…They define justice, when applied to taxes, as a principle of progressive taxation. What that means is that the more you earn, the higher your rate of taxes. In the extreme case, the person who makes the most money in the country would pay a tax rate of 100 percent. Of course, nobody seriously proposes this, but such an absurd policy would be consistent with the idea, “The more you make, the less you need — and the more you must pay in taxes.” Th… Continue reading →

…successors, and George W. Bush’s cuts expired. Reagan’s term involved less taxation and a slower growth in government; interestingly, the economy did better during his time than any other period of 1971-2015. We could desperately use the 1980s back. More government control, more government spending, more taxation, more regulation. These have been the norm of the last 45 years. And what’s it getting us? A shrinking middle class. According to what t… Continue reading →

…claims. There needs to be, according to Obama, more ‘investment’ (meaning: taxation and redistribution of wealth) and more ‘regulation’ (meaning: government choosing of winners and losers in a system of pull/profit run by government officials, also known as economic fascism.) The problem is: We already had the key elements of Obama’s ideal under Bush, and (in various degrees) under essentially all presidents going back nearly a century. Rubio is r… Continue reading →

…lity and fairness when trying to come up with a better method of taxation. Taxation implies a moral judgment. You tax people because you believe they’re morally obliged to pay for something. You can’t simply say, “Let’s make the method of taxation cleaner and simpler.” Cleaner and simpler are virtues, to be sure, but they’re not a replacement for the value judgments required in defending your tax policies in the first place. Mr. Cain, are you prep… Continue reading →

…be like: President Obama with an “R” beside his name. A different form of taxation would undoubtedly be a good idea, especially a form of taxation that is coherent, logical and objective. But we all know that absent ideological revolution in the hearts and the minds of the people, government is still going to keep doing all of the things it currently does — and more. Does anyone seriously believe that Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan will actually replac… Continue reading →

…over again, that government redistribution of wealth — which is what most taxation is — represents the morally good. If all this taxation and redistribution is so morally good, why is it so damaging in practice? I would think that something morally good would lead to benevolence and happiness for human beings, not frustration, stagnation or ultimately ruin. If it’s really so easy to slash the debt and deficit by merely raising the income tax by a… Continue reading →

…ressivism is a hypocritical one-way street. Consider taxation. Progressive taxation is a moral crusade. It’s based on the religious-like belief that man’s primary purpose in life is to serve others. According to the religion of government progressivism, one must “tithe” ever-increasing portions of one’s wealth, even when honestly attained, to the God of Government. It’s not optional. It has nothing whatsoever to do with protecting rights — e.g., t… Continue reading →

…cing or expanding the things government does now?” “What is the purpose of taxation? Why is progressive taxation justified more than, say, a flat tax? Or if you don’t agree it is, then why?” “Should the government be spending more or less on defense than it currently is? Why or why not?” “Has the government response to ISIS and Islamic attacks against Americans at home been effective? Why or why not? What else can be done?” “What limits should be… Continue reading →

…ution. Although Reagan and George W. Bush temporarily reduced the rates of taxation, those policies of taxation existed during their terms, just as they do now. Social Security and Medicare are not capitalism. They are social insurance programs. Under a capitalist system, government does not guarantee health insurance or retirement pensions. Nor would a government, under capitalism, ever force people to fund such programs with payroll taxes. Both… Continue reading →

…can or even should try to “reform” taxation, particularly the confiscatory taxation found in the income and corporate taxes. Taxation in today’s world is legalized theft and government-sanctioned mafia activity, plain and simple. Most of us at least sense it, which is why we’re so disgusted with “the swamp”. Ideally, we should be getting rid of taxes. Cutting them is the next best thing, so long as the cuts are across the board and respect the fac… Continue reading →

…was not what it might have been, or should have been. This is because high taxation and other factors, such as manipulation of the currency and banking system to enable the massive trillion-dollar deficit spending spree by the government, hamper the private economy. Consequently, the private marketplace delivers fewer jobs and less security, because it’s unable to do so with all the government regulation, interference and taxation. Many of the peo… Continue reading →