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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Voltaxes and Theftaxes
Message-ID: <786@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Mar-84 18:06:24 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.786
Posted: Wed Mar 14 18:06:24 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Mar-84 18:52:18 EST
References: <536@hou5a.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 34

===============
The only leverage a political system should have over people in causing them 
to pay taxes is the possibility of loss of the benefits of belonging to that 
system.  This is analogous to a business refusing to provide a service to 
someone who refuses to pay for it. 

        Tom Craver
        hou5a!trc
===============
Like much of Tom's writing, the piece from which this is taken has its
own internal logic, but little connection with reality.  Sure, we can
disconnect Tom's sewer pipe, but who pays for the typhoid he then spreads?
Can we keep him off the road and sidewalk without infringing on his
right to movement and assembly?  Can we deny him his television, on
the grounds that much of the fundamental research that went into its
construction was paid for by taxes he didn't voluntarily give? Can we
ensure that he doesn't use a million other facilities that he doesn't
even know were paid by his involuntary taxes?

Let's be realistic as well as logical.  It is IMPOSSIBLE for any person,
even an objectivist, to know everything that is going on.  We delegate
political responsibility to those we elect, and they delegate technical
responsibility to a myriad of commissions, bureaucrats, etc. etc.  Of
course the system can get out of hand; it takes a lot of work to maintain
a reasonable balance between freedom and responsibility.  But objective
anarchy won't help anyone.  There was a nice quote from JFK in the paper
a couple of days ago, to the effect that he thought that when there was
a flood, all boats rise (talking about the economy and who benefits from
a good one).

-- 

Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt