Debunking a few myths about the economy

[IBCoupe]

You absolutely make that assumption. You may not feel good about it, you may think "thats not the intended attitude" and have delusions of grandeur since its "for the greater good". But still the implication is still there in your outlook. As I said before, YOU CANT consider to ALLOW people to KEEP something unless you in some way assume or imply or interject some form of ownership upon the resource in question, in this case wealth. Furthermore its not the governments job to be concerned with leveling the game. The government has a job, and has to be paid to do that job, thus a monetary burden. Said burden needs to be distributed fairly, in way in which external modifiers are irrelevant. You overcomplicate things, and you end up pooping in your own food bowl with policies of "fairness". Screw "fairness" we've never had it, and we never will.

No, Stebo. I'm not deciding whether to allow people to keep money. I'm deciding that, in the event that we do decide that we'd like a tax system in place to fund the government, that tax system should be set up so as to harm no person worse than the other. You're telling me that my method is where the assumption is, Stebo, but it's the goal (funding the government by taxation) that has the assumption that the government has a right to take money.

And which is it, Stebo? Should the "burden ... be distributed fairly" or are we "screw[ing] 'fairness?'" Why is it so hard to understand that you and I are simply operating on two competing methods of measuring fairness? You want to measure fairness by how much the government sets out to take from individuals. I want to measure fairness by how folks are treated in the taking.

If you really think that my failure is in "assuming" that the government has a right to take money, then how can you possibly justify your own measure? Where is the goddamned difference, dude? Do you know what the difference between your method and my method really is? It's that I'm including a basic cost of living as part of the tax system. That's what makes your flat rate become my progressive rate.

[IBCoupe]

No, they're not, and no, it doesn't (necessarily).

(Agree with the rest, of course... taxes are the last thing on your mind when you're about to get your freak on. )

I'm pretty sure kids aren't cheap.

In two-parent households, the report divided the total costs based on family income levels. In families with a before-tax income of less than $45,800, parents spent an average of $148,300 on their children from birth to age 17. Parents with income between $45,800 and $77,100 averaged a total of $204,060 on their offspring, and those earning more than $77,100 spent $298,680 per child, on average. Expenses for the youngest child of a single parent with two children were comparable to those of two-parent households, but in these families approximately 7 percent less was spent on the older child. Single parents with three or more children spent less than married couples, but single parents with only one child spent more. These totals do not include the costs of prenatal care and birthing, or expenses associated with post-secondary education.

Consider the fact that, over 17 years, a family with income of $45,800 would spend less in federal income taxes (about $40,000 less) before their dependent deductions, I'd say the child expenditures are on the same level of expense as a taxes.

Well-said.

I've often wondered if/how a system could be implemented that taxes us for usage of the provisions of the gov't. In other words, non-quantifiable things like national security and defense are a given. But what if I live off the grid on a 10-acre compound, generate my own power, grow my own food, travel an unimproved road into town (cleared and graded by me and other homeowners), never use emergency responders or police services, have no kids in public schools, etc etc etc. I know it's a stretch, but sometime, carrying things out to the ridiculous is how we recognize the flaws that we missed due to overfamiliarity.

Even though you wouldn't be using those services, you're still going to benefit from at least some of them. Police and Schools minimize hoodlums giving you headaches, so you don't wear out your voice by shouting "Get off my lawn!" for one thing.