I believe

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I believe in taxation. I believe it is necessary and that there are things that serve the public benefit that should be funded via taxes. I believe there are services that can only be effectively doled out as unprofitable but the benefits granted to society makes up for this shared loss.


Do you believe in taxation? Do you believe that a government program can run at a loss but grant a public good to where everyone can be more productive and thus make up for this loss collectively?

I do believe in taxation. I don't see how you could reasonably finance a country without it.

My problem is with asinine group specific riders that spend and waste our tax monies on ridiculous special interests. I support presidential line item veto.. but that's only helpful if the person wielding the clippers has more than half a brain cell at their command.

Yes, I do. I think there should be far less taxation, but you have to have some amount of tax in order to keep the state running smoothly, to pay for things and a small, streamlined, far less wasteful and more efficient welfare state.

Taxation is a necessary evil that will always be with us.

Why not just eliminate riders instead of allowing line item vetos? Maybe restrict how much can be in a piece of legislation beyond just riders?

It seems to be a very big problem in that much of our legislators don't even actually read any of their legislation and simply blindly vote on it.

Perhaps taxation for a legal system. After that, I think it's down to the individual. I'm not a consequentialist, and I think the current system is immoral, and inherently ineffective.

True I question the number of brain cells the aristocratic a***hole that currenty lives in 11 Downing Street as left after all them dinner parties with the Bullingdon Club. I want to see more one on one action from him with Ed Balls, as Balls will wipe the floor with him in a debate.

I just read this http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/david ... wth-fiscal
now theres hope that the Tory toster is now in deep s**t

Property taxes should pay for schools and non-commercial roadways, streets, etc.
Sales taxes should pay for local administrative costs, record keeping and fire departments.
Commerce taxes should pay for commercial roadways and airports.
The courts/police should pay for themselves via fees and fines.

Do you realize what a phenomenally bad idea that would be? I mean... seriously, just think for two seconds about what that would actually result in.

I did not spend a lot of time trying to think that one through, but yes, I do see potential problems there even though fees and fines do presently fund the courts and police to at least some extent. So, maybe property taxes should cover the basic structures there since "serve and protect" relate directly to area inhabitants.

Very good point.

I think one problem with legislators is in part due to the party system... I swear they get to Capitol Hill and quit thinking for themselves and just start voting whatever their party tells them to.

Much of what happens here where there's over-enforcement, heavier penalties, and increasing restrictions to generate more revenue.

And what financially supports our federal government?

Sovereign states can decide how much of that they want and takes things from there.

Taxation is necessary in the sense that it is compulsory. I think that it oughtn't be compulsory and it oughtn't be limited only by the demands of insulated politicians who do not experience the effects of their choices. Taxation is the financial vehicle through which various public works projects are performed, but often performed badly using crap materials and laborers who don't care about their work. Perhaps in a different era when people cared about excellence in their work things might be better, but since people have stopped caring about doing their work to the best of their ability and instead only do the minimum necessary, having the government in control of anything is getting increasingly ludicrous. Only one branch of the government seems to care about doing well, the armed forces, but perhaps after fighting in Libya with no game plan or reason whatsoever even that may change. Having things be privatized to compete with government bureaucrats will help to provide competition necessary to get bureaucrats off of their butts and start working since they're being paid to anyway.

The problem with property taxes paying for schools is that people will redraw their school districts to maximize the money going to their child's school, while allowing a neighboring district to suffer. If you don't have a shopping mall in your school district you will be underfunded, and the neighboring district that has the shopping mall will be overfunded. Guess how and why I've learned all about that?

The quality of education should not be dependent on how many high rise commercial properties (not leased by government agencies, because those are exempt), shopping malls, and mansions your school district happens to include. And, yet, it is.

I agree. Getting it done right is, of course, the problem.