I am not certain of the answer to our economic problems I just know that our system is very unbalanced the rich get richer and the numbers of poor grow larger. I am resteeming this post in the hope of getting a conversation going. I hope others will comment on this post.
Mary, don't spend too much time wondering about this... It's just another variation on statism, as is admitted by the author:
It may be common, but there is no sense to it.
The disease of statism begins with the hallucination that any individual human or group of humans has any right to coerce others into doing their will. This is a fundamental evil, generically called oppression, and I reject it outright. This is the thinking that results in forced vaccination. Rule by force.
If you concede the "right" to tax anyone, you must use force and ultimately murder to accomplish your ends.
Thanks for the Segway into promoting civilization. I am a fan of choices but I'm also a fan of a high quality standard of living. Like choosing to live in a home governed by an HOA vs in an unincorporated wasteland. Check out my post on how Taxation actually staved off the communist hordes.
https://steemit.com/taxation/@adconner/taxation-is-not-theft-in-a-representative-republic
The key term here is choice.
I have absolutely no problem with you choosing to live in an HOA and voluntarily submitting to its rules. Just don't forcibly impose those rules on me without my deliberate, voluntary, consciously granted assent to each and every one of them.
Human government, even your imagined "representative republic," exists only by force and does not allow the liberty of choice.
It's Counter Intuitive but that's how a proper society functions. Taxation.
We don't live in a vacuum and government is necessary to resolve our differences otherwise it's the Hatfields and McCoys without the semblance of the rule of law.
Whether the communal funds/resources that help raise up the standard of living for the whole community is gathered by actual extortion, coercion, taxation or donation, the method doesn't matter as long as it's used for the benefit of the public.
It works better at the local community level where things can be done by donation benefitting "friends" as opposed to benefitting "outsiders" but it need not matter if the whole society is benefitted.
Most people's troubles with coercion is that they aren't part of the coercion team and turn into rebels against that which is good for the whole.
But make no mistake I am not in favor of redistribution of wealth, however payment for services rendered to the community by contractors is acceptable.
And yes I am referring to my own definition of increasing the standard of living through order and smart and careful usage of resources respecting individual rights codified in the Bill of Rights.
But I'll admit that the system has gotten out of balance and we see the politicians not paying any attention to the fact that we elect them because they represent so many people it makes it incredibly difficult to oust them in favor of a person who takes his que from his constituents rather than the monied lobbyists.
This is why I am trying to start a grass roots movement to add seats to the House to get back to the constitutional Ratio of 1:30,000. This isn't enlarging government (adding new departments and full time employees to "serve" us is); adding so many representatives that the special interests cannot have a logistical possibility of controlling elections is adding accountability to the house without the corruption of "donations". If we can provide some political action relief paying taxes will become more voluntary but never completely.
https://steemit.com/anarchy/@adconner/the-greatest-conspiracy-ever-perpetrated-on-the-united-states-of-america-and-no-one-even-realizes-it
https://steemit.com/taxation/@adconner/taxation-is-not-theft-in-a-representative-republic
Thank you very much for your comment. I was hoping you would chime in.