Current mood:

calm

Quick dip in the deep end...
"Libertarians find many of your favorite projects "useful"
and would like to see them carried out by the private sector. Libertarians are
against tax funding for any project because taxation is, in essence, theft.

For example, let's say you want to encourage animal research. You might invest
in a company that performs such research or donate to a non-profit organization
for that purpose. Your neighbors may think that animal research is unethical
and won't invest in or donate to such work. Everybody gets their own way with
their own resources.

If such research is tax-funded, however, your neighbors will be forced -- at
gunpoint, if necessary -- to support something that they don't want. (If you
don't think that it happens at gunpoint, imagine what would happen if you
didn't pay your taxes!) Your neighbors, in turn, will force you to pay for
projects they favor, but you don't.

Everyone loses, because the government bureaucracy takes a hefty "overhead"
to collect your taxes and decide where they should go. ... For example, two-thirds of our welfare tax dollars go to the middle-class social workers who administer the programs. Private charities, on the other hand, deliver two-thirds of each dollar to those in need. We help the poor best through private charities, not tax-supported welfare. When we let government administer projects that we find useful, we get less for our dollar and these programs suffer."
-Liberator Online 3/16


Nice idea. If we could do that, it would be awesome. Too bad that we have problems enough getting people to vote, much less voluntarily separate themselves from their money. I think they're taking on this whole thing backwards... instead of trying to get libertarians to get the government to stop taxing us, the leaders of the party should try to get libertarians to make it unnecessary for leaders to tax us. Sort of like getting privileges from your parents by proving you're responsible. Take on charitable contributions, investing in research, supporting government directed movements, and when some of the burden of paying can be lifted from tax-payers, then you do it.

It'd be easier, too. Then you could campaign from the viewpoint that, 'look, the government doesn't need that much money to fund that program! Let's cut it back!' Much more effective and less controversial than, for example, 'hey, let's gouge chunks out of Medicare funding!' (As tempting as that sort of thinking is when I look at my pay stubs and see the money going into a giant black hole in Washington labeled by astronomers "Social Security.")

Anyways in the more day-to-day life of Colleen: CARBON LEAF TOMORROW! Hurrah for St. Patrick. And for the Pope bowing to the rather large Catholic Mick population and giving a dispensation to eat meat. (Not that the Caf ever serves any.) I've been spending classes this week Wikipedia-ing various places I like in Ireland. I found one entry ("Blackrock": It's an area of Dun Laoghaire, pronounced 'Dun Leary,' if you're interested) that mentioned my old school. I feel special.

Note to self: Buy disposable camera from the SExchange for recording St. Patrick's Day goodness.