re: #444 reine.de.tout

No, I would not have had the opportunities I’ve had here, anywhere else.
I am so blessed to live in this country.
And I have no issue with being taxed.

What I have an issue with is the characterization that I pay my taxes because it’s the government’s money to begin with. I pay my taxes freely and gladly, with my money.

We’re just not ever going to see eye to eye on this subject, it’s never going to happen

If we were talking about s single service government provides, I could see the point, maybe DMV fees, or a fishing license, or some arbitraty nickle-and-dime thing

But we’re actually talking about your, and my, very existence in society, quality of life, access to care, safety, safe harbor for your movey itself, all these things. The FDIC alone, you want to talk about your money, you’re conecptually giving a bank power over your money, it’s the government that’s putting safeguards in place to make sure that the bank can’t collapse and take your money with it.

I’m not sure there’s a single person here who would argue that the FDIC is “big government”. Necessary stuff. Critical stuff. Al paid for with taxes. Not grants, not gifts, not freely given just for the hell of it money. Taxes. Taxes that you gotta pay or else they’ll take it from you. It’s the way of the world. if you’re here for the calendar year, a chunk of your money is then no longer yours.

Now, if you leave America? Then it’s your money, out there on some mysterious island or wherever you live that isn’t governed by any country. But as long as you’re American, you’re utilizing all these protections, all this infrastucture, all these opportunities. And you’re using them before your taxes are due.

I guess this is why I’m not a conservative! Fundamental philosophical platform at the core of my being