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From: stewart@ihldt.UUCP (R. J. Stewart)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Taxes vs. Freedom
Message-ID: <2632@ihldt.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Dec-84 11:15:59 EST
Article-I.D.: ihldt.2632
Posted: Wed Dec  5 11:15:59 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 05:14:23 EST
References: <2631@ihldt.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 27

Recently someone posted an article that essentially claimed (from
memory, but essentially correct):

  "The U.S. government does not lessen your freedom since, despite
   taking about 25% of your income, it does not limit where you can go,
   what you can say, etc."

In re-reading an article I posted, I recognized a counter-example to
this.  The situation is:

> My wife and I have not had children, in large
> part because we don't think we can afford them.  Please tell me at
> what point I incurred an obligation to pay for other people's
> children?

By taxing me [in large amounts, by the way] to pay for the education of
children of other people, the government* has adversely affected my
decision on having my own children.  Ironic, no?  Anyway, since this is
one of the most important decisions I'll ever make, I claim that my
freedom has been (substantially) lessened.

Bob Stewart
ihldt!stewart

*to be precise in this context, the word "government" should be read:
"the special interest groups that control the actions of the
government".