First, I'm going to spoiler tag the whole thing if you want to read it or quote from it without having to copy/paste, what have you. Second, I got mod permission to open a thread in response to this article (source unknown.)
Spoiler:
We must understand the word, wealth. The dictionary defines the word, wealth, as the state of having plenty of money or possessions. Ok, what does plenty mean? An adequate or more than adequate amount. Would you say that you are wealthy? Probably not. Would you say that you have an adequate amount to get by on? Probably so.
What does share mean? The Encarta dictionary says as a verb it means: to use something along with others, let somebody use something, take responsibility together or to divide something equally between people. As a noun it means a reasonable or appropriate portion.
Share the wealth. What does this phrase mean to you? Does it conjure up visions of free money given away by a faceless person with government written across their forehead? Do you see a modern day Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor?
To see the real person behind the words, look in the mirror.
In the broadest sense, we share our wealth daily. Every time you buy American made goods, you support the infrastructure that is America. You share your wealth with the workers that made the goods, the distributer, the marketer and the store that sold them. When you pay your city and county taxes, that money goes into the community fund that builds roads, pays the elected officials, and supports your city. We share our wealth in the form of taxes that pay financial aid to millions of underprivileged Americans and non-citizens. In truth, there are hundreds of ways we share the wealth.
On a more personal scale, we share the wealth with our family. Every day, millions of Americans crawl out of bed, get dressed and go to work. Many of them dont enjoy this ritual, but they do it anyway. They know they must. It is their right and responsibility to share the wealth that they work for with their family, who in turn shares with the rest of the world.
What if those same people woke up this morning and suddenly said, Its my money, I worked hard for it and Im not going to share it any more? In a very short time, the whole infrastructure would begin to break down. Little Johnny wouldnt be able to eat lunch because he didnt get any lunch money. The school cafeteria would close because it didnt get the funds to pay for the lunches. The suppliers would stop delivering and the farmers would stop growing crops and so on.
The point Im trying to make is that sharing the wealth is a personal choice; a personal choice that can affect many people. Each of us has a modicum of wealth to share. Its not important if you are rich or poor. Whats important is how you share. Call it your personal responsibility.
The holiday season is rapidly approaching. This year, with the uncertain economy and high percentage of unemployment, will leave countless families facing financial challenges. There will be many chances to make a difference in someone elses life.
How will you let someone use a part of your adequate amount so that others can have a reasonable or appropriate portion?
You can keep your money close to home. Maybe you have a relative or good friend that is struggling. How can you best help them and not overextend yourself? You can share a homemade meal or a sack of groceries. You could offer a ride or fill a gas tank. You could winterize a home or pay a utility bill.
You can share the wealth with your community. Most towns have programs that help their less fortunate citizens. Many churches have donation centers for non-perishable food and warm clothing.
The next time you look in the mirror, realize that you are the person who can share the wealth. You have a choice. Dont leave it up to a nameless government entity.
I wanted to offer specific criticisms, so I'm breaking it up here and commenting on the lines with which I disagree with the most.
This is misleading; it implies that to meet our wants and needs that we are acting out of selflessness rather than self-interest. When you go to the store, it isn't because you are taking an interest in the welfare of the store employee, it's because you want something.
Every time you buy American made goods, you support the infrastructure that is America.
Buying foreign made goods supports American infrastructure as much as buying American-made goods. The foreign goods still come through American ports and are handled by American dockworkers, shipped on trucks that buy American gasoline serviced by American mechanics, and so on and so forth.
We share our wealth in the form of taxes that pay financial aid to millions of underprivileged Americans and non-citizens. In truth, there are hundreds of ways we share the wealth.
Again, there is a problem with word choice here. If paying taxes were voluntary, it might be like sharing, but it seems misleading. I don't think most people would call paying their taxes sharing (they might call other people paying taxes sharing, but certainly not their own!)
On a more personal scale, we share the wealth with our family. Every day, millions of Americans crawl out of bed, get dressed and go to work. Many of them dont enjoy this ritual, but they do it anyway. They know they must. It is their right and responsibility to share the wealth that they work for with their family, who in turn shares with the rest of the world.
Again, it implies that we go to work because we want to do something altruistic. It isn't; paid work is done so that we can support ourselves. A portion of the money left over after supporting ourselves may go to charitable causes, but the need of the self (and family) is always met first.
What if those same people woke up this morning and suddenly said, Its my money, I worked hard for it and Im not going to share it any more? In a very short time, the whole infrastructure would begin to break down. Little Johnny wouldnt be able to eat lunch because he didnt get any lunch money.
Again, children could bring lunch from home. In the town where my parents grew up, school was let out for lunch hour and many children walked home. In fact, the elementary and junior high schools didn't even have cafeterias, and the kids still got fed.
The point Im trying to make is that sharing the wealth is a personal choice; a personal choice that can affect many people.
...
The next time you look in the mirror, realize that you are the person who can share the wealth. You have a choice. Dont leave it up to a nameless government entity.
Now I can definitely say that calling taxes sharing is wrong because paying taxes isn't a choice.
Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic: is charity always the best way to improve the welfare of people? Do investing and saving not have social benefits of their own?
You don't want to pay taxes, don't use any of the services those taxes pay for. But since you are going to use those services, unless you get out and stay out of the country, then not wanting to pay taxes is just a demand that you get charity.
You don't want to pay taxes, don't use any of the services those taxes pay for. But since you are going to use those services, unless you get out and stay out of the country, then not wanting to pay taxes is just a demand that you get charity.
I think you’re using a statement intended to promote charitable giving as a means to talk about taxes, and I don’t think that’s the intent of the author nor a good basis to initiate a discussion on taxes. I am quite certain that you could find another statement that actually addresses taxes to use as a conversation starter.
I think the biggest flaw with the statement is that it advocates charitable giving but not volunteering. Volunteering for a charity is infinitely more rewarding for the volunteer than just writing a check. Give some money to your charity of choice, sure, but also give a little time.
I think youre using a statement intended to promote charitable giving as a means to talk about taxes, and I dont think thats the intent of the author nor a good basis to initiate a discussion on taxes.
I was responding to the parts of the article; the discussion topic was actually about charity versus investment. It seems more like you are selectively reading my responses and misrepresenting my initial post.
I don't see how you can make that counterargument when you're the one that brought up taxes in the first place.
And I don’t see the dichotomy posited by the author you’re quoting as being about charity versus investment as much as being about giving versus not giving. I think you’re unilaterally expanded the arguments of the author you’ve quoted solely for the purpose of giving yourself a topic of conversation.
The only thing it talks about is the use of taxes to pay for infrastructure, which is very acceptable use of taxes to all but the most severe libertarians. It doesn’t call taxes “sharing,” you do.
Fair enough. I guess my eyes skipped over that. In any case, the fact remains that the author’s references to taxes are relatively minor and strictly revolve around infrastructure. Certainly, we share as a community the costs related to the use of infrastructure and the seems fair for most people. Expanding the tax discussion beyond statements about infrastructure appears to be outside of the author’s initial intent.
That said, you’re picking a part a statement that isn’t particularly well considered or written. I think by doing so you’re giving the statement more credit than it is due. Not so much because the principles of the statement are poor, but because their presentation is. I don’t see a point in writing an exegesis on what looks like a chain letter.
Cutlass hid the nail on the head. You can’t personally exempt yourself from the social contract because you’ll always be the subject of some state in today’s world.
Unfortunately, you are right. Many people have this terrible misconception that groups, not individuals, have rights, and that the collective "right" trumps that of the individual. I think it goes hand-in-hand with the recent extrajudicial execution of an American citizen without trial, so it is not isolated to economic liberty.
Unfortunately, you are right. Many people have this terrible misconception that groups, not individuals, have rights, and that the collective "right" trumps that of the individual. I think it goes hand-in-hand with the recent extrajudicial execution of an American citizen without trial, so it is not isolated to economic liberty.
That post really makes no sense whatsoever. It's the individual that has the rights. But the core of those rights is choose the government. Once that's accomplished, the group that's won the election gets to decide what happens. You simply cannot have every person only decide individually what they want and are willing to pay for, because so many people would cheat the others if that was true.
That post really makes no sense whatsoever. It's the individual that has the rights. But the core of those rights is choose the government. Once that's accomplished, the group that's won the election gets to decide what happens. You simply cannot have every person only decide individually what they want and are willing to pay for, because so many people would cheat the others if that was true.
You appear to believe that there's some perfect system out there that will leave individuals free and protected. Well guess what? There's not. Under your Minarchist state, you will be a slave. You will not have rights, and you will not have property. And you will not even have your life if someone decides to take it from you. So the question is not, how do you be perfectly free to do whatever the hell you want? That's not an option. The question is how do you balance the most freedom you can get for yourself and all others?
You have a nice phrase for it in the US, "Checks and Balances" I think.
By the way, do you have a list of "natural rights" I could peruse? I never really understood what is a natural right compared to "human rights" wich seem quite unnatural to me (hence the need for someone to enforce them, and decide what they actually are).
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
