I think it's hard to calculate, perhaps you don't have kids in school but paying so that other people's kids are in school prevents those kids from robbing you or committing property crimes for 6 hours a day, that could save you a fortune. Maybe you don't use the library but it gives homeless people a place to go instead of standing in front of your place of business scaring away the customers or near your home lowering your property values hanging out near your home. Consider the value of having your employees be able to use public transportation, or the employees of restaurants or hotels you go to, they can pay them less than people who own cars which saves you money.
It would help me to understand how taxes are theft. Those who say taxes are theft seem to be ignoring all the things they receive in return, thieves don't come and put your house out if it catches on fire or eradicate invasive beetles eating your trees, right?
Nope, people write them the checks or opt to have it withheld from their pay. People don't write thieves checks. It sort of matters, thieves don't give you anything in return for what they steal. It's just a bad analogy, a better one would be to say that taxes are extortion. It's just not "theft" under any definition of the word. The government is a protection racket, not a theft ring.
I think it is very different, for one thing, if you are being extorted your extortionist has an interest in preventing others from extorting you, thieves have no such interest.
tax is theft.
in that case what do you call the public services you receive?
overpriced and sub-standard actually.
sure, but if paying for them is "theft" what is receiving them?
Dependency!receiving that which you have paid for is dependency?
Receiving barely enough "back" to stay alive is dependency!
>:(I think it's hard to calculate, perhaps you don't have kids in school but paying so that other people's kids are in school prevents those kids from robbing you or committing property crimes for 6 hours a day, that could save you a fortune. Maybe you don't use the library but it gives homeless people a place to go instead of standing in front of your place of business scaring away the customers or near your home lowering your property values hanging out near your home. Consider the value of having your employees be able to use public transportation, or the employees of restaurants or hotels you go to, they can pay them less than people who own cars which saves you money.
what does it matter what I call them?
It would help me to understand how taxes are theft. Those who say taxes are theft seem to be ignoring all the things they receive in return, thieves don't come and put your house out if it catches on fire or eradicate invasive beetles eating your trees, right?
doesn't matter what they DO with the money.
that's totally irrelevant.
all that matters is how they get it.
they steal it.
Nope, people write them the checks or opt to have it withheld from their pay. People don't write thieves checks. It sort of matters, thieves don't give you anything in return for what they steal. It's just a bad analogy, a better one would be to say that taxes are extortion. It's just not "theft" under any definition of the word. The government is a protection racket, not a theft ring.
extortion is a form of theft.
a protection racket is too.
I think it is very different, for one thing, if you are being extorted your extortionist has an interest in preventing others from extorting you, thieves have no such interest.