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I will take nonsense like this seriously when its proponents no longer avail themselves of the benefits of assets created through taxation. Which would be neve

by rodgerd 11y ago

I will take nonsense like this seriously when its proponents no longer avail themselves of the benefits of assets created through taxation. Which would be never.

evanpw 11y ago
This is just the reverse of the (also bad) argument that people who advocate for higher taxes shouldn't be taken seriously unless they voluntarily donate some of their income to the government. For example: http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2012/04/want-higher-taxes-pay-them-yourself/ http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2012/04/want-higher-tax....
- Spivak 11y ago
  Thus taxes should never change as people would rationally never want to pay more nor receive less benefits. Hence we must have exactly the right amount of taxation at all times.
icebraining 11y ago
If I steal your car and leave you a bike, are you an hypocrite if you use the bike while condemning theft? I am not saying taxes are theft, but if one does believe so, I don't think it's hypocrisy to try to at least get some of it back.
- Jtsummers 11y ago
  Weird analogy. But if you want it to be more accurate: If the government takes your bike and gives it to me after taking my car, I'd be hypocritical to condemn theft and retain your bike. I have no claim to your property under my anti-theft ethics, therefore I should return it to you.
  - icebraining 11y ago
    Sure. Except in this case you can't return most of it to me (kinda hard to return "use of roads" or "police protection" to someone); all you could do is return it to the thief. Moreover, since most voters approve of the theft, they are not innocent victims who deserve the bike back. So following your logic of returning the bike, what one should do is to take as much money as they can from the government services and give it away to other taxation-is-theft people :)
mindcrime 11y ago
And I'll care about your disingenuous response when the government quits stealing our money and manipulating the market to ensure that there are no alternatives to their theft-funded offerings.

by rodgerd 11y ago

I will take nonsense like this seriously when its proponents no longer avail themselves of the benefits of assets created through taxation. Which would be never.

evanpw 11y ago

This is just the reverse of the (also bad) argument that people who advocate for higher taxes shouldn't be taken seriously unless they voluntarily donate some of their income to the government. For example: http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2012/04/want-higher-taxes-pay-them-yourself/ http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2012/04/want-higher-tax....

Spivak 11y ago
Thus taxes should never change as people would rationally never want to pay more nor receive less benefits. Hence we must have exactly the right amount of taxation at all times.

icebraining 11y ago

If I steal your car and leave you a bike, are you an hypocrite if you use the bike while condemning theft? I am not saying taxes are theft, but if one does believe so, I don't think it's hypocrisy to try to at least get some of it back.

Jtsummers 11y ago
Weird analogy. But if you want it to be more accurate: If the government takes your bike and gives it to me after taking my car, I'd be hypocritical to condemn theft and retain your bike. I have no claim to your property under my anti-theft ethics, therefore I should return it to you.
- icebraining 11y ago
  Sure. Except in this case you can't return most of it to me (kinda hard to return "use of roads" or "police protection" to someone); all you could do is return it to the thief. Moreover, since most voters approve of the theft, they are not innocent victims who deserve the bike back. So following your logic of returning the bike, what one should do is to take as much money as they can from the government services and give it away to other taxation-is-theft people :)

mindcrime 11y ago

And I'll care about your disingenuous response when the government quits stealing our money and manipulating the market to ensure that there are no alternatives to their theft-funded offerings.