On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 08:10:37 -0400, Chuck Harris wrote:
Bob Quintal wrote:

Taxes are not to pay other people's bills. they're to pay for
things that everyboddy uses, like roads, and schools, and
hospitals.and fire departments. You may argue that the health of
the street sweeper is of no concern to you, but if she spreads
tuberculosis to your neighborhood, it damn well is.

May I have your permission to argue that I don't give a rat's ass
if that lazy hunk of garbage and his spawn starve to death? Why
should I have to pay for him and the fruit of his lazy loins to
eat, have shelter, medical coverage, ...?

If you're talking about the guy who sweeps your streets once a week,
in that case the neighborhood could get together and ask some street-
sweepers for bids, and if a majority vote for it, then each person
can be assessed whatever the consensus is, and pay the damn street
sweeper. Now, _that's_ the kind of tax I could live with - the street
sweeper's bill was $500.00 to do one street, and so each of 10 houses
pays $50.00 and that's it. Who in hell needs some Washington Bureaucrat
to manage that?

The only thing government is supposed to be for is a meeting place where
larger groups can get together and resolve larger things, like a street
sweeper who does a whole district or city might be cheaper per house
than doing one street at a time piecemeal.

But that arose from the governed, it wasn't imposed from top-down, which
is what you seem to be advocating.

I've seen good government in action, and it was awesome. My folks took me
to a school board meeting when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and I watched
them debate a bond issue for "brick-and-mortar building money" for the
schools, and it was put to a vote, and won by a landslide, because the
people knew they were spending their money on their kids' education. AND
IT WAS ENTIRELY LOCAL! There weren't even any people from the county there,
let alone the state or federal governments!

That government is best which governs least.

Thanks,
Rich