On 5/28/2011 10:00 AM, Benj wrote:

...
This is true, but you haven't a clue why it's true! You just buy the
standard saw that if there is a pile of money wsomewhere is OUGTH to
be stolen.
...
No. The problem is two fold. 1. taxation is not fairly done. 2. The
fox is running the hen house when it comes to spending taxes.
...
So your idea is that one must pay a yearly fee for the privilege of
keeping what you actually worked to earn. If you don't pay your "rent"
on your propery, it gets taken (stolen) from you. (See first rule)
...
There are two ideas here. One is that taxes should be fair. Say a
fixed percentage of income, sales price etc.. The other is that tax
rates can be manipulated to do social engineering. One can tax "needy"
people less and "undesirable" people more to induce behavior in
various directions. The problem is once again fairness. Who is setting
the rules? Usually "needy" means the friends of those making rules
and "undesirables" means enemies of those setting rules!
...
Why just raise taxes? Why not kill them all and take everything they
own to pay off the national debt? We are all pretty much getting away
from the rule of law anyway. I'm sure all the "poor" will be for this
plan.

Your text reminded me back to a time when I had first retired, gotten
bored, and the wife and I began donating time at a local Catholic Social
Services Center.

I worked as security, in the kitchen, cleaning the grounds, the
"homeless library", etc., the wife the same, anywhere where we were
needed in the center. I began to see "the homeless" more as "people"
than I ever had in life ... but ...

After about a month, one of the priests came and took me and the wife to
his office, he counseled us about our "attitudes" towards the homeless.
I can see now, it didn't work, we didn't get it. In fact, at the
time, I didn't even realize that I didn't get it, and thanked him for
the "pep talk."

So, one day, the priest asked me if I would go along with a homeless man
and his girlfriend and help them collect recyclables, this struck me as
odd, but still, I consented, I had great respect for the priest ... the
wife went to her normal chores at the center.

During the day we collected cans, plastic, metals, bottles, etc. from
various dumpsters. They even found clothing they kept.

To make a long story short, at the end of that day, I was dead tired.
When we turned in his "findings" he got a bit less than $50.00 dollars.
It had taken us over 8 hrs. and was some of the hardest work I had
ever done. My feet hurt, my back hurt, etc.

I finally "got" what the priest had been trying to tell me, it is harder
to be homeless than to hold down a tough job. They don't choose to be
homeless ...

Now, I am sure that some just "don't work" or are "lazy", but I will
never have the same opinions I had before I had the opportunity to see
the problem directly ... to see "the problem" first hand, up close and
personal.

Now I see the difference between the "rich" and "the poor" as being a
bit less significant ... if you doubt anything I have said here, help a
homeless person out for a day ... be prepared to have your opinions changed!

Now, I certainly would NOT want to ever repeat that day, but oddly
enough, I am grateful for the experience! The priest comes by now and
then, and we have dinner together.

Regards,
JS