[lit-ideas] Re: Paying taxes for months on end
- From: "Phil Enns" <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 21:07:05 -0400
Stan Spiegel wrote:
"I don't think you understand quite what Mike was saying. It may have to
do with the fact that you're Canadian, not American. What we're going
through under George W. Bush is an exact reverse of what Mike said:
those who benefit the most in America today have the lowest dues to
pay."
I could be wrong but my sense is that the very wealthiest Americans are
shouldering most of the tax burden and that most of them accept this as
part of the deal. It also true that paying 33% on $10 million is not
the same burden as 10% on $30,000 relative to cost of living. My point
though is not who pays how much but how best to help those who need
help. I don't think government is best suited for this though I do
think it can support those people/groups who are best suited to doing
the job.
Stan again:
"If you have "dues to pay," you're not able to provide the health care
that the very poorest need, the disability income that support them, the
school lunches for their children, the housing for the indigent elderly.
That's where we all contribute -- and the federal and state governments
provide it, hopefully equitably. If a devastating storm obliterates
towns in South Florida or Northern British Columbia, you don't have the
wherewithal to pick up whole regions and get them on their feet again.
That's where your taxes come in. That's where the Federal government
comes in."
I agree that there are times when this is true. That is, government is
good at stepping in where nobody or no organization either can or will
get the job done. However, this does not mean that government ought to
be doing these jobs nor that they are best suited. I worked for three
years for an NGO that did disaster relief all over the world. They
built schools and clinics in Iran after both earthquakes and built
houses after the various hurricanes hit Florida. They gathered material
from donors and organized skilled labourers in a much more efficient and
effective way then the government did or could. Again, I think there
are roles for government but I don't think that there is anything
special about government that makes it best suited for providing what
people need. Furthermore, there is good reason to think that government
is not suited for doing some of what it is doing in countries like
Canada and the U.S.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
Toronto, ON
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
