Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Grand Game: Tax Day Edition

Oh, man, was I spitting tea all over the op-ed page this morning. Check this article out. Now, the author is Chris Fitzsimon, a man I both like personally, and respect as an analyst. And he's a Carolina fan, so it's all good.

But this article....well, time for the Grand Game! Readers, please point out the most jaw-dropping logical or evidentiary indignity!

I was so excited I went all Boudreaux on Chris, and sent the following letter to the Raleigh News and Observer:

To the Editor: On Thursday, April 15 you published a most curious op-ed by Chris Fitzsimon (“Civil Services Supported By Taxes”). He lists government services, and implies we should be grateful. It was curious for three reasons.

First, some of the items are not services at all, but are mandated by silly laws.

Second, many of these services are financed by additional direct fees, not taxes.

Finally, his recitation of how ungrateful we are reminded me of letters I have come across in my academic research on slavery. Slave owners in the old South were genuinely surprised, and hurt, when their ungrateful slaves ran off after the Civil War. After all, the slave-owners had fed, clothed, housed, and in some cases educated the slave in blacksmithing or other trades. The point is that the slave-owners came up with elaborate lists that said “Look at all the things Master does for you. Why aren’t you grateful?” And those lists looked… well, pretty much exactly like the Fitzsimon article. I say you keep your services, I’ll keep my taxes, and we’ll just call it even.

7 comments:

Tom said...

I like this article so much that I'm going to go out right now and buy Mr. Fitzsimon a pair of shoes (possibly too large) and deliver them to him. Of course, I'll have to pilfer his wallet for the $2400 I need to pay for the shoes and to pay for an "agent" to beat up some unpleasant foreigner. Any left over money will be given to a charity of MY choice; see what a nice thing I'm doing!

I'm sure Mr. Fitzsimon will be grateful for my service to him -- he wouldn't protest it... would he?

Carpe Web said...

If you're looking for logical flaws, I think you've provided the biggest one in your analogy to slavery. Much like the analogy of taxes to theft, this one just mystifies me, almost as much as the irony of the TeaBaggers. The key to the logical flaw is political representation, as well as clear differences in liberty. Don't ask me to defend the social contract, because I'm not smart enough. But, like it or not, *we* chose these taxes. We have taxation *with* representation. Does anyone else *not* see a big difference between that and taxation *without* representation? Do you really suggest, as your letter to the editor seems to imply, that we are slaves equivalent to "real" Antebellum slaves? Do you really not see a difference of kind and not just of degree?

I love your unflagging opposition to bigger government, even when I don't agree with a particular government thingy [technical term] that you oppose. But when you imply that all government is bad, that's not simply opposing bigger government. I guess if you really beleive in anarchy, you have no logical flaw here -- well, except for comparing our present citizenry to slaves of the 19th century.

Irony Note: I love those TeaBaggers; they have all the credibility of 16-year-olds advocating "medical" marijuana. (FYI, I'm pro-legalization, I'm just not pro-lying-about-the-reasons-for-it.)

By the way, I'm not equating you with the TeaBaggers; I'm just pointing to the irony.

In addition, I don't see where Fitzsimon expects gratitude. He simply points out that carping is ignoring benefits. OK, maybe he does expect gratitude, but that seems a bit of an oversimplification. When my daughter complains about [pick your complaint; numerous options!], I don't respond (even to myself, in my own mind) by expecting her gratitude. That does not mean I invite her endless, one-sided criticism, though.

Oops, I might have sparked a paternalism debate, something I'm still trying to understand, so I think I'm now surrounded on five sides by people who have smarter arguments than I do.

Best regards,
Jim

Anonymous said...

Jim, I see your point, and I see where I did exaggerate.

But MY point is this: the fact that we get SOMETHING when we pay taxes is not proof that it is just.

And this "we" thing you speak of.... where is it? I see you, and I see me, and see other individuals. The problem is that fully half of the people voting for higher taxes pay ZERO taxes. A majority of the people in the U.S. pay no fed income taxes at all. Not surprisingly, they think tax increases are both hunky and dory.

You say "we" choose. I say that I am just as much a slave of the majority as real slaves were to real masters. I agree that the majority is a kinder master than ol' Simon Legree was. But it is still slavery.

Dirty Davey said...

"The problem is that fully half of the people voting for higher taxes pay ZERO taxes."

As your following sentence indicates, they pay zero FEDERAL INCOME taxes. They pay federal payroll taxes, state sales taxes, local property taxes....

What's a real shame is that when we exempt a minimum survival income from the income tax, so many people end up falling at or below that line. Half the population owes no federal income tax not so much because the tax schedules are radically redistributionist but rather because the income distribution is so uneven.

Anonymous said...

A new low Munger. I'm glad you got slammed in the other comments. Here's where you're putting yourself:

"But the abstract slogans against government, the childish reduction of necessary trade-offs as an apocalyptic battle between freedom and slavery, and the silly ranting at all things Washington: these are not a political movement. They are cultural vents, wrapped up with some ugly Dixie-like strands."

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/04/why-im-passing-on-tea.html

Anonymous said...

Dude:

I live in a house worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and so do you. If we're slaves, it's in a "Fight Club" the things you own end up owning you way-not b/c we have to pay taxes for some things we disagree with.

Can you go on vacation? Can you quit your job and move to Alaska or anywhere else? You're not a slave.

Anonymous said...

Also, how many National Science Foundation grants have you taken money from? No summer salary from them?

I'll tell you what, you can keep the share that I paid for the grants but you might want to give Tom up at the top of these comments his share of the grants back.