My “Education” editorial prompted a rational and cogent response from David Land in the Morgan County Citizen. This is one of the reasons I began writing this column, to engage those with differing views in polite discourse free of the usual “Left-Right” rhetoric. Thank you David. I would like to respond to the issues raised. [...]
Category: Taxes
May 07 / 2012
Category
Austrian economics, Big government is the problem, Economic Fallacies, Education, Libertarian opinion, Taxes
Comments
No Comments
Education is your responsibility, not society’s
On the front page of the April 19, 2012 issue of the Morgan County Citizen there were two(1,2) apparently unrelated articles juxtaposed. They actually were as deeply related to each other as the eternal ying and yang of taxing and spending. The first pertained to a $4.8 million projected shortfall in the FY2012 budget for [...]
April 23 / 2012
Playing the “roads” card
Tax discussions invariably devolve to a point where one side finds it necessary to resort to the “roads” card. The assumption with this rejoinder is that “roads” are a major and necessary function of government. Setting aside the “necessary” aspect for now, let’s address the “major” assumption. At first glance it would seem something as [...]
March 19 / 2012
Off budget
This is rather scary. Using figures directly from the IRS we see than in 2008 (the latest year for which there are figures and which represents most accurately pre-recession income since the recession did not start until the very end of the year) the total personal income was $8.3 trillion. Further we see that the [...]
February 27 / 2012
Incentives and Taxes
Bill O’Reilly is disingenuous when he says high taxes might compel him to quit his lucrative job. Although there is a level where taxes can have that effect (why engage in challenging work if taxes limit your income to that of someone flipping burgers), we are nowhere near it. However, taxes and regulation do result [...]
December 26 / 2011
Tax Fairness (Part 3): Answers to questions on the Equal Tax
The Equal Tax (a head tax system) treats all citizens equally. It is the homeowners association model – everyone pays the same fee regardless of their income level. Those that believe in wealth redistribution won’t like it but then again thieves don’t like security systems. So, without further ado: Arguments against the Equal Tax – [...]
Tax Fairness (Part 2): Solved with the Equal Tax
Our tax systems (income, property, sales) share a common problem. They are applied in a discriminatory manner that harms some to the benefit of others. Rather than discrimination based on race or gender it is discrimination based on behavior or actions. Those that behave in a government desired manner pay less. Those that are good [...]
Tax Fairness (Part 1): What is it?
I wish someone would explain the objective criteria used to define “fair share” as it pertains to taxation. This term is used indiscriminately by those that assume everyone else’s internal fairness meter must be the same as theirs. Unfortunately “fair share” is not an objective standard, nor is it a subjective standard either because it’s [...]
October 31 / 2011
Social Security = Ponzi Scheme
Social Security is an inter-generational Ponzi scheme predicated on the assumption that population demographics would remain in a pyramid shape; a large base of workers supporting a tiny apex of retirees (diffuse costs and concentrated benefits). The “baby-boom” generation changed all that: the pyramid now looks like the Washington Monument. In 1950 sixteen workers supported [...]
September 28 / 2011
Economic Slavery
I have a proposal. Since we as a society permit children to inherit the accumulated wealth of their parents (unless you are “too” wealthy, then we take half of it!) then isn’t it reasonable that children should also inherit the liabilities as well as the assets of their parents? Currently if assets exceed liabilities then [...]
August 26 / 2011
