Helping the World's Poor

[nietzreznor]

[ QUOTE ]
However, the threat of imprisonment is at least equal to the threat of violence in my eyes. I honestly do not know which i feel to be worse.


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The government doesn't normally do that though. Usually they find some way to garnish your paycheck, since you(hypothetically) are violating the law. That's not violent.


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Yes this is true, it is also true that the mugger with the gun usually doesen't shoot you he just takes your money and runs. But the threat is still there just the same.

silly


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The difference, in this case, is that you choose to live in this country. You can leave at any time. But, while you are in this country, you need to obey the laws.

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem with this assertion is that it presupposes what you are trying to prove, i.e. that the government's laws, right to your money, etc., are justified. I own myself and my property, so what right does the government have to enforce their laws on me? I should be able to leave this "country" ("country" as in being a part of the United States) without actually physically moving. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could. But, unsurprisingly, I cannot--the South tried this before, and the North didn't take it too well.

[lastchance]

I am in fully in agreement. But in terms of a counterpoint to the original post, this is by far the most effective and best.

[lastchance]

Fine, as long as you agree to no police protection, no military protection, no trade rights of any kind, no access to any kind of highways, no access to anything invented by NASA during the Apollo Program, no SS, no Medicare (admittedly, those two are really fat), no right to vote, essentially no benefits at all from the government. Just because you own something does not mean you are exempt from the law.

Hell, my parents had to pay for taxes before they were US citizens. There's a reason they exist. You want to cut it down, analyze. Even if it taxes are immoral, they're necessary, at least some form of it is. And necessity > morality, every time.

[nietzreznor]

You are assuming that none of these things can be provided without the government. I guarentee that every single item on this list has been provided by the free market, and more efficiently, at some point in history. Stuff like "trade rights" makes no sense anyways, I have the right to trade anything I have with anyone I please, so long as exchange is voluntary. The government can't give or take away this right legitimately, they can only try to by threat of violence/imprisonment.

Taxes are NOT necessary, since every thing we are taxed for we could get anyways without government's "help".

[tolbiny]

This alone really wouldn't sove any thing. Feeding and providing basic medical services to everyone in the world would cause an enourmous population boom- and many many more problems.
Secondly access is more of a problem- like in N Korea where food aid is merely diverted to the army, and the peasents continue to starve.

[tolbiny]

The problem with feeding everyone today, ist that you have to feed them all tomorrow as well- and the day after that you have to feed them and their children, and the day after that ect. YOu won't solve anything, just build a massive number of dependants who will ALL starve to death once those "donating" are unable or unwilling to continue to support them. (this is ignoring the difficulties in getting the supplies to those who actually need it).
If you came up with a Forgien aid plan to help build country's economies and provide stable political structures at a resonable cost and without excessive violence (just had to make it clear that i am against the Iraqi invasion) then i will not complain if some of my taxes go towards it. But just providing the basics won't do much good at all.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
Besides the counterpoint one of logistics and corruption, right? This is probably the only effective counterpoint, but it's certainly very effective.

[/ QUOTE ]

With 10 million people starving to death a year I would think we could air drop rice to at least some of them.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

yes, Bruiser, this is sad.

Now I hope you're sending this little note to your representative and not just posting it on 2+2.