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Let's not turn this political and insults. The parent commenter is absolutely right about how it is supposed to work, even though you seem to feel it has failed

Let's not turn this political and insults. The parent commenter is absolutely right about how it is supposed to work, even though you seem to feel it has failed at that. I live in Norway, and I honestly feel that the description above matches what I expect from governments, and its how I'd vote. It doesn't mean they reach the ideal, but your description of reality does not match my observations at all.

johngladtj 4y ago
If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? I'm talking the state totally moving out of entire responsibilities, and government expenditures and revenues decreasing by over 15% as a result.
- D13Fd 4y ago
  > If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? What government are you talking about? The U.S. government? Any government anywhere? Governments change all of the time. Look at the end of the Soviet Union for a recent example.
- panarky 4y ago
  What's absurd is any tax scheme that takes a larger share of labor income than it does of passive income. People who live off the labor of others should pay tax at a higher rate than people who actually perform the labor.
- pwinnski 4y ago
  Why would maximizing the well-being of its citizens naturally result in abandoning responsibilities and shrinking by more than 15%? That seems counter-intuitive to me.
- leoedin 4y ago
  The UK privatised whole swaths of industries in the 1980s and 90s. Telecoms, transport, manufacturing - all were owned by the government and then sold off. Taxes were lowered. The scope of out-of-work benefits was reduced. You can see the drop in the charts - https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-key-questions/how-have-government-revenues-changed-over-time https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-key-questions/how-have-gove... So it clearly can happen. Whether it should happen or not is a different question.

johngladtj 4y ago

If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? I'm talking the state totally moving out of entire responsibilities, and government expenditures and revenues decreasing by over 15% as a result.

D13Fd 4y ago
> If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? What government are you talking about? The U.S. government? Any government anywhere? Governments change all of the time. Look at the end of the Soviet Union for a recent example.
panarky 4y ago
What's absurd is any tax scheme that takes a larger share of labor income than it does of passive income. People who live off the labor of others should pay tax at a higher rate than people who actually perform the labor.
pwinnski 4y ago
Why would maximizing the well-being of its citizens naturally result in abandoning responsibilities and shrinking by more than 15%? That seems counter-intuitive to me.
leoedin 4y ago
The UK privatised whole swaths of industries in the 1980s and 90s. Telecoms, transport, manufacturing - all were owned by the government and then sold off. Taxes were lowered. The scope of out-of-work benefits was reduced. You can see the drop in the charts - https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-key-questions/how-have-government-revenues-changed-over-time https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-key-questions/how-have-gove... So it clearly can happen. Whether it should happen or not is a different question.