Good, Better, Best...
I joined the Libertarian Party in 2000, but I'm not really sure when I became a libertarian. It's not like there's a single act or thought that identifies you as one. Basically, libertarians believe that you own yourself, and that you should be allowed to make the decisions about how to run your life. But you don't own other people, so you don't get to tell them how to run their lives.
If there was one principle that best described libertarianism, it would probably be the non-initiation of force. That doesn't mean you can't defend yourself against an attack, or retaliate against an aggressor. It does mean you can't attack someone that hasn't attacked you, and it means you can't force someone to give you their justly acquired property. Or money.
That's the main reason the LP generally favors user fees and sales taxes over property taxes and income taxes. I know a sales tax is still a tax, but coupled with the reduced spending of a smaller government, it might be something we could live with for a while.
Does a sales tax require initiation of force? I suppose you could argue either way, but you would have to admit it would take a lot less force than what we're doing now. And that is at least a step in the right direction.
I once heard a man say that we shouldn't let best stand in the way of better. I'd have to agree.
If there was one principle that best described libertarianism, it would probably be the non-initiation of force. That doesn't mean you can't defend yourself against an attack, or retaliate against an aggressor. It does mean you can't attack someone that hasn't attacked you, and it means you can't force someone to give you their justly acquired property. Or money.
That's the main reason the LP generally favors user fees and sales taxes over property taxes and income taxes. I know a sales tax is still a tax, but coupled with the reduced spending of a smaller government, it might be something we could live with for a while.
Does a sales tax require initiation of force? I suppose you could argue either way, but you would have to admit it would take a lot less force than what we're doing now. And that is at least a step in the right direction.
I once heard a man say that we shouldn't let best stand in the way of better. I'd have to agree.
posted by Rex Bell at 10:40 PM
2 Comments:
Government waste cradles the crux of the matter. If entitlements were eliminated and government left to its core purpose, most taxes would be unneeded.
Still, not all taxes are created equal. Property tax has the inherent flaw of punishing property owners and discouraging business investment. More damning is the notion that the government can evict property owners who don't ante up their "rent" to the county.
Amen Kenn.
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