Just a few thoughts from watching the protestors on Wall Street and their spawn in other venues. I am struck by the lack of respect for property they seem to reflect. Then it dawns on me that they have no respect for private property and that is part of their world view. They want govenment to take private property (wealth) from one individual and give it to another based on their idea of what is “fair.” The implication is that what I earn and accumulate is not mine. It is effectively the property of the state and may be redistributed at the state’s command. I find that horrifying. At its root, taxation is theft. It takes property by force and gives it to someone who did not earn it or inherit it. We all agree that in order to run a country, we need some means of financing necessary activities for our common purposes. What we don’t agree on is what constitutes our common purpose. When government undertakes to use taxation to control behavior, rewarding or penalizing what they deem desirable, we have left the realm of liberty. When government decides which businesses deserve to survive and which should fail, we have allowed our government to become our god. They have the power to use the fruits of your labor to support activities you would individually deem evil or corrupt, and they have the power to use taxation to inhibit or destroy activities you would like to support. As always, the question comes back to, “Who decides?” Who decides where your money goes? Who decides what products will be available to you? Who decides what businesses will prosper? When anyone other than you decide how your resources are to be allocated, you are no longer free. How much tyranny are you willing to tolerate? You decide.
Just a thought
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