Fantastique wrote:
Weena wrote:
Fantastique wrote:
waaaah waaah waaah I don't wanna help people even though I can easily do so simply because the big bad gov't told me to waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
Stealing from the rich to give to the poor is still exactly that - stealing.
How about I throw you in prison until you donate what I consider an acceptable amount?
Why do the poor think they deserve what I work for?
If the moral hazard isn't apparent, then I don't know how else to present it.
A prime example of the fuck you, got mine contention that I associate with most republicans. Helping out those less fortunate than us is our moral duty. If nothing else, you are helping out your fellow citizens, which is 100000% more patriotic than killing terrorists, shouting USA slogans while waving a flag, and pretty much anything else you can think of. And isn't that something the conservatives like to tout? Their so-called "Americanism"? Please, you guys speak out of both sides of your mouth so much that it is infuriating.
In regards to your analogy, taxing =/= imprisonment, but then again I am speaking to dumbasses who think healthcare for everyone = govt death panels...
If you feel you have a moral duty to help those in need, then like I said, go help them.
Legislating morality shows more often than not, more harm than good. And when it's not doing any harm, it's not doing anything useful.
People believed they had a moral duty to keep America from consuming alcohol. What did we get from prohibition... gangs, violence, wasted money, wasted police efforts, and people still drank.
Same with any other morality issue I can think of. Drugs, prostitution, etc. Granted these issues are far more relate-able to each other than financial support for the poor, but they are congruent at their fundamental roots. (10 points for seeing the math reference that I didn't see until after I wrote it)
Taxes are to my earnings what the war on drugs is to my body. In that they both prevent me from doing what I want with my money/body. [Place Libertarian Rhetoric Here]
Now, I'm not arguing against all tax, I'm no anarchist. I'm arguing against taxes going to the use of illegitimate US government functions. Unemployment insurance and healthcare are not legitimate.
In the same breath, I'm wholly willing to compromise. Contrary to what you may or may not be thinking, I'm not a dick, and neither is 99% of anybody else over here (the right end of the spectrum). But 99 (or is it 90?) weeks of unemployment insurance, unlimited use of medicaid, etc, is not an acceptable compromise.
Now, maybe say, something like,
Medicaid using a voucher system for a certain amount of healthcare provided every year, or better yet, a voucher of a set amount for people to use to buy their own insurance, is acceptable.
A month of unemployment insurance every year, and a tax break for not using is acceptable.
These are just generic examples, but I think you get where I'm going with this. The best way I've heard it put was "Don't let the safety net turn into a hammock."
And taxes do equal imprisonment. If you don't pay your taxes, what happens?
As well, the other huge monster destroying the streets of our Budget City is the wars we're in. That isn't the topic of this back and forth, but it is the other reason we're in the money pit we're in, and so I thought it was worth mentioning that I think that shit needs to stop too.
