The tax on Microsoft (the "software royalty tax") is just as unjust as the tax on bars and clubs. We are told that the money goes toward education. Even if tha

The tax on Microsoft (the "software royalty tax") is just as unjust as the tax on bars and clubs. We are told that the money goes toward education. Even if that's true, it still does not make forcibly taking the money right. Parents that want their children to be educated ought to pay for it themselves. No one is forced by law to have a child they don't want in our country. Everyone, even bad parents, know that children represent a serious, long-term financial commitment. Neither Microsoft nor the bars and clubs in question ought to be on the hook for other people's choices to have children. Also, to those that want to bring the idea of free riders and externalities (i.e., people who say that public education produces changes in people that benefit everyone in society, and therefore everyone ought to contribute toward it): Suppose that I come over to your house at 3 AM and wash all your windows (badly, leaving streaks and dirt), without asking you first. When I'm finished, I rifle through your mailbox, and find your paycheck. I cash it, hanging on to 1% of it, and deposit the rest into your checking account. When you object, I reply that I've been doing the same thing "for" my other neighbors for years and they haven't told me to stop, so you shouldn't either.