[MD] Consciousness

[craigerb at comcast.net]

[Craig, previously]
> For me there are 3 requirements for
> taxation: 1) the tax revenue is for a legitimate government function,
> 2) the correct entities are taxed & 3) the tax is fair (neither too
> high nor too low).

[Krimel]
> If "user fee" style taxes that you advocate were sufficient to
> support something like the Security & Exchange Commission (SEC) then
> the SEC should be a private enterprise.

This is great news.  We should be able to “privatize” much of our current government.

[Krimel]
> the kind of abomination that results in toll roads.

Toll roads/bridges are a mixed case.  On the one hand, they are a nuisance to use (although new technology, whereby a device on your car records your use, lessens this nuisance.)  On the other hand, there are cases where the majority does not want to pay for a road/bridge, but a minority is willing to support it by tolls.  A win-win situation.
 
[Krimel]
> Taxes are not "fair" in the sense that every individual who pays them
> gets a direct benefit from the service provided. Benefits accrue to
> every member of society

That old feeling of “taxes are theft” arises in me every time the government decides for me what is in my benefit.
(3 biggest lies: 1) ”I’m from the government, I’m here to help”;
2) “The check is in the mail” & 3) “I won’t cum in your mouth”)

[Krimel]
> I benefit from highway construction in New Jersey whenever I travel
> to New Jersey and New Jersey tourists benefit by having roads here in
> Florida.

I was thinking of adding another requirement: 4) that taxes/fees be practical.
For instance, we don’t want to have to carry around an “air meter” to
determine how much we each pay for clean air.
However, some jurisdictions do have an “hotel tax” so that out-of-town
overnight visitors help pay for local government services (police, fire
department, etc.)

[Krimel]
> BTW an extra carriage return at the end of your
> posts would help to distinguish what you are saying from the spam
> tacked on at the end of these messages.

This is especially important for those of us in “Digest Mode”
(where you get posts bundled together) & any tacked on spam
makes it hard to identify the next  post.
Craig