Quote:
Originally posted by bodymassage3
I don't suppose anyone could reply to what I said? I'm just curious, as the radio I listen to a few hours a day makes it sound like the general idea of "take from everyone to make everything better" is the worst thing possible. I'm not saying this in terms of how our government manages/mismanages money, but in general - isn't that what taxes are for? I think we need taxes, and it makes perfect sense as to why; but for the people on the radio to be such against this statement, aren't they also against the idea of taxes in the first place? (I don't mean someone's grandfather saying "Meh, damn taxes," or some kid getting taxed on his pizza everyday, but genuinely opposed of the basic idea of taxes.
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Taxes are not supposed to be a redistribution of wealth. Taking from many to pay for the security or infrastructure needs of all is the basic reason for taxes to the government. You can not provide for the safety and infrastructure of only those paying taxes without also supplying the safety and infrastructure to those who don't pay taxes.
Now, as far as social programs go, there are few people who argue that our society should not help to provide for those who can't provide for themselves. The elderly, infirmed, children with no parents/guardians etc. The argument then splits on how those benefits should be distributed and to whom. Both private and public institutions take on this role but, for the most part, it's government who takes care of the majority of it.
I have yet to hear a significant number of people argue that there should be no taxes paid to the government so that's not even on the table. If you do believe the government is inefficient at allocating money they receive then how can you support that they should continue to receive more and more to feed this inefficiency?
Here's a summary of my beliefs:
The government needs taxes.
The government is inefficient at spending the money they currently bring in
The government should be forced to prioritize its spending and become more accountable for the expenditures it approves.
The best way to do this is to cut their income to weed out the bad or ineffective programs that we all know exist.