowledge that the policeman is my friend. I must disclose all my personal info so they can "better assist me".
4. He has evil. For he spends my money on people who specialize in creating pain, agony, disease and death - nerve gas makers, concentration camp guards, biological warfare researchers and bombs for liberating foreign innocents. This is everyone's idea of UNhappiness, except for a few sick bastards who truly think this serves some kind of good. More people think those things are bad then think drugs are bad, that's for sure.
Dean West
posted by Dean West @ 12:35 AM
2 Comments:
At February 28, 2005 5:17 AM,
Richard said…
Taxation began when the first tribe asked one of its members to watch the fire one night in exchange for a share of the hunt, which he would be too tired to go on. It has since attracted similar people who would rather stay up all night than join in the hunt.
Presently 7% of the population has a government job. That is nearly a quarter of the working force.
At February 28, 2005 5:26 AM,
Anonymous said…
There was a point in mankind's history when there were no governments. What were there?
There were hunter/gatherer societies, or nomads with herds of animals. Then there were farming communities...that became the first cities.
For a long time there were both types, the nomads and the urban dweller. I focus on one specific difference between the two, and quote Jared Diamond, author of "Guns, Germs and Steel" a bestselling book on the development of various human groups.
Page 89: "A separate consequence of a settled existence is that it permits one to store food surpluses...stored food is essential for feeding non-food-producing specialists, and certainly for supporting whole towns of them. Hence nomadic hunter-gatherer societies have few or no such full-time specialists, who instead first appear in sedentary societies."
"Two types of specialists are kings and bureaucrats. Hunter-gatherer societies tend to be relatively egalitarian, to lack full time bureaucrats and hereditary chiefs..."
The first taxes were thus of the city, or supertribe, as opposed to the hunting/gathering tribes.
Take care,
Dean
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