I want what you've got
A wise man once defined evil as taking something that belongs to someone else. This definition sounds pretty air-tight. You could take someone's property, liberty, life, or even their ability to pursue their own goals.
What gives a government the right to take something that belongs to someone else? In particular, what gives a government the right to take from some citizens and give to others?
Can you ethically take something that a person already owns? For example, can you make taxation retroactive? As I understand it, this is not yet allowed in the US.
However, you can enact new laws and regulations to change a tax code to take more (or less) and in different ways in the future. What makes it legal is the citizens buying-in on the legitimacy of the government. As long as a government is seen as legitimate, good people feel an obligation to follow the law. But when a government begins to represent one set of previously defined good citizens against another for the purpose of taking from one to give to the other, the legitimacy of the government becomes questionable.
The classic example of taking from one is the Hollocaust, where the freedom and lives of some German citizens were taken. Good people had the choice of accepting the legitimacy of the government or standing up for the persecuted. It made no difference if it was a matter of self interest. It was a matter of moral principle, of the wrongful taking.
Taxes also can be wrongfully taken. As US citizens, we must be cautious that our desire for the money of the rich doesn't lead us to persecuting the group.
While many justify the persecution of the rich, the taking of their money, by the use of various pseudo-moral arguments, the bottom line is that it is a taking, an unwanted and morally questionable act. Once their money is in the possession of those who will profit from the taking, will there be gratitude for the sacrifice of the wealthy, or further envy and greed? If you favor a graduated income tax, look into your heart. The love of money is the root of all evil, even if it is someone else's.
What gives a government the right to take something that belongs to someone else? In particular, what gives a government the right to take from some citizens and give to others?
Can you ethically take something that a person already owns? For example, can you make taxation retroactive? As I understand it, this is not yet allowed in the US.
However, you can enact new laws and regulations to change a tax code to take more (or less) and in different ways in the future. What makes it legal is the citizens buying-in on the legitimacy of the government. As long as a government is seen as legitimate, good people feel an obligation to follow the law. But when a government begins to represent one set of previously defined good citizens against another for the purpose of taking from one to give to the other, the legitimacy of the government becomes questionable.
The classic example of taking from one is the Hollocaust, where the freedom and lives of some German citizens were taken. Good people had the choice of accepting the legitimacy of the government or standing up for the persecuted. It made no difference if it was a matter of self interest. It was a matter of moral principle, of the wrongful taking.
Taxes also can be wrongfully taken. As US citizens, we must be cautious that our desire for the money of the rich doesn't lead us to persecuting the group.
While many justify the persecution of the rich, the taking of their money, by the use of various pseudo-moral arguments, the bottom line is that it is a taking, an unwanted and morally questionable act. Once their money is in the possession of those who will profit from the taking, will there be gratitude for the sacrifice of the wealthy, or further envy and greed? If you favor a graduated income tax, look into your heart. The love of money is the root of all evil, even if it is someone else's.
posted by DocBrain at
4:15 PM
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